UPDATE

UPTON FARMLANDS UPDATE

October, 2011

Since the establishment of the Upton Trust Inc. the Board has had several regular meetings as well as several planning meetings. We invite you to visit the web site at www.saveuptonfarm.com or www.uptonfarmlands.com. There you will see the posting of the legal papers regarding this establishment, as well as the conditions, by-laws, the Agreement and the Vision Plan. The Vision Plan has been posted on the website for almost four years and became part of the legal papers.

You will note that the transfer of the land was conditional upon it being brought under the Natural Areas Protection Act. To that end, the Board has been and is working with the Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry to prepare a plan for approval by the Board that decides on inclusion in the Natural Areas Protection Act. Aside from the condition of transfer, it is a necessity from a financial point. Under the Natural Areas Protection Act the property is exempt from provincial property tax, which otherwise would be approximately $ 30,000 annually.

The Board is also working towards accessing provincial programs for planting and improving the land. As well, the Board is in the process of applying to Revenue Canada for non-profit status, a cumbersome but necessary process. At this point the Trust has no funds. The Board has applied for an operating grant from the Provincial Government for the remainder of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. It appears approval is imminent.

As you can see, there are many time-consuming details to see to in setting up this Trust. In closing I would like to say that it is a privilege to serve with and be part of such a dedicated and knowledgeable volunteer group, (notice by-laws: no honorarium) who spares no time or effort in carrying on the business of the Trust and fulfilling the Vision Plan in a speedy and responsible manner. The Board welcomes thoughts and ideas and invites anyone to let them be known to the Board.

Greetings on behalf of the Board and myself,

Kirsten Connor, President, The Upton Trust Inc.

Finally….!

“The Upton Farm Preservation network is pleased to announce that its goal has been reached for the most part.

After five years of work and negotiations, 138 acres are now in the ownership of Upton Farm Trust Inc. which is being managed by a board of trustees, as set out in the agreements and by-laws as posted here.

The Board will initiate long-term planning based on a Vision Plan endorsed by supporters of UFPN, Canada Lands Corporation, The Provincial Government and the City of Charlottetown. The original plan was posted on our site a very long time ago, and has now been incorporated into the by-laws.

The stewardship of the land rests in the hands of a volunteer board of trustees.

The members are: Kirsten Connor, President, Parker Grimmer, Beth Hoar, Heidi Hyndman, Dr. Douglas Sobey, Cheryl Stead and Barbara Trainor and Deputy Ministers Michael Mayne and John MacQuarrie.

Thanks to one expressed vision, perseverance and the loyal and hard work of the working group of UFPN, Dianne Bradley, Jan Rankin Collie, Heidi Hyndman, Kathy Kennedy,Laurie McBurney, Katherine McQuaid, Cheryl Stead, chaired by Kirsten Connor, and all the supporters, that gathered around that vision, all Islanders are today invited to share in celebrating this historic gift and to enjoy, relish and protect it in perpetuity.”        

Kirsten Connor

Petition for Incorporation

Option to Purchase

Letters Patent

Deed #2

Deed #1

Upton Farm Trust Development Agreement

Letter from Hon. Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning

August 18, 2010

Dear Kirsten,

Thank you for taking time to meet with me, our Chief of Staff and my Deputy recently to share your concerns with the development of the BioCommons. Thank you as well for your letter to the Premier outlining your concerns and requests.

After the meeting, we have had careful consideration of your requests and I submit to you the following:

1. As noted to you in the meeting, because all proper environmental and sustainable planning was conducted by our consultants and approved by the City engineers, the sewer line will be installed as planned. I have talked to my Deputy about the need to ensure more consultation on these issues with the Upton Farm Preservation Network and its new Board.

2. We are in agreement that the seat on the Board of the Trust required by the City will use one of the three planned seats from the Province.

3. We will proceed to complete the establishment of the Trust by September 10th 2010. In addition, our lawyer will send to your lawyer an amended agreement for the use of the land. We agree with your request that this agreement mirror the MOU which was singed in 2009. Please ask your lawyer to work expeditiously to ensure that we meet this aggressive timeline.

4. After consultation with the Premier, his office and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, we have determined that the Province can release its option on 8 of the 10 acres identified for expansion of the nursing home. Although you asked for the release of the entire option, we cannot accommodate this request due to future space requirements in relation to expanded health services for seniors.

I trust that this will meet you concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Allan

Hon. Allan Campbell

Minister

Innovation and Advanced Learning

Province of Prince Edward Island

P.O. Box 2000, 105 Rochford Street

Charlottetown, PE   C1A 7N8

Phone:  (902) 368-4230

Fax:  (902) 368-4242

Update

We are working on getting a comprehensive update put together and once that is complete, we will post it here.  The current construction that is occuring at Upton is a sewer easement that, once complete, will be reseeded.  The UFPN has been in meetings the past two weeks with the Department of Innovation as well as the Premier’s office discussing this matter.

Please check back later this week for more details.

Thanks

UFPN UP-DATE

The formation of the Trust and the transfer of the land to the Trust is still in progress and details of operations will be adopted on the advice of the lawyers involved and in accordance with the MOU as work proceeds. Another up-date will be posted as soon as more information becomes available. Please note that the deadline of December 15, 2009 for completion of the Trust has been extended to February 15, 2010 due to unforeseen delays.

Site Plan Presented at Public Meeting

Charlottetown, The Guardian: Local News | Capital city squeezed out but still in control of Upton Farm planning

Charlottetown, The Guardian: Local News | Capital city squeezed out but still in control of Upton Farm planning

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PUBLIC MEETING-JULY 30, 2009

Please come out and show your support on July 30th.  Take your friends and family along!

IMPORTANT REZONING MEETING

THURSDAY, JULY 30/09

CHARLOTTETOWN HOTEL

4:30 pm

Notice of Public Meeting

Map

Kirsten Connor’s Speech from June Press Conference

Thank you. Ladies & Gentlemen.  Preserving this significant portion of the Upton Farmlands as green space for public use and in perpetuity is a testimony  to vision and cooperation.

A hundred years from now, when the Charlottetown area takes in half of Queens County, people will say, “where would we be without Upton Farm?”, just as we say today, – “where would we be without Victoria Park”.

When thousands of buildings have been built and torn down again, the Upton Farm will still be there in all its splendor and more valuable than ever.

The support for preserving this land has been extraordinary and enduring right from 2,000 people signing petitions three years ago to joining in with e-mails and calls later.

Many groups such as the Shellfishers’ Association, the Women’s Institute, Island Trails, the Rural Beautification Society, the Island Nature Trust and others supported  us.

Many hands and many minds have worked to reach this day.  I want to pay particular tribute to our small working group. We have met almost weekly for 2 ½ years, written thousands of e-mails and attended endless meetings.

Laurie McBurney, Kathy Kennedy, Cheryl Stead, Dianne Bradley, Katherine McQuaid, Jan Rankin-Collie and Heidi Hyndman are those dedicated and loyal people.

As well, we are indebted to our spouses and families for their interest, help and patience.

We also want to applaud Mayor Lee and City Council for their vision and courage early on.  Their support, along with that of both Government and Opposition Members of the Legislature, convinced Canada Lands Corporation to take a second look at the use of this beautifully situated land.

We commend Canada Lands Corporation for striking a Consultation Committee consisting of representatives from the City, the Province, CLC and our Network from which sprang the agreement announced here today.

There are only winners in this agreement.  The Bio-Science Campus, when designed well, will be compatible and will be a very attractive home for this concept.

The City will retain a valuable tax asset within City limits, along with having a green, impressive and memorable entrance to the Capital.

Canada Lands Corporation has fulfilled its mandate, both with regards to disposing of an asset, as well as listening to the community.

It has been a pleasure working with the Premier and government officials on this agreement, and in particular, noticing their understanding of the importance of securing preservation of this land in perpetuity.

I want to thank Premier Ghiz and Dr. Mayne and other government officials for respectful and courteous discourse throughout. It was a pleasure, thank you.

We look forward to continued pleasant cooperation as we work on the formation of the Upton Farm Trust. The full agreement can be found on our website at

In closing, I want to thank each and every one who helped in any way in accomplishing this great goal.
I hope that Upton Farm will give the citizens of this City and Province pleasure to the end of time. Let’s enjoy —–

Industrial Park, green space go side-by-side at Upton Farm

From CBC.COM

Industrial Park, green space go side-by-side at Upton Farm