Get Concerned Stratford used a specific blueprint in their fight against Stratford city hall, and now they're sharing it with the public.
The citizen activist group is the topic of a brand new book called A Winning Campaign. The group held a book launch Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Falstaff Family Centre for the book that was written by Sam Demby and Mike Balkwill, with Balkwill in attendance signing copies. It talks about Get Concerned Stratford’s fight against city hall, the province, and the Chinese corporation Xinyi who wanted to bring a floating glass plant to Stratford.
“The book is about how the residents of Stratford stopped a done deal from happening, " said Balkwill. “The Government of Ontario, the mayor, and factory leadership had a deal in place to bring the glass factory to the city. The deal which has been in the works for two years has been covered by a ministry zoning order, and came to Stratford council with two weeks' notice, since council has to vote on a financial incentive package for the company.”
Get Concerned Stratford got the MZO rescinded whlie shining a light on the actions of various levels of government.
“The company went a secretive route with the mayor at the time,” said Balkwill. “So we got a group together to stop this from happening, so this book tells the story in detail. We always say this book is a textbook campaign because in only 15 weeks the group brought this project halt, securing complete victory, something that is not often done, especially in such a short amount of time.”
The group aims to protect and enhance the unique character of Stratford, Perth County and the province, promote and enhance the environment, educate the public about developments at city hall, engage with stakeholders, represent the concerns of the organization before council and more. Balkwill said the book is written in an interesting way that tells the story of a race.
“The story reads like a race, with the mayor firing off a starting gun that has a silencer on it, and the residents have to quickly put on their running shoes to catch up,” he said. “It tells the story of how they caught up, set the pace, and how they crossed the finish line first. There are also lessons after each chapter to help other communities learn from and apply in their own communities.”
The book was not easy to put togethe, taking three years of interviews and gathering facts to make it a reality.
“We didn’t even know everything that was taking place,” said Balkwill. “So we had to sit back and go, what did you do, when did that happen, and from there we had to piece the story together.”
Anyone looking for more details about the book or looking to purchase it for themselves can click here.
