letter to membership

Dear Members,

On February 18th, the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island invited
Friends of the Farm to a charrette ( ie workshop) to discuss possible plans
for the use of the Experimental Farm property. A total of eight different
groups were invited to send 4 representatives each to the workshop. The
Confederacy have engaged a firm from Calgary,O2 Planning and Design, to prepare a plan for
the
development of the property, and that firm conducted the workshop.

The Executive of the Friends of the Farm sent 4 representatives and two more of
our members were there representing the Parkdale neighbourhood. All of us
felt the workshop was conducted in a very professional manner. The firm from
Calgary will prepare a preliminary plan and bring it back to the workshop at
the end of March.

Your Executive is anxiously awaiting to see the proposed plan. It is
possible that a plan may evolve which would satisfy both the Confederacy and
Friends of the Farm. However, there is one crucial point upon which we do not agree
with the Confederacy. The Confederacy have proposed that a private corporation own
the land; and the shareholders in that corporation would be the two Mi'kmaq
bands on PEI. The corporation would generate revenue for the bands. There
would be a board of governors for the corporation; and Friends of the Farm
as well as a number of other groups would have a seat on the board of
governors.

Your Executive have always promoted the idea that the city of Charlottetown
or the Province of Prince Edward Island should own the land. Upkeep would be
financed by revenue generated from admissions to a 3.5 acre botanical garden as well as some
development such as seniors’ housing, small-scale university research centres, or even small
centres concerned with wellness. Our plan has always been flexible and we would support just
enough development to maintain the property. Our idea of development is institutional not
commercial and it would have to be suitably designed and carefully placed.
All this was outlined in the proposal which was prepared for us by Daniel
Glenn Associates in 2005. That proposal was based upon the results of our
workshop, to which the public was invited ( and about 120 people attended),
plus interviews of a number of groups and individuals.

The Executive will be talking to civic, provincial and federal government representatives once
again. The Mayor has already reconfirmed his support of the Friends’ plan. The Friends must
decide whether or not to attend the next level of talks on the Mi’kmaq proposal.

The Friends of the Farm now have over 350 members. Every member’s opinion is extremely
important to us. Please give us your feedback at friendsofthefarm@gmail.com.