We are an environmental activist group based in Stratford, Ontario. We formed because of our shared opposition to a huge and polluting glass manufacturing plant that had been secretly planned for farmland annexed by the City. The City hoped to bypass citizen opposition through a Minister’s Zoning Order, the first to be used for such purposes in Ontario. They didn’t succeed.
Since then, we have continued to work on environmental and development issues within Stratford. As we become more experienced, we are more and more convinced that open and accountable governance is the only route to solving the pressing climate and other environmental problems we face.
Groups like ours are forming all over Ontario. We’ve begun to make connections and collaborate, learning to help each other deal with similar problems.
How we won the glass plant battle
Sam Denby and Mike Balkwill’s book A Winning Campaign explains how a small group of Stratford people succeeded in saving 175 acres of prime farmland from an extremely polluting industry. The book launch for A Winning Campaign was in Stratford on November 24, 2024, four years to the day since we had our first online meeting about the glass plant. We’ve got other battles ahead, and it was wonderful to see everyone at the launch and talk about what has gone on in Stratford since the glass plant was stopped.
We’d like to thank Loreena McKennitt for her reminiscences on the history of the Xinyi campaign, as well as author Mike Balkwill for his stirring talk about organizing. Mike Sullivan concluded the meeting with a summary of where we stand now, and what we are planning for the future.
Copies are available at Fanfare Books in Stratford, and you can order the book online. A copy is also available at the Stratford Public Library.
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