April 26, 2024
I am a neighbour to Bonnerworth Park and I enjoy my relationship with her. In particular, I appreciate and value the green space as its beauty contributes to the quality of living not only for myself but also many others. The others are grass that is alive and green, the birds who come to be fed, the many living creatures living and thriving both above and below the earth. This is their home where they live out their span of life. Also many people visit Bonnerworth to pray and play. Bonnerworth like all caring mothers welcomes and offers herself as a gift for all to enjoy.
Bonnerworth has been in the public domain for hundreds of years as a sacred space where all are welcome. The decision to repurpose and reconfigure her will mean that she will now be paved over for the pleasure of a few and countless living creatures will die. This decision to repurpose Bonnerworth will result in pain to her and to all those who will die as a result of violence against Mother earth and the many living species who make it their home. This means that the value of inclusion will be replaced with exclusion which goes against the value system of our day.
On March 21, 2024 | became aware that "the powers that be "were planning to reconfigure and repurpose Bonnerworth Park. Since then I have been reflecting on the process whereby the decision was arrived to take this action against Bonnerworth Park. As I reflected on the process which brought about this decision, I realize that I have some questions about the process itself. First, how did this process move forward over a period of time only to be publicly announced on March 21 /24? Question...is there a hidden agenda, a secret operating here? Secondly, I am wondering where the $4 million dollars came from to finance this project. A few months ago, we the citizens of Peterborough were informed that more money was needed for the city and taxes would rise. There is a lack of transparency around the funding of this project.
I remember in grade 10 studying a play by Shakespeare called Hamlet. Now we know that Shakespeare in and through his plays often challenged the decision makers of his day. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare has Marcellus saying, "There's something rotten in the state of Denmark". It seems to me that the process by which the decision was made to reconfigure and repurpose Bonnerworth Park has a cloud of secrecy hanging over it. I think the decision-making does not pass the smell test. There seems to be far too much secrecy surrounding the process.
In today's Examiner there are two articles, with pictures, which speak directly to the regressive idea of paving over green space. First, a picture of five people, under the heading "........looking to grow green" followed by ❝details about new Climate Change and Environmental Fund ...." Then, below this a headline “Earth Day events continue across the city this weekend". These two articles speak clearly to those who will listen. Climate change is real and many scientists are warning us of the need to take better care of Mother Earth. They tell us that we can no longer treat Mother earth as an object to use and abuse. The fact is that Mother Earth is a subject with whom we must have a healthy relationship. She is experiencing abuse by the pollution of air, water, and earth. Science suggests that the earth is sick, and a sick earth produces sick people.
At this time people have awakened to the reality of climate warming and the need to love and respect Mother Earth. I feel that paving over a green space goes against the reality of climate warming. There an axiom "do no harm" which I think applies here.
Finally, in 2015 Pope Francis wrote a letter to the world entitled "Care of our Common Home." He consulted the best scientists in Europe and relied on their knowledge in order to craft a document that spoke clearly to the issue of climate change. In this document, he made it clear that we live in the web of life where all are interconnected and interrelated and that the health of the whole depends on the health of each living organism. Pope Francis stated that as a people of God we are called to love and respect Mother Earth. In fact the spirituality of a community will be revealed by the care or lack of care for the earth. To pave over Bonnerworth is clearly showing a lack of love and respect for our Mother. As the saying goes "actions speak louder than words". It seems to me that the clergy in the city need to read Pope Francis' document, and then encourage and inspire the people in the pews to actively protest the plan to pave over green space.
Now I present the spirituality of our First Nations brothers and sisters as seen through the eyes and heart of the late Richard Wagamese, a mystic, poet, and author. In his book EMBERS he describes the web of life in terms of relationships. I quote: The purpose in life is to learn about your relatives, your family.". Question...who is my family? He answers "the moon, stars, water, insects, birds, mammals. Your whole family. Learn about that relationship. How you are moving through time and space together." It is clear that paving over green space is a failure and does harm to our family. The plan to repurpose and reconfigure Bonnerworth Park is wrong and needs to be cancelled.
Fr. Leo Coughlin,
Retired priest and a lover of my Mother Earth.
