It was deja vu all over again for the good folks from Glencolton Farms at yesterday’s Feast of Fields at Cold Creek Conservation Area near Nobleton Ontario. Here’s the story from Elisa and Michael Schmidt:
York Region health inspector Jody Hope at the blue bus last Sunday. Glencolton Farms photos.
“Now, you’re either on the bus or off the bus….” — Ken Kesey, via Tom Wolfe, in “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”.
York Region health inspector Jody Hope has been “off the bus” for four years now and last Sunday she wanted badly to get on.
It was nearly four years ago in the Toronto Waldorf School parking lot, in November of 2006, one week after the infamous Ministry of Natural Resources raid on the raw milk operations at Glencolton Farms in Durham, that Jody Hope first demanded to get on to the Glencolton Farms blue bus while it was parked in the TWS lot just off Bathurst Street in Vaughan where cowshare members would come to pick up their milk.
According to one eyewitness, when the realization finally sank in that she was NOT going to be allowed on the bus back in 2006, you could “see” the power draining out of her.
Ruth, from Glencolton Farms, talks to health inspector Judy Hope
Well, September of 2010 presented another chance. No doubt the folks at York Region Public Health had heard tales from previous Feast of Field events at which it may have been mentioned that Glencolton Farms handed out samples of raw milk to people.
And perhaps to prevent a recurrence of this milk sharing, they had required all participants in this year’s Feast of Fields to fill out and submit forms in advance detailing what would be given out and where it was from.
What seems to have evolved was that not all participants did fill out these forms and maybe the event organizers filled out forms on their behalf and submitted them to York Region Public Health.
Standing by at the blue bus while negotiations were in progress
And maybe that’s why when inspector Jody Hope, with two of her fellow inspectors, showed up at the Glencolton Farms display about a half hour in advance of opening time on Sunday, and said something to Elisa (Michael Schmidt’s wife) about a form that had been filled out, Elisa didn’t remember anything about this supposed form, and asked to see it.
Jody apparently hadn’t brought the form and therefore couldn’t produce it. When Jody demanded to inspect the inside of the bus, Elisa maintained that the bus was private property and that only cowshare members would be admitted. Jody Hope was not a cowshare member and therefore would not be admitted to the bus.
Paul and Daniel, from Feast of Fields, attempt to negotiate a solution to the standoff.
When Elisa suggested that maybe this was something personal — that she had a bone to pick with Michael — Judy denied it. At one point the conflict had escalated to the point where Jody threatened to call the police. Fortunately the standoff was defused by the event organizers who apparently persuaded Jody to back down.
However, four hours later, Jody was discovered to have been hiding behind a bush so she could watch the blue bus and what people were doing around it, while her colleagues inspected the over food providers at the event. A little later, when Kerry (who was there with Elisa serving crackers and cheese) told Judy she looked like she needed a hug, and offered to give her one, Jody finally departed from the vicinity of the bus.
Michael Schmidt was not personally at the event, but Elisa was in touch with him by phone throughout the showdown.
He later posted about it on Facebook: “NO HOPE FOR JODY HOPE ON A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. This [lead picture used in this story] is the face of Jody Hope Health inspector of York Region who harassed people at the blue bus. The Blue bus was targeted at Feast of Fields today. They threatened to call the police if the people would not let them on the bus to search for raw milk. In background the two other inspectors. Again as in 2006 they did not gain entry and police did not show up.”
Composite picture Michael Schmidt assembled for Facebook.
People from York Region public health watch the media circus in the mall below as Michael Schmidt emerges triumphant from the courthouse with a not-guilty verdict in January of 2009.
This was part of what the people in the picture above were watching happen. January 2010
Elisa by the bus later in the day, after the conflict had blown over and the sun had come out.
The Bovine 
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See the response on face book
Michael Schmidt NO HOPE FOR JODY HOPE ON A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.
This is the face of Jody Hope Health inspector of York Region who harassed people at the blue bus. The Blue bus was targeted at Feast of Fields today. They threatened to call the police if the people would not let them on the bus to search for raw milk. In background the tw…o other inspectors. Again as in 2006 they did not gain entry and police did not show up.
Jody was not very nice to deal with as you can see.
NO LUCK FOR JODY
Ann Duncan likes this.
Calvin Arnt Uhhhhgly!
Michael Schmidt She had tried 4 years ago with the back up of police to enter the bus. Again even with police she could not gain entry.
They have a hard time to forget that we won the court case.
o
Calvin Arnt People don’t realize that cops can’t look at our personal stuff unless (a) they have a court order or (b) we say “yes” which we shouldn’t. As much as I respect our officers, they are arms of our “I Know Better Than You” government.
Cam Pyper Well done.
o
Jina Lewinberg Poor woman seems so unhappy!
Shonagh Home Good grief, if ever someone looked like they could use some traditional food nutrition! Might help her disposition.
Teya Graves Yay!! I am so proud of you for not believing the lies. Yay
Briain O’Driscoll you were right to draw the line, please next time, remind her again that you do not belong to her
Ann Duncan Yes!!!
Nicole Paluszek Definitely has that Umbridge-like toady look, eh?
Good job defending your rights, folks!:)
James McIntosh She’s just so frustrated cause she’s being told what to do by a “mythical monster machine” that neglects to tell her the “why”. I’m to the point where our non-functioning social relationships make me laugh… Passed the point anger, I mean who could get mad at a face like that.
Briain O’Driscoll any takers??
;
Rudy Hartmann
Having worked for Toronto Public Health for 18 years, (dealing with brain-dead bureaucrats, working with and for administrators whose only function was to generate policies and procedures and mission statements and thousands of pages of use…less minutes of meaningless meetings), and also working with and knowing many health inspectors, I can say that it’s true – though many of these folks are in many ways decent people on a personal level, when they put on the cloak of officialdom, wear their badge, uphold the letter of the law so they don’t have to actually think about the moral and ethical issues surrounding what they’re enforcing, then they become part of that monster machine, neglect common sense reasoning and hide behind statutes so they don’t have to actually think about what silly things they sometimes do. (Remember the recent cases where public health inspectors in several places shut down kids’ lemonade stands?!)See More
Roger W Sarcia She looks like she needs some RAW milk,cream,yogurt,butter and Grass fed meats LOL
Briain O’Driscoll
’The trouble with a cheap, specialized education is that you never stop paying for it.’ (said mccluhan) it’s not that I wish to incite hatred or criticism towards this woman, she’s is just *doing* her job. She has a life outside of work as… does any professional, and so say all of us. However, don’t kid yourself, don’t waste your time and energy trifling with these people, they have nothing more to offer than stinging, no matter how you try to help the only sting and sting and sting because that’s what they possess, thanyou for the sacrifices you have made, Michael- you’re a king!See More
I approve (highly) of the posting of these ‘mug shots’ of so-called officials.
That ‘three-fer’ near the bottom of the article is outstanding. I notice the one called ‘Jackie Owens’ looks remarkably like (double chin and all) the Minnesota milk inspector who harassed and violated us, on our farm. His name is Vernal Olson and he lives in Hoffman, Mn. His fat piggy fingers, writing his little bureaucratic ‘sanitary reports’, figured prominently in the destruction of our small family organic dairy farm.
There will come a day of reckoning.
nedlud
Good job Michael and team! Looks like you handled things well and kept the state at bay.
Poor Jody… She must have been droped when she was a baby, too bad she turned the hug down… she needs one to defuse her power trip.
As much as I respect everybody who they are and what they are, the expression in these faces are all similar because of the mandate and soulless approach. This is their job. This is not their life. They execute because they make their living this way. If they do not follow the orders they will loose their JOB. This is the self preserving nature of bureaucracy ( please note bureau- CRACY). That’s why we have so much irresponsible behavior amongst those who enforce law.
If we are consenting to this behavior, if we are tolerating this behavior we will become partners in crime. The bottom line is to stand your ground on moral and ethical values by embracing those who do not know what they are doing.
Dont forget the people at the Nuremberg Trials were not excused when they tried to use “We were just following orders to carry out out our job” excuse. They are just as much to blame as the people they get their marching orders from if they carry out orders that are clearly wrong and unjust against our fellow people.
More on search of vehicles by agents of the state: