Lewis (Skip) Taylor talks to a reporter from CTV during the lunch break.
About two hundred coop shareholders, supporters, and interested members of the public came out today to Newmarket court to hear the start of the application for injunctions regarding the Glencolton Farms raw milk operation.
Although the hearing was scheduled for 9:30 am, it was nearly 11 am by the time things got underway in earnest. Some of that first hour and a half was taken up with a motion from the lawyer for Ontario Milk Director Gavin Downing (subsequently referred to here as “the Crown lawyer”). This motion would have converted Our Farm Our Food Coop’s status at the hearing to that of a respondent (from being an intervener). Council for OFOF, Lewis (Skip) Taylor objected to the motion, saying he would need time to consult with the members, because the motion had been filed so late. The Crown lawyer decided not to pursue it further.
The lawyers for the Crown and for the Region of York agreed that the ARC Coop and the Christian Community church could be represented by non-lawyers. Elisa van der Hout will represent ARC, which is the workers coop at the farm, and Jonah Evans will represent the church.
Most of Monday was taken up by presentations by the lawyer for the Crown. Both he and the lawyer for York Region were to have finished their presentations today — which raises the question as to whether the proceedings will be finished on Tuesday as originally envisioned. Tuesday was to have been devoted to hearing from the respondents, and presumably some counter-arguments after that.
Two reporters were on hand to cover the proceedings. A York Region Media Group reporter was there in the morning, interviewing people outside the courtroom. And a reporter from CTV Barrie was present during the morning court proceedings. He stayed to interview Lewis Taylor, counsel for OFOF, Michael Schmidt and Elisa van der Hout, over lunch hour.
The chief theme of the Crown lawyer was to establish that a milk plant — where milk is packaged and processed — has been operated and is still being operated at Glencolton Farms. He argued further, contrary to what he said were the arguments of the respondents, that there are no exemptions under the Milk Act, and that their “new corporate scheme” does not change that reality. Furthermore, he said, the farm did not have a permit for said milk plant and there is no record of it ever having had one.
The Crown lawyer also recounted the story of Michael Schmidt’s legal odyssey through the courts, both in 1994, and following the 2006 raid at Glencolton Farms. At one point he got a chuckle from the audience by inadvertently referring to Schmidt as “Mr. Guilty”.
Michael Schmidt and Elisa van der Hout being interviewed for tonight’s CTV News in Barrie.
The Bovine 