How do you spell bureaucratic aholes

[Edward Kennedy]

CONTACT: Mark Tijssen

PH: 613-822-4103



The Show Goes On… and On



The seemingly never-ending saga of Regina vs. Mark Tijssen for sharing home-slaughtered pork with a friend moves into a new phase on Friday February 18 at 3pm. A Judicial Pre-Trial will be held in Courtroom # 8 of Ottawa’s Elgin Street courthouse in front of Provincial Court Justice Lise Maisonneuve. The outcome is expected be a trial date for Tijssen.



This case, often labelled as the Great Tree House Caper, began in November 2009 with a five day stake-out of the Carlsbad Springs resident’s property by officials from Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources. They cleverly concealed themselves in a tree house belonging to a neighbour and made notes on Tijssen’s comings and goings as well as the activities of his school-aged children. It should have ended right there. Unfortunately, rather than visit Tijssen and inform him of a newly implemented regulation regarding the transport of home-slaughtered meat off of the property where it is killed, MNR officials waited to pounce when the co-owner of the pig left with her share. Two nights later, unannounced and without a warrant, MNR led a multi-vehicle raid on Tijssen’s rural property. After four charges, $100,000 in potential fines, a rejected plea bargain for $1000 and a dozen court appearances later, Tijssen convinced Justice Maisonneuve on January 31 that the many issues at stake in his case merited the attention of a Judge of the Ontario Court of Justice.



Tijssen grew up on a farm north of Brampton, Ontario, joined the Canadian Forces 25 years ago and farms on a small scale on his rural property on the outskirts of Ottawa. He has received considerable support from the rights-focussed Ontario Landowners Association and valuable guidance from Michael Schmidt, the Durham dairy farmer who is well known for championing Food Choice.



The Province of Ontario has informed Tijssen that on the afternoon of February 18, he will face not one, but two Crown attorneys who will travel from Toronto to Ottawa in order to attend the 30 minute Judicial Pre-Trial. All this over less than 40 pounds of pork destined for consumption by the same person who purchased, processed and packaged it!

[WestViking]

I hate to ask silly questions, but was this a wild pig or a domesic animal? I am curious as to how Natural Resorces got jusrisdiction over the slaughter of a domestic animal.

Seems to me that this would come under the <a href=http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_01f20_e.htm#BK1>Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001</a>

These would be the applicable regulation: <a href=http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_050031_e.htm#BK252>ONTARIO REGULATION 31/05</a>

It seems to me that the Departmrnt with jurisdiction is Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

[styky]

Roy Green did an interview with him a while back and what happened to him is just too creepy.

http://www.ontariolandowners.ca/index.php?news&nid=56

[Edward Kennedy]

This is yet another demonstration of fascist actions through over regulation, the bane of fredom and democracy. Such agencies do NOT have jurisdiction over our freedoms and do NOT have the right to act like damned fascists,EXCEPT most of the herd capitulates and SURRENDERS their freedoms. The herd GIVES AWAY their God granted rights and freedoms WITHOUT a fight to these minions of bastardly fascism.

This is the state of affairs, nobody has any fight as most are insecure and unwiling to pay the price to defend freedom. Freedom was the entity our forbears defended with their lives during the last two Great Wars and which bureaucracies, the system, and damned legends in their own mind seek to steal.

We must oppose them. Constance and Mark are doing what it takes to fight in thier own circumstance for freedom and BTW, I have an anonymous donor who agrees to kick in a grand for the last fund raiser when I was away and missed a fight. Pity me.

For the record, I believe some good people were treated unjustly, people who were free thinkers and supporters of this site. I can see BOTH sides of the story and also see the pressure and duress Constance was/is under.

While not agreeing at all, and while having met some of these people on my first trip tot he west this past year, I find that right or wrong, the owners do have a right to make their decision whatever that was, if I do or do not agree.

I say this to weigh in on the situation as there are more than a few who have wondered about my position and have emailed me at my home email address and even talked to me.

I will not challenge what I do not agree with in this instance, but I do have a position, but I will not and cannot weaken nor ignore the FD standing and record in opposing the attacks on freedom of speech the owners have fought valiantly, long and hard against for years.

I can remain opposed to what I do not like within an organization while seeing still the goals, history and record of a good organization and good people.

I personally, and others here, I am sure have been misjudged and the objects of injustice even imposed by close family members. I do not think that reality wil ever change, but we will go on.

Nuff said.

[Peter O'Donnell]

"How do you spell bureaucratic a-holes?"

T - O - O - M - A - N - Y

[Quebec Hardwood]

More laws=more corruption.

[WestViking]

This is yet another demonstration of fascist actions through over regulation, the bane of fredom and democracy. Such agencies do NOT have jurisdiction over our freedoms and do NOT have the right to act like damned fascists,EXCEPT most of the herd capitulates and SURRENDERS their freedoms. The herd GIVES AWAY their God granted rights and freedoms WITHOUT a fight to these minions of bastardly fascism.

I think you missed my point Ed. Natural Resources is acting outside its jurisdiction and therefore its charges should be stayed. Further, regulations do not have the same force as law. Regulations have not been debated and passed by the Legislature. Moreover the meat regulations were not promulgated by Natural Resources under its governing Act.

I do not agree with the Ontario Act or Regulations. My son and son in law buy a beef animal, have it butchered, cut and share the meat. Many others who are members of farm families or close friends of local farmers will buy beef or pork direct from the farmer rather than from the supermarket for many reasons.

A five day stakeout of the Tijssen farm? Why do I suspect that Natural Resources was after Tijssen for some reason other than butchering a hog? Looks to me as if they failed to find the evidence they were after (or wrongfully suspected) and turned to prosecuting for the pork meat to justify the expense of a five day surveillance. This whole thing smells.

[FiscalConservative]

This guy is actually a friend of my dad's, as he used to be my dad's boss in the Forces. We've gotten fresh duck and hen's eggs from him a few times. The whole thing is ridiculous, as if he'd shot a deer and done the same thing, no problems, but because it's a 'regulated' animal, he's supposedly done something wrong.

He purchases the animal from someone he knows, he knows exactly the quality of meat he's getting, he butchers it and packages it himself, it sounds like he's got end to end control over what his family eats. Sounds ideal to me. I heard the story from my dad, and my first question was, "Who complained?", sounds to me like someone's got a grudge against the man and wanted to stir up a hornet's nest.

Since the acquittal of the other farmer who was selling raw milk, I hope this gets thrown out and the lawyers are sentenced to working on a farm for a year.

[Edward Kennedy]

Note they are sending TWO crown attorneys to prosecute Mark. Michael Shmidt had a whole roomful of gubmit attorneys against him and he beat the lot of them. Right = Might

[Fabulous Fred]

Note they are sending TWO crown attorneys to prosecute Mark.

I noticed that, and the first thing I wondered was "how much is this costing the tax payer"?

I'll wager it's a bundle.

[Soulforger]

I like quality meat is there any left?