LibertasPost

Q. When was the Ontario Landowners Association formed and why?

In 2003, in response to over-reaching land use rules and laws, landowners in the Lanark area started the Lanark Landowners Association. Randy Hillier served as its first president. Soon after its creation, the Lanark Association encouraged other areas to start groups modeled after the LLA. Then in 2006, the Ontario Landowners Association was formed to serve as the umbrella association for these ever- growing landowner groups. The OLA’s mission is to preserve, assist and protect the rights of landowners and to encourage smaller, more transparent and financially responsible government. The OLA is the largest and most recognized landowner rights association in Ontario and is growing rapidly.

Q. Does the Association get involved in court cases involving disputes over property rights, i.e. would you provide a lawyer or legal help in such cases?

As of now, the OLA concentrates on winning battles in the court of public opinion. If an OLA member faces a legal challenge, we will publicize his case to the public and to the media and encourage members to attend all court proceedings, as a way to show moral support.

Q. Are you concerned that property rights aren’t included in the Canadian Charter of Rights?

Yes, absolutely. One of the OLA’s goals is to get this crucial right entrenched in the Charter. In the meantime, however, we are focusing on reclaiming our rights as landowners by battling against the countless rules, regulations and by-laws which undermine our rights as property owners.

Q. Is your membership primarily rural-based?

OLA members come from all across the province and from both urban and rural areas. Some of our members own 500 acres of land or more; some own less than half an acre. The fact is all landowners in this province, regardless of where they live, are losing the benefit to enjoy and profit from their own property thanks to the actions of politicians and bureaucrats who are eroding away our freedoms.

Q. Do you support non-violent civil disobedience on the part of aggrieved landowners?

The OLA has, in the past, used direct action to support our members in times of need. However, over the years the OLA has become more professional, better organized, and politically savvy, meaning we rarely have to resort to such tactics. Now the strength of the OLA is such that simply our involvement in an issue often gets the desired attention and more importantly the desired results.

Q. What exactly is “Natural Justice”? Is this concept similar to the term “Social Justice”, which is popular on the left?

For our group, justice is defined simply as allowing property owners to own and enjoy their own land, free from undue government interference.

Q. You say property rights are the most important rights in any society. More important than freedom of speech? How are property rights the foundation of freedom?

As Ayn Rand argued, without property rights no other rights are possible. As she put it, “The right to life is the source of all rights—and the right to property is their only implementation … Since man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life.”

Q. What is your own background, prior to becoming president of the Ontario Landowners Association?

I grew up in Dwight, Ontario a small village near Algonquin Park. A “bush baby”, I grew up in a family that believed in freedoms and liberties. Life was about working hard, paying your bills, helping your family and friends and not impeding your neighbours.

If you needed to put up a building, you put up a building, if you needed to cut your trees, you cut your trees.

I have a varied educational and business background. My husband Scott and I operated successful companies in the forest industry for more than 15 years, until last year when we downsized and put the businesses in the hold position due to the gutted and unprofitable Canadian forest sector.

The Ontario Landowners came into my life in early 2009 when they came to Muskoka to help us fight the new municipal tree cutting by-law being pushed on local area residents and businesses. We started the Muskoka Landowners Association and I was elected as vice president. (The proposed Muskoka tree cutting by-law was voted down—the first time in the history of the Municipality of Muskoka that a recommended by-law was ever squashed by council. Muskoka is one of the only municipalities to not have a tree cutting by-law.) From there I was asked to sit on the executive board of the OLA and then in October 2010, I ran successfully for the position of OLA President. As President, I am working hard for the members who have put their trust in me, using all my work experience in business, marketing and advertising. My mission is to make the OLA stronger, bigger and better for the landowner.

Q. Do you have any plans to go national, or at least expand to other provinces?

An expansion to the national level is always possible, but that’s an issue for the OLA Board to consider. Certainly, landowners in other provinces are reaching out to us. For example, we recently started a large membership OLA chapter in West Gatineau of West Quebec.

Q. Is Randy Hillier still involved in the Association at all? Do you have support from any elected politicians?

Randy Hillier is no longer involved with the OLA. The Ontario Landowners Association is a non-partisan organization. Our goal is to get politicians from all political parties to support the rights of property owners.

Q. The Association recently listed the “Five Most Outrageous Examples of Government Infringement on Property Rights for 2010”. Any one of these five really jump out at you as the epitome of property rights infringement?

Any situation where governments restrict or regulate private property in a way that creates or causes mental or financial hardship on a landowner, is atrocious and wrong. They are all equally wrong because they are all infringements upon our rights and liberties.

Q. What do you think of native land claims? Should First Nations people be reimbursed or even allowed to reclaim land as a result of what they claim are unfair treaties signed decades ago?

This is an issue which the OLA has not taken a public stance on.

Q. What’s your opinion on asset forfeiture laws that allow police or the Crown to seize property from suspected criminals? Does Canada do a better job at preventing asset forfeiture abuses than the United States?

This is an issue which the OLA has not taken a public stance on.

Q. How does the province of Ontario compare to other provinces in terms of respecting property rights?

It’s difficult for us to compare Ontario with other provinces because our focus and experience is centered solely in this province.

Q. What is a Crown Land Patent and why do you encourage rural landowners to apply for them?

The OLA encourages all landowners to get a copy of their Crown Land Patent grants for their property(s). Every landowner has a Crown Land patent grant. They apply for it through the land patent office in Peterborough, Ontario.

As enacted by the power and authority of land/property owner’s Crown Land Patent grant, any Canadian Citizen who is a registered property owner is protected from all interruption, intrusion, legislation or regulation, be it municipal, provincial or federal, and all associated actions as to entry or surveillance (by any means) onto private land or into private property.

This is a fundamental principle, going back at least to Magna Carta.

In Attorney-General v. De Keyser’s Royal Hotel Ltd., [1920] A.C. 508 at 509 (H.L.) [De Keyser’s Royal Hotel], Lord Parmoor said: “Since Magna Carta the estate of a subject in lands or buildings has been protected against the prerogative of the Crown.” The “force, effect and authority” granted in the Crown Land Patent Grants to all original Grantees/Patentees, their heirs and assigns forever, overrules all orders-in-council, legislation, regulation, policy, by-law, etc.

Public “user rights” over private property only becomes legal upon a successful application to the court initiated by the Attorney General.

Having Crown Land Patents allows landowners to see the original reservations on their property and also gives them a document to see and hold, a contract which tells them, yes they do have rights to own, use, benefit, enjoy and profit from their property as long as they do not harm or effect their neighbours’ property.

Unfortunately, governments and bureaucrats refuse to recognize and respect the authority of Crown Land Patent grants. Yet the Patent grants exist, as do our rights. Our job at the OLA is to push politicians and government to recognize, respect and acknowledge those rights.

Website:

www.ontariolandowners.ca