Opponents to the large outdoor summer concerts at Burl's Creek lined up on Tuesday to make their case to the Ontario Municipal Board.
The OMB hearing is helping determine what can and cannot be done on the Oro-Medonte event grounds in the future.
Campaigners with Save Oro testified the concerts are illegal and pose a risk to health and safety.
“You're afraid as you drive down the road you’re going to whack into somebody,” says Bruce Wiggins of Save Oro. “As these concerts get bigger, as this owner wants them to be, they'll be even more people who will want to walk the roads.”
Burl's Creek representatives say they did reach out to neighbours before last year's concerts. They asked how they could help make life easier during the shows.
“We've had no issues what so ever. We made a point of taking them up on their open door policy to come and ask questions,” says farmer Josephine Martensson-Hemsted. “We did do some haying during one of the concerts. They found solutions for my husband to cross the highway with his hay bind and his tractor in a safe manner.”
Owners of Burl's Creek have already sold tens of thousands of tickets for two concerts this summer.
Members of Save Oro say thousands of concert goers will again, park and camp illegally on land, which should be used for farming. That sort of land is in great demand.
“This is prime agricultural land. The competition is great even to the fact that neighbours sort of fight amongst themselves that they should have possession of the land,” Wiggins says.
“People who farm have the choice of farming whatever it is that works for them. Neighbours are allowed to have opinions, but they don't control what you do on your farm,” says Martensson-Hemsted.
The OMB hearing continues on Wednesday with Ontario’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs taking the stand.
