When a developer came to city council in 1995 seeking to rezone industrial-zoned land in a sparsely-populated part of the city to allow the building of a big box power centre containing a Wal-Mart, the community mobilized and said NO. A few months later another developer came to council and wanted to rezone university lands to build a power centre in an area already over-serviced with commercial development. Again the community said NO.

Both developments were contrary to the  City's Official Plan and a properly-zoned and fully-serviced shopping centre in the west end was not yet developed for a  lack of tenants--in an area where there were 20,00 people and no shopping.
Thus is the background for a six-year odyssey of public meetings, planning reports and Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings. The hearing is currently scheduled for February 2002.
The book, which is co-authored by Gail McCormack, is a record of the saga, an anthology of community wisdom expressed in the inspiring presentations made to council and to the OMB and a guide for others seeking to stand up to the big boys. Guelph Against Goliath also contains a CD with all the legal documents, ready for cutting and pasting: motions, response documents, decisions, affidavits.

You will be amazed, amused and appalled.

To order your copy, send a cheque for $19.95 plus GST and postage (total $26.00) to Ben Bennett Communications, 127 Wyndham St. N, Suite 100, Guelph, ON N1H 4E9. Or..