local media, of those trying to save Larose. Having won their case, one would think 
some mercy would be shown! In January 2005, the amount sought by Francoscenie 
Inc. was $137,000 (to read the decision: 
http:ZAvww.omb.gov.on.ca/e%2Ddecisions/pl030382%5F%231124.pdf). In the 51 
page report accompanying the Motion, the language from the OMB judge escalated 
calling the appellants irrelevant, vexatious and frivolous. They were taken to task 
for supposedly asking questions that had already been decided by the Board, and for 
having witnesses who presented “irrelevant” testimony. How fair was it for the 
OM B judge to agree with and assign this Motion for Costs against ordinary citizens 
doing the job the United Counties should have been doing in the first place, ensuring 
protection of their natural heritage? 
The appellants hired another lawyer and appealed the Motion and eventually, the 
costs were reduced from $137,000 to $15,000. Nonetheless, this sum on top of their 
legal costs amounted to approximately $75,000. The OFNC made a contribution 
towards the costs incurred by the Friends of Larose, as did some very generous 
individuals. The development proponents were well-funded with access to 
numerous professional resources. Throughout the process, they were also 
strengthened by a parallel defense mounted at public cost by the UCPR. The 
appellants had no access to such resources, professional or financial, and have borne 
the bulk of the costs. 
While awaiting the OMB decision, Francoscenie Inc. finally opted for one of the 20 
alternate sites, located at a tourist farm near Casselman. It has all the necessary 
infrastructure in place and is easily accessible from Highway 417. Despite this, 
L 'echo d 'un peuple, quickly fell onto hard times. Numerous problems beset the 
project including lower attendance than anticipated, financial difficulties, and loss of 
key people on the board, all leading to Francoscenie Inc. seeking bankruptcy 
protection in 2005 (well-documented in local newspapers including the Ottawa 
Citizen). However, they have received support from local politicians and others and 
are set to stage their third season in 2006. Were it not for the above noted personal 
attacks through the media, one could feel a degree of sympathy for the group. 
The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness. 
- John Muir 
Update on Flora and Fauna 
In a Citizen article dated April 2, 2003, one of the founding members of 
Francoscenie Inc. was quoted as saying "this is an artificial forest and there are 
almost no animals." We knew this to be false—our bird list was already quite 
substantial and a number of interesting and regionally significant vascular plants had 
recently been identified, but clearly more work had to be done to refute those who 
believed the forest nearly devoid of life. There is still a lot of work left in 
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