The Story of Blueberry Creek Forest School being bullied by Tay Valley Township

Tay, Township, Leave Those Kids Alone!

Originally published September 28, 2023 and updated.

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Hello from Blueberry Creek Forest School and Nature Centre! 

We are a community-based, not-for-profit Forest School just outside of Perth, Ontario, in our ninth year of offering affordable, inclusive, outdoor learning to children.  We are a Reggio inspired environment, with children leading their learning Monday to Friday, from four to twelve years.  Each day we lead a different program with various age groupings. Children can attend one to two days a week to complement their public or home-school education, and we are a recognized private school.  Currently we have 52 forest school children attending, with a maximum of 16 per day with two educators. To date we have welcomed over 400 children to this land.

As the sole owner, I have run the forest school as a volunteer for the past nine years as advised under our Board of Directors.  I have invested an additional 200k to update the 1850 homestead, barns and land to the unique environment it is today.  In spring 2024 we were finally able to replace our old bridge with a new one to thecost of 130k.  I host the home on Airbnb weekends and summer to cover all the operating costs, including a small hobby farm, so these costs are not passed onto families. I have never taken a salary.  We have seven incredible educators and have a 1:6 ratio for kinders and a 1:8 ratio for our older children. Our hope is that childrenbecome life long learners with a deep care for the environment.

This would be a happy story of children learning outdoors, surrounded by gardens, rabbits, goats and hens, if it weren’t for Tay Valley Township (TVT) and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) making my life a living hell since 2017.

I wish this was an exaggeration, but I will highlight a few of the events to show the pattern of bullying, abuse of power, intimidation, and court action.  Our legal fees are now at 400k. An anonymous staff member or member of Council (in late 2020)  even launched an ethics investigation against my husband who is a Member of Parliament, claiming his support of the school was improving my career. Given my income for this work is zero, it was dismissed—after we spent $40,000 on legal fees. 

For context, we have always maintained we are a Community Service as allowed under our zoning.  The Education Act is very clear that private schools do not fall under the definition of School.

These are the two definitions from Tay Valley Township at the heart of the dispute:

“Community Service shall mean use of land, buildings or structures by a not-for-profit, non-commercial body or society such as a service club or charitable organization for promoting athletic, cultural, educational, health, recreational, social, philanthropic or other similar objectives”

“School shall mean an educational establishment under the jurisdiction of a Board as defined in the Education Act”

1.  Tay Valley Township hired an independent planner to rewrite the definition of “School” in their zoning, for the explicit purpose of capturing Blueberry Creek Forest School.  This was discovered in a freedom of information request:

“Steve, are you available for a phone call re the “School” definition as it relates to the Blueberry Creek School issue.”  Novatech replied: “The proposed definition for school has been expanded so that it is clear that it applies to both public and private schools.  The Blueberry Creek school would be covered under this definition”.

2.  TVT publicly argued that we were not a Community Service for the purpose of education as allowed under our Commercial C zoning.  Their argument was we could only promote education, not actually deliver it.  I was accused of misleading the township of the intended use of the property and told I was operating illegally.  From the beginning I wrote to the township planner Noelle Reeve with the intended use of the property as a Forest School.  

3.  TVT initiated in a lengthy “Site Plan agreement” that they asked I keep secret from Council "It goes without saying that this offer must be kept in strict confidence - Council has not seen this agreement".  In the townships Site Plan agreement they state a permitted use of the land would be “providing educational experiences for the public and children through play and exploration and fostering ecological literacy and healthy living.”  Our lawyer responded to the township lawyer “the site plan agreement cannot make lawful an activity that is unlawful under the zoning by-law.  It seems obvious that “delivering education” and “providing educational experiences” are exactly the same thing.”

4.  We have made a dozen freedom of information requests, with  TVT and RVCA fighting every one.  To date there are 998 pages withheld, and Tay Valley Township have spent 66,000 dollars of taxpayers dollars to withhold them. Many of these documents are shared between the RVCA and TVT.

5.  The former Reeve of TVT hand delivered me a letter at Blueberry that council would vote that we are, indeed, a Community Service - IF we agree to never sue Council OR any staff at Tay Valley Township. We did not agree, and the vote did not pass.  To this day TVT has not agreed we are a Community Service and have threatened multiple times to bring us to court.

"Council is prepared to vote on passing a resolution to recognize that the operation of the Blueberry Creek Nature Centre is currently in compliance with therequirements of the Zoning-By-Law for a Community Services Use.  The Township requires assurance that it will not be the subject of a legal claim of any type in the event the Council resolves to accept the current operations as compliant, including that no actions will be brought against any current or former councillor or staff related to this matter..."  

6.  TVT Council did not know for 8 months our forest school existed, even after the media and lawyers on both sides became involved.  When questioned the former chief of staff said that he did not involve them because of my inappropriate behaviour. For the record, I was crying at this meeting.  There was extensive local media coverage during this time.

“The owners of the property became aggressive and hostile and staff had to caution them several times during the meeting.  Frankly staff who were in attendance, including myself, were shocked at the conduct of the owners…if anything I am understating the situation”.  This meeting had been openly recorded and later shared, and Tay Valley Township then moved (unsuccessfully) to ban all recordings.

7.  The RVCA and TVT have refused to let us complete an art studio building that was approved every step of the way by Tay Valley Township.  This was a rebuild of an existing commercial building, with the exact same footprint.  For years we were told if we applied dozens of changes, hired a planner, offered additional architectural and engineering drawings, a site survey with elevation - that the studio would be approved.  After these were completed at significant cost it was ultimately denied, and we took the township to court over this issue. This settlement is now under a strict non disclosure agreement since April 2025.

The RVCA opened their own forest school ‘Foley Mountain forest school’ 20 minutes from Blueberry in 2018, with an almost identical program.  We need MORE forest schools, but they should not be a regulating body over us.

8.    The eight year battle with the RVCA to raise our bridge at Blueberry Creek - that they approved below the floodplain in 2005.  RVCA have promised the process would be ‘cost prohibitive’ and that they would not look at the matter while the zoning was under dispute.  Our last correspondence appears they are treating it the same as a municipal bridge, and requiring every environment and engineering test in their power.  When I was first quoted to replace the bridge in 2017 it was 88k.  It was finally approved after the bridge washed out spring 2025 making the property unusable, and a new bridge completed for over 130k.

We had to abandon the property every spring for eight years and not once was the public in danger.

9.  Late October 2018 the RVCA sent me a letter threatening jail time and fines if I continued the studio build, despite the fact no work had continued.  The new build has now been demolished, and we fully lost what was once a commercial antique store with its own hydro.

 "The work undertaken on this property is considered to be an offence under Section 28 of the Conservation Authorities Act., 1990 as amended.  You should be aware that legal action may be initiated against you and the company and operators working on the property if the matter is not resolved to the satisfaction of theConservation Authority.  Section 28 (16) of the Conservation Authorities Act states that every person who contravenes a regulation made under subsection (1) is guilty of an  offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of not more than $10,000 or a term of imprisonment of not more than three months”.

10.  Our last correspondence from Tay Valley Township (September 2023) stating we need to get rid of our three dwarf goats Blue, Meadow and Clover, 3 rabbits and a dozen hens as they state our zoning does not permit a “livestock facility”.  They also said we have to stop our short term rental, our sole operating structure for theforest school.  “The Township has recently been made aware that your property located at 17638 Highway 7 is being offered for rental accommodation and also houses livestock.”  The Township has known of both of these uses since 2017, both in private correspondence and in various media.

Our lawyer responded, and we await a reply.

2025 Update:

The township never responded to our lawyers letter in 2023. Instead we received a legal letter in April 2025 that they were once again looking to terminate the Airbnb, with no mention of the hobby farm.  On June 25th I was served legal documents that the township is suing me over running the Airbnb and seeking an injuction to shut it down. Our court date will be early 2026.

Even though we meet their definition under a lodging establishment for hotel as allowed under our Commercial C zoning, they argue we also meet the definition of a cabin or lodge which is not allowed in the 100 year floodplain.  There are no concerns with the RVCA over the use of our property as a short term rental. In the township's most recent August 2025 ffidavid, their sole focus is the bridge needing replacement. The bridge had been completed prior to being served, and now the RVCA continues to ask for studies post completion. To date these studies have cost us over 12k.

For the hundreds of times I have been asked why the Township and RVCA are acting so vindictively against a children’s nature centre, I do not have an answer.  

But I do know if you take the walls away, children stop bouncing off them.

All in all, we’re not another brick in the wall.