Feces allegedly shoved in man’s face

The Toronto Sun

Aug 29, 2008

BARRIE — A judge yesterday ruled that there are no grounds to grant a peace bond to protect a Georgian Bay homeowner after his neighbour shoved dog feces in his face, a court heard yesterday.

“To say it’s rude is an understatement,” said Justice of the Peace Gerry Solursh, but he ruled the incident does not warrant a peace bond.

The dog feces incident, which occurred at Balm Beach in Tiny Township last May, is just one of a string of unsavoury and violent incidents which homeowner John Marion, 63, alleges have been directed at him.

Marion has been the target of insults and spite ever since he erected a two-metre wooden fence on his property in 2006.

Respect property rights

The Alliston Herald

August 12, 2008

Cooler heads seemed to have prevailed over hot tempers at Balm Beach in recent weeks. Following a summer of discontent at the beach, that’s no small development.

A heavily publicized police presence at the beach might have something to do with the easing of tensions over the public/private beach-use controversy, but let’s hope common sense is also playing a role.

Southern Georgian Bay OPP signalled their plans to have more officers on hand during the August long weekend, to ward off potential trouble of the type that has flared there recently.

Disputed beach fence set on fire

Toronto Star

July 25, 2008

BALM BEACH–The much-disputed 2-metre-tall wooden fence at the centre of a controversy in Balm Beach has been charred by fire.

Midland firefighters were called at about 3 a.m. yesterday to extinguish the 45-metre-long wooden fence at the centre of a very public fight that has pitted neighbour against neighbour in cottage country on Georgian Bay, about 90 minutes north of Toronto.

Orillia OPP Communications Officer Sgt. Rob Michaud gave no information other than to confirm the fence was set alight.

“The particulars of how it was set are still being investigated, but I doubt it spontaneously combusted,” Michaud said.

Tiny begs out of Balm Beach fence dispute

Meaford Express

July 8, 2008

Tiny Township is refusing to get involved in the public-vs-private rights in Balm Beach – an issue that has led to violence and vandalism charges.

 “Recent events in the Township of Tiny involving land disputes have escalated to reports of damage to property. I would like to advise the residents of our township that we are working closely with law enforcement to ensure these disputes are resolved peacefully and respectfully,” Mayor Peggy Breckenridge said in a July 4 statement.

“Both the council and staff of the Township of Tiny strive to make our township a safe and secure community to live and visit. One way to ensure community safety is to develop and strengthen partnerships both in our township and in surrounding municipalities. One such current partnership is that with the OPP.”

Police look to head off more Balm Beach trouble

Meaford Express

Aug 1, 2008

Southern Georgian Bay OPP readied Friday to step up patrols over the long weekend in hopes
of heading off potential trouble near a controversial waterfront fence in Balm Beach.

“We’re there to make sure everyone who’s in the area is enjoying Balm Beach in the proper manner,” Const. Peter Leon said Friday. “Our primary focus is safety and security.”

The plans for the weekend include additional officers patrolling alongside Tiny Township bylaw enforcement officers.

The police presence is to include personnel on foot and in cruisers, though Leon emphasizes it is not the job of the police to guard the fence.

Beach fence still target for vandals

Midland Mirror

July 22, 2008

Vandals have once again taken aim at the now infamous fence on the north side of Balm Beach.

The long-running dispute surrounding the construction of the two-metre-high cedar fence that divides the public beach from private property has been front and centre since late last month, when a Unionville man reportedly took a chainsaw to a section of the fence.

Less than two weeks later, someone damaged another section of the fence, and on July 15, the Marions woke up to find someone had fired a pellet gun at one of the cars parked in their driveway.

“It’s ongoing. Every day we wonder what (people) are going to do to us,” John Marion tells The Mirror.

Charges laid in fence incident

BarrieAdvance.com

Jul 4, 2008

Police have made an arrest in connection with the now infamous June 29 incident at Balm Beach.

A long-running dispute surrounding the construction of a two-metre-high cedar fence that divides the public beach from private property took a nasty turn that day when a man took a chainsaw to a section of the fence.

A crowd of people cheered when the section of fence was removed, witnesses said.

Tensions continue by Balm Beach

Simcoe.com

July 4, 2008

The battle at Balm Beach heated up again this past weekend.

A long-running dispute surrounding the construction of a two-metre high cedar fence on the popular beach turned ugly on Sunday, ending in violence and the destruction of a section of the fence.

As a crowd of close to 200 people looked on, many cheering, a man armed with a chainsaw decided to take matters into his own hands and started slicing into the contentious fence, which has been a sore point for many beachgoers since its construction two years ago.

Fence Owner Not Guilty

97.7 The News

Dec 3, 2009

A Balm Beach property owner and his son have been found not guilty of assaulting a teen.

John Marion and his son Greg were cleared on Tuesday in a fight with a 14 year old in 2008.

Notorious Balm Beach fence set on fire… again

Simcoe.com

Oct 20, 2009

After nearly a year of calm, anger has flared up yet again over a controversial fence at Tiny Township’s popular Balm Beach.

On Sept. 5, Southern Georgian Bay OPP attended a Tiny Beaches Road South home after receiving a call about the fence being damaged.

“The initial investigation conducted revealed that the fence, which borders onto Balm Beach, had been intentionally set on fire,” Const. David Hobson stated in a news release.

Teen testifies in beach brawl trial

Mississauga.com

Feb 26, 2009

A Mississauga teenager was punched, held underwater and had his earrings ripped out during a fight over a controversial Balm Beach fence, a Midland court heard Tuesday.

The boy, now 15, was the first witness called in the trial of John Marion and his son Greg. The boy cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The two Tiny Township men are charged with assault causing bodily harm after allegedly roughing up the then-14-year-old after he twice scaled a six-foot-high wooden fence to cross the Marion property. The youth testified about the events of July 24, 2008.

“I saw a man charging out of the back door and screaming,” said the boy, referring to Greg Marion. “When he said, ‘Get off my property,’ I stepped in the water and said, ‘I’m not on your property.’”

More charges laid in fence dispute

Midland Mirror

Oct 23, 2008

John Marion – the owner of a much-criticized fence on Balm Beach – ended up spending part of election night in the emergency room after an assault.

According to Const. Peter Leon of Southern Georgian Bay OPP, the altercation between Marion and another man took place Oct. 14, leading to minor injuries for Marion. Police were notified and an investigation started.

“(The accused) lost it the other night and he came into my car and beat the hell out of me,” Marion told The Mirror. “I didn’t want to get charged, so I took the beating…. I ended up in the hospital all night.”