When I first saw Jennings Road and the home that was for sale in 2022, I fell in love. Even before venturing into the house for a look inside, my heart had already spoken. Never had I been to these parts before, nor to Brantford and I knew not a soul in the area. Yet, it felt like home… and still does.
Jennings is a beautiful, small country road with a gentle wind as it makes its way to Brant Conservation. It backs onto a spectacular section of Carolinian forest, which unlike so much of our Carolinian forest, has not seen the end of a bulldozer. It is serene and peaceful in the winter, but when spring arrives, it comes alive with cyclists, pedestrians, and campers heading into Brant Conservation so that they too may enjoy the healing and quiet serenity of connecting with nature. There are birds of many colours singing, insects buzzing, the smell of flowers and trees, the chattering of squirrels. There are also deer and wild turkeys who cross the road to explore the other side and drink from the river. The Carolinian flora is almost reminiscent of a tropical zone and is purported to be the most diverse in all of Canada (and also home to many threatened/endangered species).
Jennings is more than just another road. It is a little piece of heaven. Each and every day, I feel grateful to live in such a special place and although I have lived in many places, Jennings Road of Brant County is the most magical of all. It is the place that my spirit calls home. So often, I awake in the morning and say out loud, ‘I can’t believe that I actually live here. How blessed I am. Thank-you Spirit.’
The proposed annexation is a devastating thought. Although I live a humble life on a retired income, it is not the inevitable property tax increase that concerns me. It is the idea of such a splendid piece of Brant County becoming swallowed up by the City. Cities do not annex land just to have it. Their intent is always of a monetary nature, which means tearing up roads, knocking down trees and paving over the homes of the many other living beings we share this Earth with. What would happen to the birds, the deer and other animals, the trees and other flora, the insects? And to us… the people?
Jennings Road has a deeply intrinsic value; a special energy that cannot be measured with money. It is a precious gem that is part of a bigger jewel, where people lived thousands of years ago, where ancient voices still whisper of a time when we hadn’t forgotten that all is one.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Wrench
