🎧 LISTEN: “Blueberry Creek – More Than a Forest School”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second instalment of a three-part series on Blueberry Creek Nature Centre. While Part 1 introduced the origins of a zoning dispute between the school and Tay Valley Township, this section shifts to the human impact. Parents of children who attend the centre describe the emotional toll of the legal battle, and why they believe Blueberry Creek is worth fighting for.

LAURIE WEIR

PERTH — On a quiet patch of forest outside town, children run through wet grass, build shelters and play in the mud. They care for chickens, climb trees to sketch, and grieve together when someone dies. This is Blueberry Creek Nature Centre — and right now, it’s under threat from the township.

Since 2017, the centre has operated a four-room bed and breakfast on-site to help fund its outdoor education program. Tay Valley Township has filed a legal claim alleging the fourth bedroom reclassifies the use as a “lodge,” which is not permitted under the property’s floodplain zoning. The court date is July 11 via Zoom. The statement of claim, served June 24, does not cite environmental risk or safety concerns. Instead, it focuses narrowly on a zoning interpretation: a bed and breakfast with up to three rooms is allowed, but four rooms trigger a separate designation, one that’s banned in this zone.

Co-founder Robyn Mulcahy calls it a technicality weaponized into a legal threat. “They say the fourth bedroom changes everything,” she said. “But I was never told that at the time. If someone had just asked me to close one room, I would have.”

For the families whose children attend, the legal battle has become deeply personal.

‘When I’m there, I’m free’

Shelley, a local teacher, asked that her real name not be published to protect her children’s privacy. Both of her children attend Blueberry Creek and have diverse learning needs.

“They don’t have to write. They don’t have to read. But they can shine in the areas nobody gets to see in school,” she said. “At (Blueberry Creek Nature Centre), they get to be their true selves.”

Her youngest put it more simply: “Mommy, when I’m there, I’m free.”

Shelley said anxiety is constant when her children attend regular school, but at Blueberry Creek, they wake up eager to go and always come home exhausted but brimming with stories.

‘We moved here for this’

Courtney Good, a homeschooling parent in Elizabethtown-Kitley, drives 40 minutes each way to bring her daughters to Blueberry Creek. Her family found their home after confirming the centre could be part of their daily routine.

“We moved here for this. Finding Blueberry Creek was the reason we said yes to the house,” she said.

Her daughters, aged five and seven, both attend the centre. One was shy at first but changed within weeks.

“She was always a bit of a wallflower,” Courtney said. “But now, she climbs trees. She sketches. She connects. They come home tired but happy.”

She said the program has enriched their homeschool life with independence and social connection, a balance few other programs offer.

A sense of family

Safaa, a mother of three from Sudan who now lives in Westport, said Blueberry Creek is more than a school; it’s her family. She enrolled her eight-year-old in 2023 and has since sent her four-year-old as well, with her toddler already on the wait list.

“My eldest was homeschooled, but she was struggling. She’s a very spirited child. She needed to be around peers her own age more,” Safaa said.

She affectionately calls Mulcahy the steward of the land.

All three parents interviewed describe Blueberry Creek Nature Centre as a space where children are treated equally and seen for who they are.

“At forest school, everyone is on the same playing field,” said Shelley. “They are all equal.”

Courtney said it gives her girls the chance to grow outside the confines of four walls and gives her peace of mind.

“It adds to our homeschool life, not just academically but personally,” she said. “They’re safe, they’re free, and they know they belong.”

“For us, this is our community. We don’t have grandparents or cousins nearby,” Safaa said. “This is where my children feel seen and safe. If it suddenly shut down, it would be like losing our family home.”

“If they shut this down, I’ll cry,” Shelley said. “The fact that my tax dollars are being used to attack something that’s helping children makes me sick.”

Courtney agreed. “It seems like a personal vendetta,” she said. “This place adds so much and takes nothing away.”

The township’s claim requests injunctive relief, court costs and “any further remedy” the court deems appropriate. It does not reference harm or hazard, but cites a bylaw section distinguishing a “bed and breakfast” from a “lodge” solely by room count.

Mulcahy said she believes the township previously confirmed the use was compliant in 2018, and has since changed its interpretation. She said she would have adjusted if given notice, but instead the issue escalated directly into litigation.

Upper Canada District School Board weighs in

The Upper Canada District School Board does not view forest schools like Blueberry Creek Nature Centre as competition.

Communications manager April Scott-Clarke stated: “They are another form of learning environment for students, and we want families to engage their children in learning programs that best suit their needs.”

Scott-Clarke confirmed the board does not formally track forest school enrolment and has had no direct engagement with Blueberry Creek.

“The UCDSB is always trying to build partnerships and enhance pathways that benefit our students,” she said.

Families are ready to fight. Parents said they’ll back any effort to protect the school, having attended meetings and signed petitions, asserting the broader community stands behind them.

“There’s a lot of support out here,” Courtney said. “And a lot of outrage.”

For Shelley, it’s the only place her children feel truly accepted.

“It’s not just about frogs and clay and trees,” Shelley said. “It’s about finding a place where your child can finally say, ‘I belong.’”

In Part 3, the story examines the legal, political and administrative pressures behind Tay Valley Township’s current lawsuit.

Catch up:
Part 1: Court date looms for Blueberry Creek Nature Centre in Tay Valley Township near Perth