A family of cattle farmers in Milton are fighting back against the Halton Catholic school board, after they learned the board is expropriating a large piece of their farm to build a school. If the fight for his land wasn’t enough, the farmer says he’s also losing a battle against cancer.

Dave McCann’s owns 200 acres of land outside of Milton. The school board told the family last month they’re expropriating 20 acres to build a high school. McCann doesn’t want to sell but he doesn’t have a choice.

“It’s a dangerous situation when you don’t want to sell, that someone else comes in and takes your property, it’s a bad precedent to set.”

The school board didn’t respond to calls or emails but under the province’s expropriation act, public agencies like school boards can take land without the owners consent.

McMann has terminal cancer and asked the board to hold off until after his chemotherapy treatments. He also started an online petition to stop the expropriation and have got over 25 000 signatures.