The objectors to a huge quarry proposal in Melancthon Township failed to attend as a delegation here on April 5, but the information they provided has council seeking more information.
Carl Cosack was scheduled to attend the meeting on behalf of the North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Task Force. It is opposed to the first phase of a limestone quarry proposed by The Highland Companies, an American hedge fund group based in Boston.
It has filed an application with the Ministry of Natural Resources for a mega-quarry that has its first phase at 2,400 acres. The company plans to excavate 200 feet below the water table. If it is approved, it would be the largest open pit limestone operation in Ontario.
The hedge fund has been buying land in Melancthon and Mulmur Townships, an has acquired over 7,000 acres.
Erin is the second municipality in Wellington County that Cosack has appealed to for help. He recently told Mapleton council that the land is prime agricultural land and is one of the best vegetable growing places in the province, but once the pit is underway, all that agricultural land will be useless.
Even more scary, he said, are the possible effects on the water table. The area is considered the headwaters for a number of rivers, including the Grand, Credit, and Nottawasaga, and opponents say there is no telling what will happen to those rivers once the company starts mining.
As well, Cosack told Erin council in his letter that the quarry will mean at least 3,600 trucks a day coming out, or 300 per hour. The company also plans a large railway operation, with 16 crossings per day over every road that the line crosses.
The task force also believes the The Highland Company will have to manage 600 million litres of water a day, which, it says, equates to 25% of all the water used by Ontario residents in a day.
Melancthon Mayor Bill Hill protested to Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association in February – and was astounded at her attitude.
Hill wrote a letter of protest to Premier Dalton McGuinty and stated, “It is with considerable concern and disbelief with how Minister Jeffrey received our delegation that has prompted this letter of formal protest … We feel her comments and lukewarm attention to what was being relayed to her (the potential for catastrophic consequences to our small rural municipality) were indicative of the fact that our submission did not interest her whatsoever. In fact, the impression we got was that the ink was already dry on the rubber stamp.”
Hill told McGuinty that his council is determined to get a formal review of the application with the “most rigid standards available through proven science and technology.”
Hill added to the premier, “After listening to our delegation, your minister offered the following: “It is too bad this has to split your community apart. It is your job to get your community together, get them to think long term about rehabilitation, because this will not be going back to agriculture, but maybe you could get a nice golf course.” Hill said, “We were shocked and appalled by her comments.”
Mayor Lou Maieron said Erin council has “opened the door” for the group to attend the next council meeting if it wishes.
“I’d like to know more,” he said. I wanted to hear what they had to say.”
The task force is operating a letter writing campaign and the deadline for protests to the Ministry is April 26.
Cosack can be reached at 519-925-6628 or through the task force at www.ndact.com.
