Quarry opponents ask residents to ‘fight like crazy’
Zero is the only number you need to know, according to Larry Taman of Melancthon Against Quarries. Taman told a capacity crowd of concerned citizens who gathered at the Horning’s Mills Community Centre last week, “There is zero proof of any need for a quarry,” he said. “The Reform Gravel Mining Coalition estimates there is 38 years of supply based on current consumption at existing quarries.”
Taman added, “There is zero certainty. Blasting below the water table can lead to fractures and unpredictable results. No hydrogeologist will claim they can reliably predict the consequences of blasting. Strada has zero experience with managing a blast quarry, so we are being asked to turn the future of the entire ecosystem over to a rookie team.”
Strada Aggregates has announced its intention to file an application with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) for permission to operate a blast quarry in the area of 4th line Melancthon and Dufferin County Road 17. There is an existing 360-acresurface sand and gravel pit at the site.
Jim Funston told the crowd the new application would see Strada creating a blast crater 220 feet deep.
“This would require pumping 6.6 million litres per day of water, or roughly three times the usage of Shelburne,” said Funston. “Currently, the water bubbles out of the ground clear and cool. It’s been flowing in this community for centuries. There is no plan to compensate for loss of property value or changes in the quality and quantity of water.”
He urged residents to “fight like crazy and see if we can stop it.”
There is a commitment to truck in water in cases where it can be proven that problems with wells are caused by the blast quarry. Taman asked for a show of hands from those who were content with that assurance. There were no takers.
Taman says Strada is proposing to extract roughly two million tonnes per year of aggregate.
“At roughly $30 a tonne, that’s about $60 million per year worth of gravel. They are offering the municipality $17,500 per year,” hesaid.
Taman likened that amount to the value of a used pick-up truck and said it does not even come close to compensating for what the municipality is being asked to give up.
“There is zero compensation on the table for damage from dust, disturbance from truck traffic and the destruction of our natural environment,” he said.
Taman believes that Premier Doug Ford can be persuaded to rule against the quarry proposal, just as he backed down on the proposal to allow development in the greenbelt.
“We can 100 per cent win this,” said Taman. “We care more about Melancthon than he cares about aggregates. That is our superpower.”
Sherri Webster is in charge of coming events for the group. She encourages residents to sign petitions, display “Just Stop It” lawn signs and participate in a letter writing campaign to express concerns to the MNRF.
Details of the Strada plan will become public when the ministry issues a “deemed complete” certificate in relation to the application. Webster says from that point, the public will have 60 days to respond.
Bonnie MacPherson photo: Larry Taman speaks at a Melancthon Against Quarries meeting in Horning’s Mills on June 26, with Jim Funston (left) and Sherri Webster.
