Minister orders EA for Melancthon quarry

NDACT wants federal review too

by Chris Halliday Sep 01, 2011

Attention North Dufferin residents your demands have been answered. On Thursday (Sept. 1), Ontario Environment Minister John Wilkinson ordered an environmental assessment (EA) of The Highland Companies proposed Melancthon quarry. As a result, the companys application for a 2,316-acre aggregate extraction licence will be subject to increased scrutiny. After careful consideration, the Minister of Natural Resources and I have agreed to bring forward a regulation making The Highland Companies subject to the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act, Wilkinson said in a statement released Thursday. Todays decision ensures that a transparent and independent assessment of the environmental impacts of the Melancthon quarry proposal will be conducted. In a letter sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) during the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) 45-day commenting period, officials for the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) raised several concerns regarding Highlands application. Based on a review of those reports, and because of the unique nature of The Highland Companies proposal, Wilkinson has deemed an EA necessary. According to that MOE letter, dated April 26, ministry officials found the application submitted by Highland failed to demonstrate a three-dimensional understanding of the geology, hydrogeology and hydrology of the proposed quarry site. As a result, the MOE said it would be premature to issue an aggregate licence to The Highland Companies until more thorough information was presented in a clear and concise manner. In addition, the MOE requested The Highland Companies provide more convincing evidence about how the groundwater recharge system it plans to employ will work. This will better protect the environment and raise the bar for Highlands to get approval to proceed with this project, Lori Holloway, Liberal candidate for Dufferin-Caledon, said in a news release. Wilkinsons announcement came four days after the North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Task Force (NDACT) handed local Progressive Conservative

MPP Sylvia Jones a petition containing the signatures of about 800 local residents calling for a provincial EA and a full federal panel review of Highlands quarry plan. Several municipalities, citizens and organizations have called for an EA at the provincial level. But as NDACT chair Dale Rutledge explained, quarry opponents want both the provincial and federal governments to get involved. The federal one is on certain things and the provincial one is on certain things, Rutledge said. We need both levels of government to review this complex application because the mega-quarry would seriously harm the fisheries, the water and land. In recent months, Jones struggled with whether the protocol of a province-led EA, rather than procedures under the ARA, might compromise the MNRs review of the quarry application. Im comfortable with an EA in addition to the ARA process, Jones said on Aug. 29. Dufferin-Caledon Green Party candidate Rob Strang applauds the increased requirements of an EA. We need legislation to protect our water supply and stop the destruction of such a large amount of farmland, Strang, his partys deputy leader, said in a news release following Wilkinsons announcement. According to Lindsay Broadhead, spokesperson for The Highland Companies, proponents of the plan were a little taken aback by Wilkinsons announcement. Nonetheless, the company is confident its proposal will withstand the added scrutiny. We were surprised by this extraordinary step taken by the government in the midst of a charged political environment, particularly given our strong view that the proven process laid out by the Aggregate Resources Act and the Planning Act is robust and sufficient, Broadhead said in an email. Our project is supported by extensive scientific and economic analysis, and we are confident it will withstand an unbiased process that is premised on facts and data.