[All] Correspondence to Prime Minister & Feds

[Louisette Lanteigne]

FYI

--- On Tue, 7/6/10, Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com> wrote:

From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
Subject: 
To: Harper.S at parl.gc.ca, Blackburn.J at parl.gc.ca, Prentice.J at parl.gc.ca, Baird.J at parl.gc.ca, Verner.J at parl.gc.ca, Ritz.G at parl.gc.ca, Paradis.C at parl.gc.ca, Ashfield.K at parl.gc.ca, Lebel.D at parl.gc.ca, Strahl.C at parl.gc.ca, Ambrose.R at parl.gc.ca, Flaherty.J at parl.gc.ca, Ignatieff.M at parl.gc.ca, DionS at parl.gc.ca, Duceppe.G at parl.gc.ca, Layton.J at parl.gc.ca
Cc: Albrecht.H at parl.gc.ca, Braid.P at parl.gc.ca, Calandra.P at parl.gc.ca, Goodyear.G at parl.gc.ca, McColeman.P at parl.gc.ca, Valeriote.F at parl.gc.ca
Date: Tuesday, July 6, 2010, 11:34 AM

Dear Hon. Prime Minister and Ministers.
The SAROS report, State of Aggregate Resources in Ontario Study, was published as a comprehensive summery report on the Ontario MNR 
website but the six individual papers that this document was based was not released to the public so I used Freedom of Information to secure their release. 

So far only the first of the six papers is on 
line and it is titled Aggregate Consumption and Demand in Ontario. The link of the 
page is here however it might not work as a link.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@aggregates/documents/document/stdprod_067712.pdf

If 
you have problems viewing the link provided do a GOOGLE search for the term:

Saros

 Paper 1, Aggregate Consumption and Demand.

(Please note: If you do a 
Rogers Yahoo search for the term SAROS Paper 1 - Aggregate Consumption 
and Demand you will not find 
it. I know the Google link works.)

In




 my view this first paper clearly undervalues the following:

-water 
conservation as a means to offset 
need for "new" supplies. (this report is pipeline oriented)
-the 
value of aggregates for the natural capital function they serve ie: 
hydrogeology
-the value of aggregates for farmlands, top soil 
and agricultural water resources
-the importance of maintaining 
natural 
topography to maintain flow and flow rates to surface and groundwater 
resources
-groundwater impacts, 
contamination risks, disturbances in cross jurisdictional flow and flow 
rates etc.
-protection of biodiversity, fisheries etc.
-protection
 of the Great Lakes water volumes, water quality etc.

The absence of such 
information included in the above list poses a direct risk to municipal 
water supplies if we persue aggregate interests without regard to these 
variables. As a result I have shared this document with members of 
the Lake Erie Source Water Protection Committee for their consideration 
as well as the Grand 
River Conservation Authority's board of 
directors, Regional Staff and various provincial and federal ministries for their consideration. (MNR, MOE, Min. of 
Agriculture and MMAH).

In my view it is dangerous to isolate aggregate interests from the needs of other ministries. One cannot scientifically separate aggregates from it's function in providing groundwater and surface water resources. We must take reasonable measures to maintain current economic systems, public health, long 
term food and water security and our agricultural industries. We cannot 
let this provincial document color the long term view of aggregate management in Ontario if it does not reflect a 
balanced approach to meet long term provincial and federal objectives. 

The root problem is the MNR is both the 
promoter and protector of our crown land resources and we need to 
secure objectivity and facilitate dialog with other ministries in order to mitigate risk and assure 
compliance to fulfill the goals and objectives of provincial and federal legislation.

As it is currently structured, each 
ministry works in isolation to one another and with this type of 
fracturing of services and responsibilities, we're missing the big 
picture risks. We can't allow the actions of one ministry to circumvent 
the goals and objectives of another and when it comes to this particular
 report, the economic, sociological and health and environmental implications are enormous. 
Please make sure there is a
 proper ministry review of the SAROS report and all six supporting 
documents to be reviewed by VARIOUS ministries for their input before 
the provincial MNR endorses this document in full. Unless that is done, our water 
supplies and communities dependent on it are at immediate risk. The Grand River supports the same gross national revenue as the province of Nova Scotia (Source: GRCA). It is a matter of national economic interest.

Please

 note the MOE was not part of the discussion regarding the formation of 
this report.

Thank you kindly for your time.

Louisette 
Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ontario
N2V 2L2
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