[All] Fwd: " Quarry Threatens Precious Ontario Farmland"

Sun Apr 10 22:53:26 EDT 2011

CoC Logo BilRedBlk.tif
Hello Folks,

This quarry is the same one that was discussed at the 'Growth, Gravel 
and Groundwater' panel we hosted at Harcourt Church last June when John 
Jackson spoke also.
  The final permit for this quarry is now before the government. It is 
needed by the Boston hedge fund company to proceed. Last week two of the 
local members attended the presentation by the corporation in Shelburne 
and are appalled. Our regional CoC representative Mark Calzavara 
attended also.  Guelph area has always supported water protection. So 
please contact your water watcher friends and get their help as soon as 
possible.

Thanks so much . Norah Chaloner ( chair for Guelph Chapter)
*_
Please, if you can possibly write a letter, please do_**.* Sign each 
copy separately and mail out to the addresses provided. Signed copies to 
our MPs and MPPs as well would be helpful.  It will take mass commenting 
to stop this. Details to include are in the attachment. It need not be 
long.
This enormous open pit mine has been proposed in Melancthon township on 
Highway 124 just north of Shelburne. The Highland Companies (owned by a 
Boston hedge fund) has filed an application for a 2,400-acre aggregate 
mine- it would be the largest quarry in Ontario and the second largest 
in North America.  This is the "rooftop of Ontario" and the Niagara 
Escarpment runs along its border.  The Council of Canadians has been 
working with local groups to help stop this open pit mine from being 
created because of the extraordinary impacts it will have on the 
community, the watersheds, Ontario's food supply and on the drinking 
water of more than one million people which originates in this area.

*Join this fight by supporting our allies and have your voice heard by 
writing a letter objecting to this proposal -- THE DEADLINE IS APRIL 
18^TH , PLEASE ACT NOW!*

*_FOOD and WATER vs. PROFIT_*

The Highlands company started buying farmland in Melancthon several 
years ago saying they wanted to become the province's largest potato 
growing operation- which made sense to local farmers as the area is well 
known for its particularly high quality soil and micro-climate.  About 
one quarter of all the potatoes eaten in the GTA come from there.  After 
many local farmers had sold their farms --some of which had been in the 
family for generations- the real motives of the company became 
apparent.  Under that rich and rare soil is a fortune in high quality 
limestone worth upwards of eight billion dollars. The company now owns 
around 8000 acres of land and has applied for permission to mine 2400 
acres which would make it the second largest quarry in North America. 
There is little doubt that they intend to excavate the entire 8000+ 
acres. To do so, Highland will strip off all that precious soil then 
blast their way down more than  200 feet BELOW the water table.

>From the area around the proposed mine site spring the headwaters of 
river systems that are important drinking water sources for more than 
one million people downstream.  The Nottawasaga River, the Grand River 
and  the Pine River systems will all be threatened by the mine's 600 
million litre per day de-watering pumps.  Massive amounts of toxic 
demolition explosives will be used to smash the limestone and hundreds 
of dump trucks per hour will enter and leave the site- 24 hours a day, 
360 days per year.  The company rightly points out that this is all 
allowable under Ontario's aggregate extraction laws but the problem is 
that those laws couldn't be more favourable to the industry or more 
rigged against communities that want to protect their water.

*_PLEASE GET INVOLVED_*

Support our allies: We have been working with the North Dufferin 
Agricultural & Community Taskforce (NDACT) and the Citizen's Alliance 
for a Sustainable Environment (CAUSE)  and we ask you to consider 
supporting them as well.  Please visit their websites: www.ndact.com 
<http://www.ndact.com> and www.citizensalliance.ca 
<http://www.citizensalliance.ca>

*Write a letter of objection:*

 From the NDACT newsletter (attached) here are the details for writing 
letters of objection:

"The process for objecting is very legislated, there are clear time 
frames which must be followed in order to have your objection count. 
*Letters of objection are critical.*"

Send the same letter to both addresses below with an original 
signature-anyone in your household, over the age of 16 can object-all 
letters will form part of the public record and be public information. 
Letters *must *be signed and *must also *contain your return mailing 
address including fire number, box and/or RR# (if applicable)

Your letter must be sent to BOTH: Ministry of Natural Resources, 2284 
Nursery Road, Midhurst Ontario LOL 1X0 *AND *The Highland Companies, Box 
377, Shelburne, ON L0N 1S0

*Letters must be received by /both /the MNR and Highlands by April 26, 
2011. *Easter**weekend is on April 22- 25  so please put your letter*in 
the mail by **April 18, 2011*

*Or April 18, 2011*, you can drop your letters off at the Township of 
Melancthon office (8:30 -- 4:30) 157101 Highway # 10, Melancthon, ON in 
sealed envelopes addressed to BOTH Highlands and  the Ministry of 
Natural Resources. NDACT will arrange for pickup and delivery on or 
before April 26.

The *Highland Companies are required to hold a public meeting under the 
Aggregate Resources Act. Please attend this meeting if you can:*

**

*Highlands Public Meeting *

*April 12, 2011*

*Hornings Mills Hall *

*14 Mill St, *

*Hornings Mills *

*7:00 pm to 9:00 pm *

(see the attached newsletter for more details)

If you have any questions about the public meeting or the quarry 
proposal, contact Mark Calzavara at mcalzavara at canadians.org 
<mailto:mcalzavara at canadians.org> or 1-800-208-7156.

*Thank you very much, and consider forwarding this notice on to your 
friends and family in the area*.  Your attention and support will make a 
difference in this campaign.

CoC Logo BilRedBlk.tif

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