• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Mega-quarry: Premier welcomes opportunity to respond to concerns

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In Quarries
May 18th, 2011
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‘With respect to the proposed quarry, our government’s goal is to ensure an open and transparent process’ 
An email from Premier Dalton McGuinty to a concerned resident May 17 2011 
Thank you for your online message regarding an aggregate license application by The Highland Companies to develop a quarry in Melancthon Township. I have heard from many people about the proposed quarry, and I welcome the opportunity to respond to the concerns that have been raised.
My colleagues and I believe that all Ontarians deserve to live and work in clean, safe communities – communities in which the environment contributes to our overall health and well-being. With respect to the proposed quarry, our government’s goal is to ensure an open and transparent process for the application. We are still in the early stages of the licensing application process, and no approval has yet been given for a quarry to proceed in Melancthon Township.
You may be interested to know that the Aggregate Resources Act provides for a full review of the potential impact of such a development on the local environment. The proposed quarry will also require approval under other legislation, including the Planning Act, the Environmental Protection Act and the Ontario Water Resources Act.
As set out by the Aggregate Resources Act, groups or individuals had 45 days – until April 26, 2011 – to register official objections to the proposed quarry. In response to the significant level of interest from the community, the Honourable Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Natural Resources, extended the comment period on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry for this proposal until July 11, 2011 – bringing the total comment period to 122 days. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to submit your comments for consideration through the registry’s website at www.ebr.gov.on.ca, citing EBR number 011-2864, before the July 11 deadline.
The company has up to two years to resolve the objections raised. If there are still unresolved objections to the license application, the Ministry of Natural Resources can refer the application to the Ontario Municipal Board for a hearing.
As you may know, Minister Jeffrey has posted a message addressing this issue on her ministry’s website. You may wish to visit www.mnr.gov.on to view the minister’s message.
Thanks again for contacting me and for bringing your concerns to my attention. Please accept my best wishes.
Dalton McGuinty
Premier of Ontario

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