Dufferin quarry: Have we learned nothing from Site 41?

Tiny Concession 2, September 22 2017 -AWARE Simcoe photo

Letter to Our Midland from John Morgan, Midland September 22, 2017

I just learned today that the huge effort to put a halt to Site 41 taught no lessons. Several conversations today, with local individuals, divulged that the water pressure from the aquifer under most of Simcoe County and in fact most of south central Ontario is being impacted. By what you ask?

Well, there is a very large gravel extraction taking place on what we locals know as French’s Hill. Yes, the beautiful forested, water recharge area just south of Midland. What is wrong with governments here in Ontario letting this happen? My guess is profits are more important than water. Tomorrow Maude Barlow of Council Of Canadians is in Toronto to share her new book on what water means for our very future existence.

Yes, she was here in our part of the country to help stop Dump Site 41. The fact that she brought the message to the world that what was happening in Simcoe County was immoral was strong. Why then are some allowed to take away the future from our children and those elected to protect us, are just turning a blind eye? Is this ignorance or is there a greater motivation?

I suppose one can look at this as a total out of control moral bankruptcy on everyone’s part to let this happen.

A Threat To Our Drinking Water Re-Emerges

Letter to Our Midland from John Morgan, Midland September 19 2017

The meeting involving Dufferin Aggregate was very enlightening. Either the Dufferin people were very naive or just not wanting to show their cards. They had no idea about who was in the audience. They had no idea about collaboration. Certainly limited in knowledge or just faking it. Had no knowledge of the legal ramification of consultation.

It took First Nation individuals to point our the ignorance of one Dufferin employee. The time for talk is over. Rhetoric and baffle gab just doesn’ t meet muster. It is time to have gate blocking and civil disobedience and embarrass Dufferin. Maybe a few more arrests and so on. People are tired of the ineffectiveness of MOECC and MNR to do their job to protect our water for future generations. No CLC like Site41 CMC.

This is just more stall while work moves ahead, like corruption has a habit of doing. This water is the bench mark for all water in the world and our government is going to let it be destroyed by a greedy offshore Irish company. Our resources are not there for profit at our expense.

The buck has to stop and we all have to step up. For sure the young people, who are going to be most impacted by this. Tiny Council also has to step up because they will have to live with the consequences of their inaction. If they can do this, then they should not be in a leadership role because they will have lost the merit and trust to continue.

The biggest threat in all of this is not what Dufferin will do to our water, it is the Ministries of our government and the Premier for allowing this to happen in the first place.

Shame.