• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Could This Be Another Dump Site 41?

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In Council Watch
Oct 25th, 2017
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Tiny Concession 2, September 22 2017 -AWARE Simcoe photo

News release from the Friends of the Waverley Uplands

Local residents in the Waverley and Township of Tiny areas have fought for 25 years to stop Simcoe County from putting a dump site on top of the Alliston Aquifer, and concerns have begun to mount again as gravel extraction companies take aim at French’s Hill.

The hill’s power of filtration produces some of the cleanest water ever tested on the planet according to William Shotyk, Professor and Bocock Chair for Agriculture and the Environment at the University of Alberta.

“This water coming out of the ground contains less lead than the cleanest ice from the Canadian Arctic that’s thousands of years old. The reason for that is the filtration that’s taking place in our soils. So, soil, after oxygen and water, is our single most important natural resource,” Shotyk said. “It’s the basis of our civilization, it’s the basis of our agricultural food system, but it’s also Mother Nature’s perfect water filtration device. It’s the main reason why our water is so clean.”

Landowners were dismayed when the water in their wells turned silty, just as wells near Site 41 did during dewatering. And when they reported these findings to the Township and government authorities such as the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), and the MNRF, their concerns were dismissed.

The Anishinaabe Kweag are having a ceremonial water walk starting with a sunrise ceremony at the Christian Island ferry dock at 7:30 am on Saturday, November 4th, with the walk continuing through November 5th to the Teedon Pit site on 40 Darby Road off Hwy. 93. This two-day trek of 57km is to save what is scientifically proven as some of the cleanest water on earth, and will culminate with a pot luck dinner at the Wyebridge Community Centre at 5pm on Sunday, November 5th.

The Friends of the Waverley Uplands would like to extend an invitation to local residents, the media as well as the Honourable Chris Ballard, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, the Honorable Katherine McGarry, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne.

What is wrong with our laws in Ontario if the cleanest water ever identified in the world cannot be protected? It’s time we stood together to safeguard our water! Let’s walk to help all our children walking behind us.

The Friends of the Waverley Uplands is a community group of like-minded citizens coming together to safeguard the Alliston Aquifer, one of nature’s purest sources of water in the world, which provides drinking water to the Elmvale Spring and residents of Waverley and Tiny, Ontario.

Water Walk When and Where

More details – Pane Ganawenjimaanaadaa Nibi

3 Responses to “Could This Be Another Dump Site 41?”

  1. Robert Lamb says:

    It seems the only way to protect it would be to privately own it or have it saved as a protected area. What about a go fund me drive? Thank you to all those willing to take this on for our grandchildrens futures.

  2. Sue Steele (nee French) says:

    We can’t let anything happen to this land. We’re losing so much precious farmland and now to have the greatest/safest water around become silty is appalling. This area is special to both myself and my entire family so I’m praying something can be done.

  3. Maggie Curran says:

    Many Simcoe County Councillors do not appear to have Simcoe County voters’ best interests at heart. There is an election coming in 2018. Before re-electing any one on Council, let us voters take a good look at the way each member of Council represented us. Let us take a look at how they voted on issues that concerned us. Then let us elect green representatives, those people who care about the future of our water, soil, forests, farmlands & sustainable economy.

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