Large Scale Soil Dumping and Gun Ranges

Gun range site at 1131 Concession 5, Ramara Township – Concerned Citizens photo

By Michael Douglas Concerned Citizens of Ramara

It is believed that Ramara Township is once again similarly handling the gun range situation as they feigned handling the large-scale soil dumping two years ago with the grandfathering of what is planned to be one of the largest gun ranges in Ontario. It is strongly suspected that the Zoning Bylaw and Official Plan amendments will not be applied retroactively to include the massive gun range that has been planned for 1131 Concession 5.

The constant sound of gun fire, including semi-automatic weapons has been heard in our area on many days going on for several hours steady over the past couple of years and we are two kms away from the site. This is especially true during weekends. People in Brechin and likely further away will certainly be listening to constant gunfire if this large commercial gun range is allowed to be legally opened up.

This is what we can and need to do to prevent Ramara Township council from making another huge blunder by going ahead with allowing a commercial gun range off of Simcoe County Road 47.

Please for sure send a letter to Ramara Township to the Clerk’s attention, (Jennifer Connor) describing why a commercial gun range is not in Ramara Township’s best interests. A template letter is attached, however there is certainly a need for individual Ramara Township residents to express their particular objections to the gun range.

The gun range appears to have been a pet project of Mayor Basil Clarke’s ever since questions were being raised in early 2017 about all the bumper to bumper truckloads of soil that were being dumped at the 1131 Concession 5 site, in preparation for a gun range. Over the past three years there have been multiple deputations by local residents objecting to the creation of this commercial gun range and many objections issued to Ramara Township. Despite the many objections the health and welfare of residents is being trampled on as this underhanded method of allowing the gun range continues.

Ramara Township has earned its reputation for large scale soil dumping and gun ranges simply due to their lack of due diligence and allowing the interests of residents to be considered secondary to shady large-scale soil dumping and gun range activities. The issue of the gun range at 1131 Concession 5 really has never gone away since Ramara Township allowed the Fill Bylaw to be circumvented and 5,000 truck loads (60,000 cubic metres) of soil were dumped on the property.

The following notice has been posted on the Ramara Township Facebook page. Please note that the most recent posting indicates that the virtual meeting will take place on Monday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m. TAKE NOTICE that the Corporation of the Township of Ramara has initiated a Township wide Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment to modify the definition of “Active Recreation” so as not to include “shooting range”. These amendments will apply to all lands within the boundary of the Township of Ramara. The public meeting will be held virtually on Monday November 9, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. For more information on how to sign up, please visit the Township website’s News and Notices Page at https://buff.ly/3kgBtoc

Ramara Township residents remember that large scale soil dumping was a well talked about concern during the 2018 municipal election. In the case of the large-scale soil dumping Ramara Township simply decided to postpone doing anything until just before the 2018 municipal election when there was the decision to revise the Fill Bylaw. They hired the consultant Mark Dorfman to basically just update the Fill Bylaw. The kicker was the decision to grandfather any large-scale soil dumping that took place prior to the revision of the Fill Bylaw.

After pulling off the Fill Bylaw sleight of hand, Ramara Township handedthat I sent to each of the council members in April 2018 to Mark Dorfman and he replied in early November 2020. He advised Ramara Township council that the site alteration plan for the gun range, (where the 5,000 truckloads of soil were dumped) should not be approved and the soil should be removed.

Ramara Township council decided not to pursue the matter any further and not send the matter to the retained Ramara Township lawyer. There continues to be six known large-scale soil dumping sites in Ramara Township and likely more where the Fill Bylaw was not applied or enforced and the soil remains untested.

There is also a soil remediation facility NRK expected to start up in the not too distant future taking soils that other jurisdictions don’t want. The soils are allegedly remediated and then used as land fill, thus creating a very questionable environmental legacy for the residents of Ramara Township. The suspicion is that the pesky gun range issue is being handled similarly to large scale soil dumping. It is rumoured that the Zoning Bylaw and Official Plan amendments will not be applied retroactively to include the massive gun range that has been planned for 1131 Concession 5. A very underhanded way to undermine the health and welfare of Ramara Township residents. Stay healthy and happy social distancing!