• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Responses to an AWARE member from MPPs re ARA review

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In Quarries
Nov 7th, 2013
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Response from the office of Rosario Marchese (NDP) November 5 2013
Thank you for this email. I think you make some fair points.
This is a consensus report between all three parties, and while it includes many good measures and establishes some promising themes, this is obviously not the report Rosario would have written if he alone were writing it, as is the nature of such consensus reports. As you can imagine, there were differing views on the committee about what should be included or not included in the report. By delivering a consensus report, the committee was able to demonstrate agreement among all parties that Ontario’s aggregates system should be improved, establish a foundation for reform, and keep the momentum going in the wake of the attention received by Melancthon mega-quarry.
However, the report should not be the only advice the government considers as it proposes legislation. The release of the report should not be treated as the end of the review process or the last word on aggregates. I would urge you to contact the Minister of Natural Resources, David Orizietti (minister.mnr@ontario.ca ), who now has authority over the file, should you agree there is still a need to build upon the report’s basic themes and premises, particularly on the issues of protecting prime farmland and fresh water, and strengthening Environmental Assessment requirements.
Yours,
John Bowker
Executive Assistant
Office of Rosario Marchese
MPP Trinity-Spadina

Response from Sylvia Jones (PC) November 5 2013
Thank you for your interest in the report and recommendations on the review of the Aggregate Resources Act.
I believe that the consensus report tried to accurately reflect the varying opinions of the over 150 oral and written submissions we received on how to update the ARA.  I’m sorry you disagree.
It is now up to the Minister of Natural Resources to study the 38 recommendations and decide if he will make any amendments to the ARA.
S
Sylvia Jones, MPP
Working for You
In Dufferin-Caledon!

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