We Won!!!!!!!!

It is with much happiness, we wish to let you know.......We WON!!! Finally!
We thank you for all your support!!
We Won!!!!!!!!

You can read the decision here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_mP3Bat_RT5sgGJ36h93u28PzYOT6n5m/view?usp=sharing

"No choice but to approve quarry" : Mayor

This is taken from an article by Brendan Wedley of the Peterborough Examiner.


Municipalities can’t block the development of quarries, Galway-Cavendish and Harvey Mayor Janet Clarkson maintained Wednesday after township council gave planning approvals for a controversial new 432-acre quarry the day before.

The issue has galvanized the community with one meeting on the project drawing an estimated 500 people.

Even with council’s approval of official plan and zoning bylaw amendments Tuesday, there are more approvals needed before Dewdney Mountain Farms Ltd. can start its quarry on Ledge Rd. about 15 kilometres northwest of Buckhorn.

Galway-Cavendish and Harvey council will need to lift a hold that it put on the zoning change to give the township and developer time to negotiate over improvements to Ledge Rd. that it argues is needed to handle trucks carrying aggregate from the quarry. And the official plan amendment will be considered by Peterborough County council.

When the approvals are in place, the provincial government will consider whether to issue an operating licence for the proposed quarry.

With about 35 quarries in the township, the municipality’s roads are being battered by the trucks carrying aggregate from the pits, Clarkson said.

“The provincial government has said ‘there will be quarries,’” the mayor said. “Our roads are being destroyed, but at the end of the day our provincial government is pulling the strings.”

Clarkson voted in favour of the planning applications for the quarry, but she argues council decided it didn’t have a choice on the matter after it discussed the issue with a lawyer and its professional planners. “It looks like the municipalities are making these decisions. These decisions are being mandated by the province,” she insisted. And there are more applications being prepared by developers for other quarries in the township, Clarkson added. “We’ve got too many,” she said. “There’s many more on the way.”

Groups such as the North Pigeon Lake Ratepayers’ Association and Stop the Quarry have lobbied against the project, citing concerns such as traffic, noise from blasting and the need to protect water sources.

Dewdney Mountain Farms Ltd. had several studies done to support its applications, including hydrogeology, noise, blasting impact, traffic impact, archeological and natural environment reviews. Those studies were peer reviewed by other professionals.

Adri Eastman, who lives on Ledge Rd., remains concerned about the quarry possibly affecting her well water and a nearby fish sanctuary. "We tried to talk with (council). We tried to reason with them. We’ve been giving them information,” she said. “They did have the opportunity to turn it down if they wanted to.”Eastman shared that she and her husband built their house in 2010 on a quiet country road. “I’m less than two kilometres from the quarry,” she said. “I built on a dead-end road thinking that I wasn’t going to have any neighbors out in the middle of nowhere.” Eastman tried to block the project by appealing a severance application to the Ontario Municipal Board in November. The quasi-judicial body decided in favour of the severance application last month.

After the expense of the first Ontario Municipal Board appeal, Eastman’s not sure if she’ll appeal the most recent decisions on the project. The Stop the Quarry group is going to discuss the option and possible fundraising for an appeal.

Clarkson commented she’s sure the item is destined to go to the Ontario Municipal Board, whether was from the company appealing against council’s rejection of the applications or in the current scenario the residents appealing council’s approval of the applications.

“It’s way better if it goes on their dollars than on ours,” she said.

Local Council approves OP and rezoning

On Jan 15th 2013, Council gave the go ahead and granted Dewdney Mountain Farms the ok for rezoning and change to the OP. This all needs to be ok'd by Peterborough County before a license can be issued.

Chex TV Jan 7th 2013

Notice of Public Meeting

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING  THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING to update you on issues regarding the local QUARRIES SATURDAY DECEMBER 8th 2012   10 AM At the CKL BOBCAYGEON SERVICE CENTRE   At the lights, intersection of King and #36,  123 East Street South, Bobcaygeon. Upper entrance. (across from the Legion) COME AND HEAR THESE EXPERT SPEAKERS ADDRESS THE ISSUES WE ARE FACING: Ross Morton   President of the North Pigeon Lake Ratepayers Association  Moreen Miller  CEO - Ontario Gravel Sand and Stone Association  Stephen Janes   P. Eng. - Urban Planning and Environment  Ric Holt  Professor - President of Gravel Watch Ontario  Adri Eastman Community Leader - Galway Cavendish Harvey Township  Council representatives have been invited Written questions will be submitted for the Q&A. Closing Comments by Ross Morton PLEASE ATTEND. YOUR PRESENCE IS VITAL !!! Thank you! To support us with your valued membership or for more information please go to www.nplra.ca Note:  Please forward this to anyone you think wants to receive this notice. If you do not want to receive these notices please go to the link below and your name will be removed from the list. Miriam Newton NPLRA Membership & Publicity Bobcaygeon, Ontario K0M 1A0 705 300 2196

Modernization of Approvals?

This EBR posting states that "the MNR is going to streamline the permitting, licensing and approvals processes to help individuals and businesses access these services faster and more efficiently. The goal is to provide faster and improved services and to reduce the burden on individuals, businesses and government."

Translation: The MNR would like to fast track these developments before anyone knows what is going on. Making local government powerless to make decisions based on what is best for their communities. Get your comments in ASAP! Deadline in November 13th 2012.

Click HERE for the link. Get your comments in ASAP! Deadline in November 13th 2012

NPLRA

We are happy to announce that "Stop the Quarry" has joined forces with the North Pigeon Lake Ratepayers Association and formed a committee to take action and help shape policy decisions on the development and use of quarries in the North Pigeon Lake region.

Mid October NPLRA drafted and sent a letter to offering a potential solution to council. On November 6th 2012 the committee will be making a presentation to council in support of the letter that has been sent.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this meeting. Council meetings start at 1:00pm at the following address.

Township of Galway-Cavendish and Harvey
701 County Road 36
Bobcaygeon ON K0M 1A0

Aggregate Review on hold

Photo Credit: National Post

In the wake of Dalton McGuinty stepping down on Monday Oct 15th as the Premier of Ontario, the legislature has been prorogued until a new Premier is elected.

This basically means that anything that was happening legislatively is effectively dropped.

Click HERE to read the article in its entirety at Orangeville.com.

Updated images

Why is June 23rd so important?

Many people are asking why the June 23rd meeting is so important to attend? It is important for a few reasons. It will give you a chance to be more informed about what is going on, a better idea of the whole picture. This is the last chance to oppose at the municipal level. This proposal is destined to go to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board) It is our job to convince council to force Mr. Ritchie to take it to the OMB (on his dime) and not the community. The more bodies that show up to this meeting, the clearer the message. If one does not show opposition at this level then they cannot oppose it once it gets to the OMB level. Please set aside 2 hours of your day next Saturday June 23rd at 10am and stand by your neighbor together we can Stop This Quarry!

A sense of community

   This area is made up of many small communities. I often ask myself why I chose to remain living in a small community? The answer is clear. We all have neighbors, growing up in a small I always considered myself fortunate to personally know my neighbors on a first name basis. Growing up in a small town I was taught to be friendly and respect my neighbors. I was taught to smile and wave when you meet them on the road, I was taught to offer them a helping hand when they are in need, I was also taught to respect their way of life whether I agreed with it or not. I have seen this time and time again in our small surrounding communities, when someone is having difficulty in their lives we gather as a community and rally around them in support. We go to Jack & Jills to support an upcoming wedding, we go to fundraisers to help families that have been caught off guard by an unexpected illness, we attend fundraisers to support a cause. We all do this, not because we HAVE to, but simply because it is the right thing to do, the neighborly thing to do.

   We are asking for your support, to rally together as a community and support your neighbors. We are the people you meet on the roads, the people who serve you at local businesses, just regular small town folk fighting to preserve the sense of community that we all enjoy. Please join us at the Public Meeting on June 23rd at 10:00am at Caygeon Lanes and support your neighbors!

June 23rd meeting confirmed

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

We just got word the the June 23rd meeting has been confirmed. It will take place at Caygeon Lanes in Bobcaygeon at 10:00am. We need bodies! Lets fill Caygeon Lanes like it has never been filled before! Make your voice be heard! NO QUARRY!

Use extreme caution

Just a friendly warning if you are heading up Ledge Rd to see for yourself what is going on. Please drive with extreme caution. Both Ledge and Quarry Roads have recently seen a large amount of traffic of logging and mulch trucks up and down this road on a regular basis and do not want to see anyone get hurt. The road is very narrow in some spots and there are very poor sight lines on the road. Please be careful.

Short term benefits vs. long term impact

    Far to often the planning of land use is done using the short term impact approach. We need to take care when making decisions today, we need to consider how these decisions are going to affect future generations. We are more than ever more cautious of the way we do things, faced with a decision to make... Do we approve yet another quarry or do we say NO, enough quarries... for now. Lets maybe hold off on some new quarries until some of the thousands of quarries in operation in Ontario have reached their end. We understand the need for aggregates, but at what cost? First the trees are removed, this displaces animals from their natural habitats, then we start blasting away, making holes, consuming the surrounding water and what do we have left? A big hole in the ground, a concrete plant and silos sitting in the woods all boarded up because they have taken everything they can and have moved onto the next.

    We do more now than ever to protect what we have for future generations. We turn off lights to conserve energy, we compost and now more than ever before we recycle. We do ALL this for future generations.

    It is stated that "Government land use planning policies, as reflected in the Provincial Policy Statement, 2005 (PPS), give a high priority to aggregate operations". This is a social issue, not once did we hear about a study on the social impact that this is going to have. Many of us grew up here, others moved here to get away from the noise, pollution and fast pace that the cities suffer from. It is time that the government starts giving some priority to the people that live and/or vacation around these operations.

    We need to make decisions based on long term sustainability of the proposed land and all that surrounds it vs the short term benefits. 

    Join us at the Public Meeting on June 23rd to have your voice heard! We look forward to seeing you all there!

Video

Quarry Alley

Some of you have been wondering why we refer to Hwy 36 between Bobcaygeon and Buckhorn "Quarry Alley" The picture below should demonstrate why! Not hard to find on a map what is quarry. Upon closer look at this map we figure the image is about 4-5 years old! Wonder what it looks like now? Check back and we will post it when we get it!

Note: NONE of these quarries operate under "unlimited tonnage"

Kids have voices too!

This is a copy of a poster made by a local 10 year old who would like to declare "Kids have voices too!" The youngster who made this poster is helping inform children about how this will affect them and their future in the area. Keep up the good work! Kids DO have a voice too!

Gravel Pit blast at St. Marys Cement , Bowmanville

It should be noted that a representative from St Marys Cement was present at the Public Meeting last Tuesday...Hardly a coincidence if you ask me.

Studies presented by the applicant

All the reports and peer reviews can be found here

Our Local Parliament Contact Information

    Your Local MP Barry Devolin
 Click here to contact Barry Devolin




                                        Your local MPP Laurie Scott
                                    Click here to contact Laurie Scott