Dear Friends and Neighbours,
I've been reviewing the the BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE on amendments to the Aggregate Resources Act. From my reading, it is not a" blueprint for change". Rather, the proposals could possibly make matters worse.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is inviting comment up until December 15, so I have been hastily putting my thoughts together based on the experience of the past number of years.
I have not gone into the housekeeping details of the "Blueprint", but rather concentrated on what I think is the overall thrust of the document.
Thanks to some neighbour's input, I have tried to incorporate ideas other than my own as well. Thank you.
This was written, not just as a response to the "Blueprint", but in anticipation that in order to preserve and protect our area, we will need to carry our concerns to the Ministers and M.P.P.s at Queens Park who will ultimately decide the fate of our environment and communities.
If you wish to add your voice to mine, please read the attached RESPONSE and let me know by return email; and I will add your name and address to it. I believe it concerns all of us.
In an effort to reach you, please forward this as widely as you can, mindful that while others outside the province may feel just as strongly about this area as we do, it is the electorate of Ontario that will determine the fate of the province. Please accept, in advance, my apologies for any cross-posting.
Time for comment is short and the stakes are high, so your voices are needed.
Respectfully and neighbourly,
George Hewison
Please read and share this!
You may contact George by email georgehewison@gmail.com and have him add your name as we all did.
A very good read. It goes far beyond Nogies Creek. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label ministry of natural resources.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ministry of natural resources.. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Monday, March 4, 2013
Dewdney Caves
Video we found on You Tube featuring the Dewdney Caves
MNR not interested in Dewdney Mountain Caves
In a February 4 letter to Ian Mudd, Peterborough County Manager of Planning, Jesse Van Allen, District Planner with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) said with regard to the proposed quarry, “...MNR has not designated an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest of provincial, regional or local significance in the area of the subject lands. Additionally, MNR is presently not planning to review the potential of the cave in this area, and will not be conducting a detailed evaluation of the cave site.” ... to read the full story in the Lakefield Herald click HERE.Friday, January 18, 2013
"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.
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.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
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.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Notice of Public Meeting
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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
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
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
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!
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!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
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!
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!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
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"
Monday, April 23, 2012
What wildlife?
So they claim that the quarry will have no "significant" impact on the environment and wildlife... give your head a shake, are we reading the same diagrams?
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| Taken from Page 25 of the "Planning Justification Report". We kindly magnified the Legend for you! |
View the entire report HERE
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Celebrate Earth Day in Bobcaygeon
Monday, April 16, 2012
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.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
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
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
656 hits in 2 days...
Glad that this blog is reaching so many people. So far at this moment we have had 656 hits in 2 days, amazing since up until a couple of days ago no one even knew about this proposed "Mega Quarry" and concrete plant! Thanks to everyone who showed up to the Council Meeting today in support, or rather opposition to this Quarry. I know I speak for everyone in the neighborhood saying thank you, we appreciate it! We're not done! Keep spreading the word!
Ministry of Natural Resourses Contact Information
Well it seemed that Paul Cutmore had better things to do than to attend our council meeting to hear our concerns... so here is all the information you need to get a hold of him! I would strongly suggest calling him and letting him know ALL the information he missed today!
Paul Cutmore
Aggregate Inspector
Ministry of Natural Resources
Regional Operations Division
Southern Region
Peterborough District
300 Water Street
Floor 1
Robinson Place South Tower
Peterborough Ontario
K9J 8M5
Phone: (705) 755-3110
Fax: (705) 755-3125
Paul Cutmore
Aggregate Inspector
Ministry of Natural Resources
Regional Operations Division
Southern Region
Peterborough District
300 Water Street
Floor 1
Robinson Place South Tower
Peterborough Ontario
K9J 8M5
Phone: (705) 755-3110
Fax: (705) 755-3125
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