NDACT Discussion Forum

David Pease: An article from last Saturday's Toronto Star about the Caledon pit www.thestar.com/article/591036 (02/24/09)

Karren Wallace: Orangeville Banner March 3, 2009: "The Highlands Companies..says a quarry isn't necessarily in the cards." see for full article and quotes: www.orangevillebanner.com/news/article/65756 (03/05/09)

David Pease: A recent article in Better Farming Magazine: www.betterfarming.com/online-news/dufferin-group-seeks-ag-special-designation-amid-fears-quarry-1974 (03/20/09)

Barry Hebden: I fully support this petition..Our farm lands are most important to our community, to us, to our country. (04/19/09)

John Pomeroy: I totally support the petition and share many of the concerns raised by others. We as a community have to come together to ensure that our way of life and beautiful landscapes are preserved. I’m all for progress however I don’t understand how another “PIT” would better our community or ensure prosperity. Our precious farmland deserve to be protected and as such we should be reaching out to our elected officials to demand that they do their part to ensure that the voice of the community (their constituents) is represented. I pledge my full support and wish to thank the NDACT Committee members for their time and effort. (04/27/09)

Dave Adeney: At www.thespec.com (Hamilton Spectator) there is a good archive of articles about the fight to stop the quarry at Mount Nemo near Burlington. Some iinclude details of alliances local residents have made with significant environmental groups. Simple enter "quarry" into the site's search engine. (10/25/09)

Dave Adeney: Highlights from the Nov. 17/09 opinion piece in the Hamilton Spectator by Joan Little, former Burlington, Ont. municipal councillor and current member of the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC): On Nov. 18, the NEC will decide on the controversial application by Nelson Aggregate to expand its quarry operation near Mt. Nemo in Halton Region. Interested agencies include Halton Region, City of Burlington, Conservation Halton, NEC and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). The first three of these and NEC staff all oppose the application. Several major issues are in play; the most serious is identification of a provincially significant wetland. PERL (Protecting Escarpment Rural Land), co-led by singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, hired three consultants, costing them $50,000, one of whom evaluated the wetlands. NEC is recommending a report be prepared in response to petitions from Halton, Burlington and PERL to re-designate lands in Mount Nemo with a more protective designation. The NEC, an arm's-length provincial agency, reports to MNR, the ministry which hosts conservation authorities, looks after forests and wetland, but also issues aggregate licences. NEC will review another application on Nov. 18. Walker Aggregate in Clearview Township wants to expand. A key issue is impact on three rivers: Pretty, Mad and Beaver. Little says, "Quarries have had stunning success at hearings but these will be major tests of quarrying vs. environmental degradation." (11/17/09)

Dave Adeney: Highlights from Dec. 1 Hamilton Spectator article by former Burlington municipal councillor Joan Little: It usually costs a lot to oppose an application for land-use planning. There is the possibility that review/approval Boards will assess costs. She mentions two recent quarry applications to the Niagara Escarpment Commission and high costs for one anti-quarry group. Citizen groups running fund-raising events are competing with big corporations with bags of money. She asks for a better way - such as a tribunal to asses the validity of a group's concerns. Then, if concerns were found valid, at least part of the appeal funding to be provided from the public purse. (12/01/09)

the truth hurts: NDACT seemed to over look this acticle on their web site. It is pretty true so no sense hidding it. .orangeville.com/opinion/letters/article/606957--an-inconvenient-truth-about-progress-and-growth If a Melancthon isnt a good spot for a quarry maybe you could suggest a better place, as the need and use of aggregate is unstopable. (02/12/10)

Karren: No argument, there is an appetite for aggregate that is unstoppable, kind of like most people's appetite's for food and water. SO, if aggregate is to go here, because it is in short supply and really needed....that is the same argument for NOT putting the mine here. Prime agricultural land is in extremely short supply is non renewable and there is an unstoppable appetite for it. So lets put the quarry here. Where do you suggest we produce our food? (02/15/10)

the truth hurts: If farm land is in such short supply, you would have thought farming would be more profitable, and the locals may not have been so quick to sell, as they would have been making lots of money from their land. And last time I check the "best" farm land in Ontario was being eatin up by Brampton (Peel) and Halton area housing projects. The Government doesn’t seem interested in protecting that land, so what makes you think they will in Melancthon, one of the most under populated townships in Southern Ontario. From what I understand, limestone is only available from curtain areas, (where god put it)so it can only be extracted from where it is, not from where you would like it to be. As far as water goes, do you know any areas that have gone "dry" from pit or quarry activities in Ontario? And if so please let the MOE and MNR know, as Ontario has strick water laws, that prohibit such things from happening. (02/16/10)

the truth hurts: oh and last time I checked the super market, 99.9% of our produce come from the south during winter months!!! So you better head down there and make sure they aren’t messing up their farming land also, I am sure they would appreciate that. (02/16/10)

Joe Bloggs: What are you talking about? I only eat food that is grown within 100 km of my home. Granted my diet consists of only beef, potatoes and a few grains which over the past 50 years has resulted in a sickly and grotesque near human existence, deforming what is left of my body. Who needs fruit in the winter or the summer I say. (02/18/10)

the truth hurts: Is it just rummor or has Dale been arrested??? (04/09/10)

Dave Adeney: The April 14, 2010 issue of the Hamilton Spectator has a very detailed, well-written full-page article on the history of the Carlisle, Ont. anti-quarry effort leading to the success announced April 12 (provincial minister's order preventing St. Mary's Cement from opening quarry). (04/14/10)

the truth hurts: Yes the Flamborough Quarry, was SURROUNDED by hundreds of million dollar plus estate homes, people with very deep pockets and most import they had people plugged directly into the provincal governement. (04/20/10)

Karren: Hey Truth Hurts: re Flamborough and important people and expensive homes-ever been to Mulmur? Know anyone that lives there? In fact I know a few connected (and yes dare I say it wealthy) people even in little old Melancthon.... (04/24/10)

thetruthhurts: 401 energy seems a little quite on who's in who's not! Anyone got any news on this subject? (06/21/10)

Karren: Excellent meeting on January 22, 2011. Good information and HUGE turnout. (02/08/11)

Beverley: I am in full support to those fighting the development of this land for the use of anything other than agricultural (04/19/11)

Jessica: Even as a young person I know the quarry is wrong. Don't we have the right to farms, beauty and clean water not a big hole in the ground? (04/29/11)

Dave Adeney: Would much of the aggregate from the proposed quarry be exported? If so, that would negate much of the rationale for a mega-quarry (i.e., if Ontario has a huge need, why would new production be exported)? (05/29/11)

Teresa Porter: I couldn't help noticing that the comments coming from folks who support the quarry proposal are laughably ignorant and badly written. There doesn't appear to be anyone of any intelligence capable of making the argument for it, so why does our government sit back and feign helplessness? I hope this becomes a major issue in the coming Provincial election. There is something very sinister going on here, as our country is being dug up, paved over and sold off to greedy foreign interests, while those responsible for safeguarding our heritage look the other way. Who is being bought off here? (06/30/11)