Our Readers Write
OMB must protect citizens from quarry

We attended the Jan. 25 CBSES (Caledon Broader Scale Environmental Study) information meeting on the Environmental impact from the James Dick Construction Limited (JDCL) application to open a quarry on the Rockfort Farm site in Caledon and feel that there are some fundamental points that should be addressed.

In the 1990s the Town of Caledon was in the process of defining areas that might be suitable for mineral extraction (OPA 161), categorizing them as either "resource" (eligible for extraction in the near future) or "reserve" (held back at least 20 years). Near the end of this process, but before OPA 161 was passed JDCL applied for a rezoning of the Rockfort property from rural agricultural to commercial so that he could proceed with a permit application for extraction. Rockfort appears in the area designated 9-A, which was to be a "reserve" under OPA-161 but JDCL objected, saying that their application should be "grandfathered" and the matter was referred to the (OMB).

The OMB decided to defer the final decision on whether area 9-A should be designated "resource" or "reserve" to a new hearing scheduled to begin 2008.

Ironically, the question of need (whether the people of Ontario need the aggregate which might be extracted from the Rockfort site) at present is not taken into consideration at the OMB hearings. Provincial reports show that in fact there is more than enough present and future supply from existing quarries. Thus the great benefit of mineral extraction form the Rockfort site will not go to the people of Ontario or the residents of Caledon but to the owners of JDCL.

The Rockfort site and OPA 161area 9-A abut the northern boundary of the Niagara Escarpment, a protected area that has earned the designation of "UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve." For decades, private landowners within the Escarpment boundaries have been encouraged to protect the natural areas of their properties from any form of alteration through the "Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program."

Through these tax breaks to conservation landowners, the people of Ontario have made a significant financial commitment to the preservation of these natural areas. In addition, strict limitations on property severance and construction have ensured that development has been kept to a minimum. Other lands in the vicinity of Rockfort are rural and much of their heritage character has been preserved.

Thus the residents of Caledon and the people of Ontario have made conscious decisions not to cash in on the short-term financial potential of the land and have made long term commitments to ensure that the natural and rural heritage of the area is protected for future generations.

If JDCL were to be given permission to extract from the Rockfort site, the Dick family and their private company would be permitted to make huge profits by cashing in on a heritage that belongs to all Ontarians. If the OMB allows this quarry application to proceed, JDCL has a moral obligation, and should be required to fully compensate local residents for loss of property value and quality of life and to fully compensate all citizens of Caledon and Ontario for the degradation of their rural and natural heritage.

The massive excavation of the proposed mine would disturb the water table impacting on private wells, disrupting aquatic habitats and the breeding cycles of fish and amphibians. Noise, dust and shock waves from blasting and crushing would disturb wildlife, damage property, lower the quality of life for area residents and make the area less attractive to recreational users.

Hundreds of trucks used to haul the stone would cause pollution, noise, road damage and traffic hazards. The OMB must honour its original mandate to protect the interests of municipalities. Rockfort Farm must not be allowed to become Rockfort Quarry.

Jim Reid