Water or gravel?

In a recent report on a massive new quarry proposal in Ontario, an international mining company has purchased a large parcel of land on the pristine and fabled north shore of Lake Superior with plans to extract stone for use in American road building.

This is just the latest in a list of proposed or newly expanded quarry operations in unspoiled wild and rural areas of Ontario. Other sites include several on or near Ontario's famous Niagara Escarpment (a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve) and within Ontario's newly designated Greenbelt. Recent expansions or applications to expand quarries at Mount Nemo, Milton and Acton threaten groundwater and the natural environment.

The proposed Rockfort Quarry in Caledon threatens to destroy the rural character of the area and disrupt the water table in the neighbouring environmentally sensitive lands of the Niagara Escarpment. The applicant proposes to blast a massive open pit mine hundreds of meters deep into fractured, water-saturated limestone.

Aggregate companies paint a rosy picture where nothing will go wrong, where troubles will be sidestepped by "mitigation" and "adaptive management," but huge mining operations situated in close proximity to complex and fragile ecosystems are bound to upset the balance and damage will be done. "Unexplained" shortages of groundwater have been experienced near the recently expanded Acton Quarry.

Yes, society needs aggregate, but a reliable supply of clean water is even more essential.

For generations, the people of Ontario have invested in the preservation of conservation land and rural areas. The North Shore of Lake Superior, the Niagara Escarpment and Ontario's Greenbelt are a priceless heritage. Can we afford to risk such a legacy by designating these lands as new areas for industrial use? Are the hopes for commercial profit of a few individuals worth what may be lost to future generations?

It is not too late for us to stop and reassess Ontario's land-use policies. The Ontario government clearly wants to be perceived as environmentally responsible, but if recent initiatives, such as the creation of the Greenbelt, are to be proven as more than mere window dressing, Premier Dalton McGuinty must reassess land-use policies effecting industrial development in environmentally sensitive areas.
Jim Reid,
Caledon