Pit proposal outlined near Caledon village
By Bill Rea

Town of Caledon staff will soon be preparing a report for council on a proposed aggregate pit in the area of Willoughby Road and Charleston Sideroad. But they should know by now there are neighbours nearby who are not pleased with the idea.

They made their feelings known to staff and councillors at a public information meeting on the matter last Wednesday night.

Lafarge Canada Inc. is proposing the operation for about 162 hectares at Lots 18 and 19, Concession 2, in West Caledon. It will require an extractive industrial designation in the Town's Official Plan, along with a similar zoning classification.

Brian Zeman, of MHBC Planning, told the meeting only 92 hectares on the property are slated for extraction, and the entire operation is to take place above the water table. He added aggregate extraction has been a long-standing land use in the area.

He said this is a highpotential mineral resource area, pointing out the Official Plan encourages new operations in such an area, provided the technical requirements are satisfied.

Zeman also said the property includes an environmental policy area, but he added no mining is planned around there.

As well, he said this material is close to a market, citing the Provincial Policy Statement as stating aggregate should be mined close to where it's going to be used.

The area to be mined, he said, will be set back some distance from homes on Willoughby; more than the typical 30-metre set back. For the most part, that area will remain in a natural state, with the exception of an acoustic berm and some tree planting to provide a visual screen. He added there will be more tree screening and a three-metre berm at the north side of the property. In addition, a "no crushing" zone will be established for the benefit of residents to the west.

Since the mining is slated to be above the water table, Zeman said there should be no impact on local residential wells. He also said there will be no waver taking, adding the water naturally flows away from where the mining is slated to be. As well, he said there will be wells on the site that will be monitored.

Access to the site will be from an existing point on Charleston. Zeman said no new access will be needed off Willoughby.

Zeman also said the plan is to rehabilitate the site back to agricultural use when the mining operation is finished. He pointed out there are strong legislative requirements, adding Lafarge has a good track record in Caledon in that regard.

One man identified himself as a long-time resident of Willoughby, who charged the Town was not acting in the best interests of the residents, saying this proposal will diminish the lives of three families. He added it's estimated the value of their properties will drop be between $75,000 and $100,00.

There were also charges the location of the proposed mining operation gets closer to the homes with every meeting.

There were also statements that this stressful process has produced health problems for residents, and he wondered if Lafarge was ready to take responsibility for health issues, even years from now.

He also wasn't impressed with the promises of trees and berms, pointing out Lafarge has done the same in other places. "There are a lot of dead trees on gravel berms as we talk right now," he remarked.

One of his neighbours pointed out most people have pension plans, and she wondered how they would like it if their investments were taken out from under them. Lafarge, with the assistance of the Town, is proposing just that, she charged.

"Our quality of life will be compromised," she charged, adding the damage of the visual appeal of her home is going to impact on the property value.

Zeman addressed the possible health issues, commenting the operation is being carefully designed to prevent these kinds of problems.

Regarding property values, Zeman sad he's seen no distinct evidence that a proposal like this impacts on them. He argued mineral extraction is appropriate in rural areas. He added scientific studies have been conducted to conclude wells won't be impacted, and he pointed out the Water Resources Protection Act would require them to correct any water disruptions.

Councillor Doug Beffort wondered if Lafarge would be interested in stepping up and becoming what he called a world leader in setting up some sort of compensation plans for these three homeowners. "We'd even put your name on a plaque," he remarked.

Chris McGuckin, Eastern Canada representative for Lafarge, said the company was being put on the spot, adding this was the first they had heard that property values might be impacted. He also said they had no way of knowing how accurate that was. He stressed the company is working hard to mitigate impacts, and added again that the Official Plan states extraction is expected at that site at some point.

McGuckin also said if they tried to buy all the homes around their pits, the company would soon be out of business.

Beffort also brought up the issue of truck traffic, asking if the company would make sure the drivers obey the rules of the road. Zeman said Lafarge won't be owning the trucks, so there won't be much the company can do. He did say they would be willing to talk to Caledon OPP about the matter.

He also told Beffort the plan is to have the pit operate from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. It would be closed Sundays and holidays. He added that's consistent with Town bylaws, and he wasn't aware of any plans to try and get that changed. Marsha Paley of the Town's planning department said operating hours are among the issues that are still being discussed.

Zeman also told Councillor Allan Thompson he didn't think there would be any plans to mine below the water table in the future. He added something like that would require another rezoning and Official Plan amendment.