Mega quarry overview
Submitted by Andrew Holownych on Tue, 2011-08-09 10:45
Earlier this year, the Highland Companies (backed by a $22 billion hedge fund out of Boston, Baupost Group) submitted an application to convert over 900 hectares of Ontario’s prime agricultural land into the largest aggregate quarry in North America. In addition to this loss of productive soil, the company also plans to dig below the water table. This would result in 600 million litres of water entering the pit each day that would need to be handled appropriately and returned downstream.
Fortunately, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment turned down the initial application for the quarry due to the company’s poor understanding of the environmental implications of the project. In particular, “the reports failed to demonstrate a three-dimensional understanding of the geology, hydrogeology and hydrology of the site.”
But while the Ministry’s response has given opponents of the mega-quarry some breathing room, it’s only a matter of time before the Highland Companies submit another application. In the meantime, write or call your local MPP. Ask them what their position is on the mega-quarry, and demand that the project be subject to a full environmental assessment.
To find out more about the proposed quarry, and how you can help, visit www.stopthemegaquarry.ca
To read more about this issue, check out the resources below:
Environment ministry blasts mega-quarry proposal (TheStar.com)