The Concerned Residents Coalition (CRC) has received another municipal donation in its quest to fight a proposed quarry near Rockwood at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing.
However, the $10,000 from the Town of Milton was not given freely – it has caveats.
“The CRC must produce a paid invoice that has not been covered by any other municipality, so it’s not a blank cheque going to them,” said Milton councillor Cindy Lunau in a telephone interview with the Advertiser.
“They will produce an invoice up to $10,000 … on a report that specifically deals with our rural area.”
The donation was made at the Town of Milton council meeting on Aug. 22, about two months after Guelph-Eramosa council provided a $70,000 donation to the CRC from the Rockwood Hydro Fund.
“It’s fairly unusual for the town to stand behind and to support a lobby group so to speak, and that’s what the CRC is,” Lunau said.
“Was there some concern about setting a precedent? Obviously, but perhaps this is … an unusual case and an unusual circumstance.”
CRC president Doug Tripp said Milton council’s support has been two fold, beginning with support of Halton Region’s decision to oppose the quarry.
“Certainly that’s great symbolic value in our view, but then thanks to the efforts of councillor Lunau and (Colin) Best, the tangible support that Milton agreed to, to help CRC with its OMB costs was very welcome,” Tripp said.
“Both from the point of view that we’re running a tight budget to meet our needs at the hearings, but … also I think a very strong symbolic gesture on the part of council to endorse our position as a spokesman for the community.”
The decision to provide the $10,000 donation was passed unanimously after Lunau brought the topic up for discussion.
“The CRC has done an exemplary job at representing rural Milton and Nassagaweya’s interests in this matter and has taken on some studies … that definitely show the potential impact of the application of the quarry on this area,” Lunau said.
“The town itself … has not retained any expert witnesses although we are represented by the Region (of Halton) …
“So it’s a way of showing I think both the CRC and the residents and the OMB that the town council is very definitely against this application and that we’re putting … our money where our mouth is so to speak.”
In June Guelph-Eramosa council also stated its opposition to the James Dick Construction Ltd. plan to annually extract about 700,000 tonnes of sand, gravel and dolostone at the northeast corner of 6th Line and Highway 7.
Lunau explained the Milton donation would be coming from the town’s slots reserve fund.
“Campbellville which is located in … the former Township of Nassagaweya is the site of the OLG slots and as such we receive significant income as the municipality’s share of that slot revenue,” she said.
“Rather than using that as part of our operating budget … it goes into a special reserve fund and then it’s used in the following year for capital projects.
“So it’s fitting that some of the dollars that have been generated from the rural area are used to preserve the rural area.”
Tripp said the CRC would put the money towards the cost of one of four expert witnesses the CRC will be using at the hearing.
“One of our expert witnesses is certainly dealing with the downstream water and natural environment impacts so … it would make sense to use their funds to address the needs that are specifically related to Milton,” he said.
The expert in question is aquatic ecologist Dr. Karl Schiefer, who will speak about the aquatic habitat, fish habitat and natural environment in the Brydson Creek. The CRC’s other witnesses are:
– hydrogeologist Garry Hunter, who will address the relationship between the proposed blasting and surface water;
– Dr. Hugh Whiteley, who will address ground water modeling under the influence of the operation; and
– mining engineer Bill Hill, who will focus on the impact of blasting.
The OMB hearing is going to cost the CRC approximately $300,000 and Tripp said it looks as though the organization is going to meet that target after its fall fundraisers.
Though Milton is not a party at the OMB, it will be represented by the Region of Halton. Halton Hills will object the quarry at the OMB.
“It is not that myself or the town is against quarries,” Lunau said. “We recognize the need for aggregate but this is not an appropriate place for a quarry.
“There’s just too many potential impacts that would be disastrous … and cannot be mitigated in any other way.”
The OMB hearing begins on Sept. 27 at the Guelph-Eramosa municipal office in Brucedale.
