“It was a great day for democracy.”
That was the way Melancthon Mayor Bill Hill described the Nov. 21 decision by The Highland Companies to withdraw its application for a 2,300-acre mega quarry in the township.
The highly controversial quarry, which would have extracted an estimated one billion tonnes of limestone gravel over a 50 to 100-year span, was described as being one of the largest in North America.
The Highland Companies decision to abandon the project quashes any plans to restore a railway corridor through Dufferin County as part of the project, and also resulted in the resignation of company president John Lowndes.
The proposal has drawn considerable criticism since it was first announced two years ago – from politicians, farm and environmental groups, and councils concerned the quarry would lay waste to 2,300 acres of prime agricultural land and possibly impact ground water and local water courses, including the Grand River.
Highland Companies will continue to farm the land where it grows potatoes and packages them, with the help of 60 employees.
In a Nov. 21 press release, The Highland Companies’ John Scherer stated, “While we believe that the quarry would have brought significant economic benefit to Melancthon Township and served Ontario’s well-documented need for aggregate, we acknowledge that the application does not have sufficient support from the community and government to justify proceeding with the approval process.”
Hill speculated the decision was based on concerns by hedge fund investors who would have eventually operated the pit about the lack of public support for the plan.
“We were surprised by this announcement,” the mayor said. “This was a major hedge fund so it was an investment. Highland was not going to run this thing.”
Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) president Mark Wales congratulated quarry opponents, including the North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce (NDACT), on the work done to bring a halt to the planned quarry.
“This is excellent News for Ontario, and it’s a testament to the true power of collective lobbying when a group of citizens come together,” Wales said in a press release. “OFA is a strong advocate for the protection of prime agricultural land for food production above all other uses, including aggregates extraction.”
The OFA recently filed a position on the provincial policy statement that governs the province’s Aggregate Resources Act, a piece of legislation meant to balance the need for aggregates such as sand and gravel with the production of other important resources such as water and agricultural land.
“The Melancthon site is of particular interest because not only is it prime agricultural land, but it also contains a specialty soil known as Honeywood soil that is unique to this area,” Wales said. “OFA strongly advocates that as a province Ontario must minimize activities that lead to a loss of our agricultural lands. This is a significant win for Ontario.”
Hill said The Highland Companies remains the largest landowner in the township.
Dufferin-Caledon Conservative MPP Sylvia Jones also congratulated community groups who worked together to derail the plan after the company’s announcement.
“The reality is there was a lot of community resistance to this project from the beginning,” Jones said in a press release. “I congratulate the local residents who show great tenacity in organizing themselves to present a coherent argument against this application.
“There were some serious concerns raised by many different groups with this application. There is a lesson to be learned: local residents, community groups and municipal councils, can make a difference. Concerned residents, artists, musicians, chefs put together hugely successful events like Food Stock, and Soup Stock to raise awareness of their concerns. Their cause really became a movement across Ontario and today we can praise their dedication and hard work.”
Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong also congratulated opponents for their work in halting the proposed pit, which would have measured about six kilometres wide and about 60 meters deep, and would have required the pumping of an estimated 600 million litres of water a day.
“Ontario’s valuable farmland needs to be preserved for future generations. I’m pleased to see that the Highland Companies listened to the concerns of thousands of Canadians in Dufferin and Wellington counties, and across southwestern Ontario, and withdrew this application,” Chong said.
Melancthon council was in the process of conducting a peer review of the application to ensure it met, among other things, environmental guidelines. The announcement means the review has been halted. Hill said he held a party at his home for township staff and council after the announcement.
