Thank you, Mr Chong, for opposing the Melancthon Mega Quarry. This proposed megaquarry would be the largest ever in Canada and clearly harmful to the environment. The Council of Canadians chapter in the Guelph region includes Wellington and Waterloo Counties in our membership and many of our members live in Wellington-Halton Hills, and we also oppose the megaquarry. We appreciate your comments about this threatening operation. We share with you concerns about the megaquarry including the impacts of pumping and seepage on groundwater and aquifers, the loss of farmland, and the impact on our communities of thousands of trucks a day carrying tons of aggregate. Chemical contaminants from explosives, fuel, salt, etc. might reach the water source and make wells unusable. Damage to the groundwater sources for Guelphs water might require spending billions of dollars to bring water from Lake Erie. We question the need for new aggregate extraction given the small amount of aggregate that is even re-used in southern Ontario. In the past the Council of Canadians has called on the Federal government to adopt a National Water Policy and we recall that the Conservative government said it would create a national water strategy in its 2007 throne speech. The megaquarry proposal shows that we need such a national strategy now more than ever. Thank you again for standing up for your concerns for the environment.. Norah Chaloner Keith Bellairs Co-Chairs, Council of Canadians, Guelph Chapter
Keith Bellairs