by Mike Robinson
Mayor Mike Broomhead is concerned that Wilson Quarry proponents in Monck are attempting to bypass council and avoid citizen concerns by applying for a prequalification meeting for an Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the plan.
On Monday, Broomhead told councillors of a coming meeting Nov. 6 in Kenilworth.
The proposed quarry near the southeast corner of Monck in the former West Luther township was proposed and applied for in the 1990s, (prior to the creation of Wellington North), with no resolution despite numerous studies over the years.
Those studies have done little to alleviate residents’ concerns about local roads, water tables, or the impact on the nearby Luther Marsh – the headwaters of the Grand River watershed.
Broomhead said the quarry would have an impact on local roads in the Monck and Damascus area as he supported another resolution before council asking the province to hike fees to aggregate operators to address the impacts of those operations.
In later discussion, Broomhead added the move to the qualification hearing seems to bypass the intent of previous discussions. The last time proponents were at council, Broomhead said they were instructed to keep nearby residents informed of what was happening.
That seems to have stopped, he said.
Broomhead’s other concern is the matter of who would get to speak at that meeting. He believes council dealt fairly with the proponents.
He did, however, state that having that particular meeting is no guarantee an OMB meeting would be called.
Even so, Broomhead said the final decision will not be made by council, but by the Ministry of Environment. It has authority over all pit licences.
“We have the right to know what is happening within our municipality,” he said.
