ABERFOYLE – Puslinch council is making sure it has a voice in the provincial government’s proposed changes for the Aggregate Resources Act.
At the March 4 meeting councillors asked CAO Glenn Schwendinger to prepare a report with comments that the township can send to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Mayor James Seeley was absent from the meetings and councillor Jessica Goyda declared the items of pecuniary interest because she has a family member who operates an aggregate operation in Puslinch.
Meeting chair Matthew Bulmer brought up the lack of connection between the building process, land use review and approval process and the license/site plans.
“The site plans that are shown to a municipality in the planning process need not be the ones that are shown to the Ministry of Natural Resources to get the final license and in those circumstances it’s not uncommon for municipalities to put weight or take comfort in site plan conditions or operational notes in terms of granting their planning approval that never end up on the final approved site plans,” he said.
“So in other words municipalities often comfort in things that don’t end up on the site.”
In the past Puslinch has proposed adding municipally significant conditions in site plans, Bulmer explained.
The conditions are “identified as things that are in that part of the site plans go above and beyond what’s required in the provincial standards and recognize what … the municipality or the Ontario Municipal Board LPAT put stock in (when making) their decision, that require municipal approval to change,” he said.
“Not that the municipality is looking to regulate the site just that these are the things that were specific to location … that if the ministry wants to change them they have to get permission through the municipality.
“That would put some connection between the planning process and the actual license and approval.”
He gave the example of temperature thresholds.
When originally proposed, Bulmer said the applicant was in support but the ministry didn’t have legislation to support such a requirement. He also said the Ontario Sand and Stone Gravel Association has recently said it would support a requirement of this sort.
Though councillor John Sepulis submitted a comprehensive list to staff he highlighted a few of his concerns at the meeting.
He asked that the township hydrogeologist make comments regarding anything to do with Source Water Protection, mining under the water table etc.
“There are also other ones in there that raise eyebrows, for instance they talk about you don’t need to mitigate noise at the source with appropriate attenuating devices if the receptor is located more than 500 metres away,” he said.
“And to me noise is noise and how do you make sure that that noise is not going to go to somebody who is say 600 metres away?”
He also asked that there be a stated time frame for extensions beyond the two year’s to resolve any objections and the objection period should be longer than 20 days.
“Supposing your response requires a study, 20 days isn’t going to be enough,” he said.
Sepulis also indicated he thought it should be specified that in rehabilitation of aggregate sites, they should go back to their designated use before extraction began and all rehabilitation must be signed off by appropriate specialists.
He also asked for a requirement that any proposed amendments to the site plan be circulated to municipalities.
Councillor Sara Bailey said she thought the township should reach out to community groups and members of the public feedback.
Staff will bring a report back to council before the end of March including comments from Wellington County, councillors, consultants and residents.
