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VALLEY VOICES' LETTER TO COUNCIL / RESIDENT'S LETTERS
(back to May 09 newsletter)
May 6, 2005
Mayor & Members of Council
Township of Alnwick-Haldimand
P.O. Box 70 Grafton,
Ontario K0K 2G0
Dear Mayor Finley & Members of Council:
Re: Application - Shelter Valley Aggregates
Valley Voices Residents Association advises that Council has been meeting with representatives of Shelter Valley Aggregates (SVA) and that Council is prepared to enter into an agreement to allow the rezoning of the Shelter Valley site.
We are writing to express our extreme displeasure with the actions of Council. Firstly, we think that all negotiations with SVA should be in public. Secondly, we understand a Wellington County Legal Opinion states that the municipality has no control once a pit licence is granted by the MNR and cannot stop excavation below the water table with a zoning by-law. Therefore it is imperative that SVA provide hydrology below the water table studies that are peer reviewed. Also, where is SVA's certificate of Approval for Air which has to do with noise? Thirdly, we understand that a municipality in Bruce County recently successfully stopped a quarry within their municipality and has supported its ratepayers in opposition. Fourthly, we understand there is toxic waste buried nearby the proposed pit in concrete containers from the 70s that could crack from the constant vibration from the pit machinery causing an ecological nightmare.
We are writing to urge you to consider carefully and listen to the voices of the ratepayers, many of whom would suffer because Council has allowed a residential area adjacent to the proposed site. We want you to act in our best interests, and not the best interests of the aggregate industry. We will be urging other ratepayers in this municipality to express their concerns to you. We will also be contacting the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the Minister of Natural Resources.
We are tired of not being treated properly and want proper representation of our interests as ratepayers.
Yours Truly
Carol Hanley, for Valley Voices Residents Assoc.
Cc:
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of the Environment
135 St. Clair Ave. W
Toronto, ON, M5G 2E5
Hon. John Gerretsen, Minister of Municipal Affairs
777 Bay St., 17th floor Toronto , ON, M4V1P5
Hon. David Ramsay Minister of Natural Resources,
Whitney Block, 6th floor, room 6630
99 Wellesley St. W Toronto, M7A 1W3
To Mayor Finley & Members of Council
Township of Alnwick/Haldimand
P.O. Box 70 Grafton
Ont K0K 2G0
Dear Mayor Finley and Council Members .
I am concerned about the meeting you had with Shelter Valley Aggregates. If I am well informed, the negotiations were about the rezoning . We were advised by this council that all negotiations would be open to the public. This important meeting was held behind closed doors , and that put up a red flag to me. Recently there was a quarry successfully stopped by their municipality as they supported the ratepayers . I urge you to listen to your people for your decision will keep Shelter Valley as a pristine area, or decimated for ever.
Thank You
Andy Manders.
Dear Mr Mayor,
Religion and politics rarely cross my mind at the same but they did today. A church in Cobourg has "Choices Have Consequences" on its lawn sign. It made me think of you and Council, and your confidence level.
Let's say you choose Shelter Valley Aggregates (SVA) over the residents of the Shelter Valley community. How confident are you that the disposal of DDT near Turk Road was carefully monitored by the appropriate authorities, that the DDT is secure, and that it will not leach into local wells and stream headwaters?
How confident are you that the MNR and the MOE will come to the Township's assistance if and when SVA breaks its operating restrictions? You have been told of a case of the MNR destroying documents that showed it is pro-aggregate in its policies. How confident are you that SVA will not excavate below the water table? Since this seems to be the normal course of events don't you worry about the effects on the water table and the wells of local residents?
The Township's actions led to the severances on land where Council knew there was aggregate. To open a pit now would just open the Township to litigation. How confident are you that the Township is on strong legal grounds? And if you vote for SVA because you feel Queen's Park told you to, will you be able to say that you looked at aggregate within the wider context of the Provincial Policy Statement?
If you and Council are confident on all these matters then a vote for SVA is likely. But a note of caution before you vote; recall that church sign. Your choice may have consequences for you, Council, and the area's environment that will be beyond your control and will irritate the community for years.
Regards,
Douglas Higgins
Grafton, ON
Mayor, Members of Council.
Township of Alnwick/Haldimand.
P.O. Box 70,
Grafton On. K0K 2G0.
Dear Mayor and Members of Council:
Once again we are writing to you with the hope of having you vote NO to the SVA pit. We understand that up to this point it has been a fairly fair process. So you can well understand how shocked we are to find out that Council has been dealing with SVA behind closed doors. Is this a democratic process? Do Council and SVA have something to hide? Why the secrecy?
Furthermore, Council is in no position to make a deal. Not all the tests have been completed. Even more important new problems have arisen. For instance it has been proven through several different sources [one of them being a Council member in whose township a gravel pit is located.] that when considering an application for a pit Council should always assume the worst scenario. It has been proven over and over again that once a license has been granted aggregate companies do as they please. All rules and regulations go by the wayside. This is the time to stop it. The "Quality of Life" of hundreds of people depends on it.
Furthermore, does Council really want to open another can of worms? Or, better said, a dump full of DDT? All being safely buried at this time could change when the ground around it starts to shift and move. How environmentally friendly is that going to be? In the end Council would have to shoulder the responsibility for this potential disaster.
Why ruin our beautiful township? After all Council has given out many severances in the last few years making this township an attractive place to live. A gravel pit does not fit in with Council's own planning. You have a choice. You don't have to let a gravel company bulldoze its way into this township. Other townships have stood up against them and have won their case. We believe that you have enough legitimate reasons to vote NO. We all want to go on with our lives. For two years this nightmare has haunted us, filling our lives with stress and anxiety. Enough is enough. We ask you, please vote NO.
Yours Truly,
Hank and Margaret Jansen
