Railroading Melancthon

“... Mr. Lowndes said there is provision at the Highland plant to use rail service if available but, should rail not be restored, the quarry would proceed if approved.”(Orangeville Citizen, July 30, 2009)

“Market is Greater Golden Horseshoe and Simcoe County. Shipments primarily southward” (page 23 of Highlands Handout from July 25, 2009 Open House)

If the aggregate is for the Greater Golden Horseshoe and Simcoe County as Highland claims, they have some explaining to do as to why they would want to purchase and rebuild the rail line to an open port in Owen Sound at a conservatively estimated cost of a ¼ of a BILLION dollars.

Now I am not a geography major, and in fact when I travel and I have to get home via a map, I need to turn it upside down to retrace my route, but isn’t a rail line to Owen Sound NORTH of the proposed mine and isn’t Simcoe County EAST of the proposed mine?

Then again, Lowndes doesn't live anywhere near here so maybe he is just confused.

Then again, methinks that Highlands, aka “Johnny, If my Lips are Moving I am Lying, Lowndes” has thrown that in there because section 2.5.2.1 of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) says:

“As much of the mineral aggregate resources as is realistically possible shall be made available as close to markets as possible.”

It would appear that Lowndes CAN suck and blow at the same time. That is he can build a rail line north to an open port that leads anywhere in the world, even to say China, but he can claim his limestone will be used within a few miles east of his mega mine. Wonder where the aggreate from the proposed gravel pit on Airport Road is destined for then?

Seriously though, he doesn’t have to go to all that work to bamboozle local and County Councils. If Lying Lowndes told them that he could bend over and a new galaxy would issue forth from his ass, they would fall all over themselves thanking him for the “economic benefits” to the community.

Perhaps, however, the provincial ministry bureaucrats have heard it all and won’t be so easily swayed, because quite frankly that appears to be our last hope.