James Dick in Caledon was proposing a very similar model to what Highlands is proposing in Melancthon, except on a MUCH smaller scale. Dicks proposal was a 100 foot below the water table quarry of approximately 58 hectares (or 145 acres).
Dickheads proposal (I mean Highlands) for Melancthon is for a 2,400 acre, 200 foot below the water table quarry.
On page 20 of Highlands material presented at their heavily guarded open house on July 25, 2009 in Hornings Mills states: "bottom line-NO adverse effects on water"
At that same meeting, however, Highlands highly paid consultants were confirming with ratepayers that the cost of mitigation and keeping the water out of the hole they dug would be the responsibility of the owner, which they assured ratepayers would NOT be them after they had taken all the aggregate (and in my own words, the money).
All parties in the James Dick Caledon proposal agree that the hole they will leave in the ground will take 50 years to fill with water. Again, theirs is about 145 acres to a depth of about 100 feet below the water table: Highlands is 2,400 acres and about 200 feet below the water table.
The Ontario Muncipal Board, in their ruling against the James Dick proposal, made the following statement:
"The Board finds that no public authority, not the Province, the Region, the Town,
nor the CVC should ever find itself responsible for the costs of mitigation measures for the proposed quarry."
The Board finds that such a stated intention by JDCL (James Dick) is inadequate in the circumstances. As noted above, the only thing that stands between the proposed quarry and a negative impact on the natural environment is a complex, highly engineered and closely monitored mitigation system which would have to operate effectively for approximately 80 years. On the limited evidence before it, the Board finds that such a mitigation system could cost well in excess of $90 million. The Province Region and the Town and their residents must have clear assurances embodied in executed legal agreements that James Dick will always be responsible for the costs of mitigation."
Oh SNAP.
If James Dick's proposal was less than 150 acres and it would cost at least $90 million in assurances, wonder what Highlands 2,400 acre proposal would require in assurances.
I know at a meeting of Council in 2009 a ratepayer suggested half a BILLION dollars and was scoffed at. Not so funny now, is it? Reality bites.
Just saying.
As I recall Jerry Jorden said there was no precedent for such policies...sounds like there is now.
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