Jun 27, 2012 - 5:43 PM
Province playing tricks
The Issue: Aggregate review hearingOur View: Short notice to register was intentional
An email arrived at The Banner on Monday, June 18 at 6:52 p.m. It was from Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones, and it carried the first notification the province’s Standing Committee on General Government, which is charged with reviewing the Aggregate Resources Act, would be making a stop in Orangeville.
At the bottom of the news release was the deadline for registering to speak during the hearing — noon that Thursday (June 21). Not much time was given.
Worse yet, our next edition wouldn’t be delivered to most homes until later that very day.
As with most things, we promptly posted it online (visit orangeville.com often for breaking news) so word would spread.
For those without Internet access, or no time for it, the information came too late to register.
The timing of this notice was unfortunate, and likely planned to attract as small a crowd as possible. With proper notice, the list of wanting presenters would no doubt be more than the committee wishes to hear from.
Aggregate extraction is an incredibly sensitive issue for many Dufferin and area residents, as pits and quarries abound to feed the ever-growing Greater Toronto Area.
While written submissions can be made until July 17 — email the committee’s clerk at tamara_pomanski@ontla.ola.org — such things can be easily ignored.
The government isn’t making a genuine effort to hear from the people most affected by the ARA. Don’t expect much in the way of improvements when the recommendations come out.
Unless, that is, you’re looking to start a quarry of your own.
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