Proposed mega-quarry to face tougher review
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SOCIALIST ACTION NOVEMBER 2011 9 A month before facing voters in the Oct. 6 Ontario provincial election, the govern ing Liberals decided to require a more stringent approval process for a contro versial proposal to dig a massive quarry in a sensitive environmental area near Toronto.
As reported in the July 2011 edition of Socialist Action, the proposed 2300-acre aggregate quarry in Melancthon, Ontario, was originally slated for the relatively lax approval process of the Ministry of Natural Resources. This soft-gloves treat ment sparked widespread criticism and protests. Ultimately, the government re lented. It announced on Sept. 1 that the project would be subjected to a com prehensive environmental assessment under the province’s environment pro tection legislation—a process that could take months or years.
However, this development does not mean that the quarry project has been scrapped. In fact, the project’s proponent, the U.S. hedge-fund-backed Highland Companies, has been aggressively buying up farmland and cutting down vegeta tion. According to “Melancthon quarry unites diverse communities,” an article ble.ca on Sept. 23, this has the convenient effect of deterring protected bird species from nesting on the proposed site and potentially stalling the project.
Activists and the local community con tinue to galvanize opposition to the quar ry. The “Foodstock” festival, presented by the Canadian Chefs’ Congress on Oct. 16, drew 28,000 people, including such nota bles as the musical group Barenaked La dies and renowned chef Jamie Kennedy. They attended a festival of food, music, and speeches to generate support and raise funds for the campaign against the quarry project.
Socialists demand a thorough and transparent environmental assessment of the proposed Melancthon quarry, with full input from the local community, en vironmental groups and First Nations’ peoples. We stand with all Ontarians who will be impacted, and those who have al ready been affected. n