Melancthon Mayor Pleased at Response From ARA Review Committee

7/31/2019 Melancthon Mayor Pleased at Response From ARA Review Committee

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Melancthon mayor pleased at

response from ARA review

committeeBy Wes Keller

2012-05-24 / News

Melancthon Mayor Bill Hill said he got a positive response to his concise,

1,500- word presentation on the Aggregate Resources Act review in

Toronto last Monday.

The committee, I believe, liked the fact our comments were direct and

specific for the most part, while others were more general. Only time will

tell, he said in an e-mailed response to a bid for his reaction.

The mayor had laid out his rationale for commenting periods of as much

as a year for mega-quarries, imposition of rules for pre-consultation on

zoning applications, time constraints for mining as an interim use and

a host of other, evidently well-considered, points.

Although he did not prioritize the points, he prefaced them with a

comment that Melancthon is dealing with an application for the

rezoning of 2,316 acres of prime agriculture land for aggregate

extraction below the water table. It is not my desire or intent to discuss

that project in this forum, but to focus on the subject at hand.

This was followed by a comment that the current 45-day commentingperiod is unrealistic, and suggested that the minimum should be 180

days, as allowed in the Planning Act.

The 180-day period would be for routine applications.


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In the case of a mega-quarry, that time frame could/should be

extended. It is difficult to examine the mounds of data we were given

(more than 3,100 pages) and formulate a meaningful opinion in 45

days, he observed. In those cases a negotiated time frame of up to

one year may be required.

Hill quoted from the SAROS (State of Aggregate Resources Ontario

Study), a document saying the province will need 186-million tonnes of

aggregate annually over the next 20 years, in support of requiring a full

Environmental Assessment for any quarry of in excess of 250 acres or

beneath the water table.

Overall, based on the constraints analysis, the conclusion is that thereis a large overlap of prime agricultural land, wetlands and significant

woodlands with selected bedrock resource areas, the study states. In

addition to the 20 constraints, there are numerous other factors that

must be considered to determine whether the deposit area can be

assembled and made available to supply mineral aggregate needs.

Without an integrated and balanced approach, it is unlikely that an

aggregate deposit could be licensed, since there is a high probability of

on-site and adjacent natural features, agriculture, water resources and

social factors to consider.

In SAROS, he said, rehabilitation is noted as a concern. He quoted the

document as saying it is a concern to ensure aggregate extraction is an

interim land use and rehabilitation is carried out to return the lands to

previous use, or one that is compatible with adjacent land uses.

But, Hill said, the term interim needs a definition. Citing the

Melancthon application, he questioned how a 50-to- 100-year lifespan,as stated by The Highland Companies, could be considered interim.

Instead, Hill suggested that the lifespan should be based on a business

plan over a fixed licensing period, such as 20 years, and the extraction

clocked as has been suggested by the Town of Caledon.


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By clocking, a 20-year extractive lifespan would be based upon the

growth rate in the quarrys market area. The expectation would be for a

standard rate of extraction based on the growth rate. A swing upwards

in the growth rate would shorten the permitted mining time, and vice

versa, on a prorated basis.

Hill also told the committee that the fee structure for aggregates is

unfair.

Currently a municipality receives about six cents per tonne for the

aggregate extracted. In the case of a megaquarry, which by definition is

to be able to produce 10-million tonnes per year, the proponent would

realize between $80- $120-million per year, while the host Municipalitywould receive $600,000.

He said even to increase the six cents to 50 cents, would still not be

adequate for the disruption and destruction a mega-quarry has the

potential to inflict on a municipality and its citizens.

Among other changes that would happen if Hills recommendations areaccepted, there would be more transparency to industry affairs, and acloser relationship amongst the industry, municipalities and the provincewith respect to aggregate extractive permitting and operations.

Documents

Melancthon Mayor Pleased at Response From ARA Review Committee