PROPOSED HUNDER PIT BACK BEFORE WOOLWICH COUNCIL TONITE

There is a process to these Applications and quite frankly I think it stinks. It's almost like running a marathon only it's not over in 2 1/2 or 3 hours. This marathon isn't even over in two or three years. It's a money marathon and the party with the full time staff and financial backing has all the advantages. Shame on the province of Ontario and on all the rest of us for having been slowly subverted and co-opted over half a century or more.

Tonite at 7 pm. we will hear about "new information" including noise reports as well as hydrogeological reports. These reports are allegedly in response to concerns that have been raised by both the Township as well as nearby residents. Apparently this proposed pit also includes plans for asphalt and concrete recycling which I hadn't realized. To date Woolwich township are digging in their heels on this proposal however we all saw how things went south with the Jigs Hollow Pit outside Winterbourne. There is a difference here and that is money. The residents of Golf Course Rd. have money and they only spent some of it in obtaining a beautiful mix of rural and suburban living. They will be a party at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing and thus will not be shut out of any negotiations or discussions.

At the moment the formal OMB hearing is scheduled for September 3/13 but that could easily be pushed back further. For me this is about one thing and that is that gravel is cheap and easy to extract along the Grand River where it is close to the surface. To date the accumulative environmental impacts of gravel pits up and down the length of the Grand River have been ignored. We as humans have made all kinds of environmental laws that give lip service only to preservation of our natural environment while giving precedence to the individuals who wish to exploit it for greater profit. There is lots of gravel farther away from our streams and rivers but more money can be made by taking it where it's easiest first.