JIGS HOLLOW GRAVEL PIT

Firstly I am offended by the process. This proposed pit was coming to Woolwich Council prior to the October 2010 municipal elections. That is three Councils ago! At the time it was known as the proposed Kuntz Pit. There was strong local opposition which presented repeatedly in Woolwich Council back then. Issues included the destruction of the beautiful Winterbourne/Grand River Valley vista. They included major skepticism in regards to the claims by the promoter that above water table extraction was financially feasible based upon the quantity of gravel and sand above the water table. In fact the local, amateur citizen activists were correct and the experts hired by Kuntz Sand & Gravel were full of it. Kuntz sold a share to Preston Sand & Gravel who are now the proponent. They are ably assisted by Sisco Inc., a planning/lobbying group out of Kitchener. The current proposal by Preston Sand & Gravel (PSG) is for below water table extraction of sand and gravel because...you guessed it, it isn't economically feasible to only remove the sand and gravel above the water table.

During the first time around process Councillor Murray Martin wouldn't commit to the citizens his opposition to this project. Their arguments, in their opinions, fell upon deaf ears. Lo and behold AFTER the October 2010 election the lame duck Woolwich Council sitting until the new Council took over, voted in favour of this then above water table pit going ahead. Murray Martin voted against it. A skeptic might believe that this was simply a death bed conversion with Murray hoping to be resurrected the next time around in 2014 which he was. Bonnie Bryant a novice beat him soundly in the 2010 election.

Fast forward to today and these concerned citizens are again going through the same process over and over again. This is similar to the nonsense that many of us have had with Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura for decades. They come up with one self-serving but inherently ridiculous and illogical idea after another and as soon as you beat one down with facts they simply rework it, twist it and take another go until the Ministry of environment says O.K.. It's still a self-serving plan that does little or nothing to help the environment and or is downright harmful to it.

This coming Tuesday at 7 pm. in Council Chambers, paid experts will speak on behalf of Council lifting their Holding Provision which prohibits below groundwater gravel extraction. This principle has been strongly endorsed by the Region of Waterloo for a long time in order to protect groundwater. Citizens will speak against this plan including Jan Huisson, Bonnie Bryant, Lynne Hare and Gordon Haywood. The public are desperately needed in attendance so that Woolwich Council understand that ongoing destruction of our environment for profit is unacceptable.