alan -- Wilmot Township Council has recently decided to sign an agreement with Rick Esbaugh to allow a gravel mine to proceed in their community. This contradicts a unanimous vote by Wilmot council in April of 2022 to oppose Esbaugh's application. This discussion was held in a closed meeting of Council - not in a public forum. A completely new Council was elected in October. Recently the Township lawyer advised Council that as Council was unlikely to win at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) they should settle with the applicant and avoid the cost associated with being a party to an appeal to the OLT. We understand that the lawyer also advised Council that recent changes to Bill 23 allow the OLT to assign costs of an appeal to the losing party would create additional financial risk for the municipality. (See CTV news item here)
There are two key issues here: The first issue is that the Wilmot Council should have held a public meeting with the community and openly discussed their options, including ways in which the appeal could have proceeded. The decision whether to afford the expense of the appeal, and to take that risk should have been made by the people who pay taxes to the municipality. Mayor and Council failed to fulfill their responsibility to reflect the will of their constituents. The second issue is the unnecessary rule change by the Ford government to enable the OLT to assign cost to a losing party. This will have a chilling effect on municipal councils, within a system that is already tilted heavily in favour of the gravel mining industry. Mike Harris Jr., MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga and Doug Ford must he held accountable for this action. (In a future email we will ask you to delegate to your municipal council in support of a resolution asking the OLT NOT to implement this rule). The urgent action Alert today however is to
support the residents of Wilmot Township at the
Wilmot Council meeting on Monday March 6.
See below for more details.
Sincerely,
Mike Balkwill
RGMC Campaign Manager 
ACTION ALERT! We need all hands on deck to show the new Wilmot Council that their community wants to Stop the Hallman Pit! 
How you can take action:- Delegate at the upcoming Council Meeting on March 6th
- Delegations must register by March 1st with the Legislative Services Department
- This is the most impactful way to have your voice heard by the Council
- For more information on delegations visit this link here
- Attend, virtually or in person, the March 6th Council Meeting from 7 to 11 pm
- Call or email your Councillor to let them know your concerns with the Hallman Pit
- Contact information for the Councillors can be found here
Together we can protect our vibrant communities, farmland, and water. Reform Gravel Mining Coalition
http://www.reformgravelmining.ca/ | 
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