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We put the life back in life insurance.™ CALL ME TODAY. ct their e for tLora Greene, Agent211 Guelph Street Georgetown, ON L7G 5B5 Bus: 905-873-1615 lora@loragreene.ca www.adamsonspa.com 905-877-1604 2 Adamson Street, Norval,Ontario, L0P 1K0 *Valid month of October 2015 *Cannot be combined with any other offers with this coupon$20 off on your next colour and cut NEWS The long-awaited verdict is in: Guelph/Era- mosa Township Council will be opposing the Hidden Quarry application at the On- tario Municipal Board (OMB). At its meeting Wednesday evening, the local council unanimously passed a motion advising the OMB it's against the controver- sial quarry proposal from James Dick Con- struction Ltd. (JDCL). The lengthy resolution also directs the township's solicitors to at- tend all OMB hearings to fight the applica- tion unless JDCL addresses its outstanding concerns, which include impacts on the lo- cal environment, roads, farms, property val- ues and more. "Our residents have expressed a number of concerns related to the proposed quarry," said Township Mayor Chris White. "While some were addressed in technical assess- ments, a number still remain unresolved in our opinion, or have not been resolved to our satisfaction. In light of this, we are re- questing that the Ontario Municipal Board not approve the application in its current state." The JDCL quarry is proposed for 97 acres, situated at the north-east corner of Hwy. 7 and Sixth Line in Guelph-Eramosa Town- ship, 2.5 km west of the Halton Hills bound- ary. The company is asking to extract 700,000 tonnes of aggregate annually for 15 to 20 years, operating from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon- day to Saturday, excluding holidays. The ap- plication is heading to the OMB next month. Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, who has been vocal about the impacts the quar- ry could have on his municipality, said he's "delighted" that Guelph/Eramosa Township Council is opposing JDCL's plans. "Halton Hills is pleased to have a new ally to join Milton, Halton Region and ourselves in opposition of this quarry," he said. "This should send a loud message to the OMB that all four municipal jurisdictions have very se- rious concerns about this proposal regard- ing haul routes, water, economic impacts, etc." Milton Councillor Colin Best also ap- plauded the neighbouring municipality's motion. "I commend Guelph-Eramosa Township Council for their decision to oppose this ap- plication as it will have an even greater im- pact on Milton and Halton residents who are downstream, downwind and down the road from this site," he said. "I look forward to Re- gional staff's presentations at the hearing." In an effort to address the township's outstanding concerns, the lengthy motion passed by council says its solicitors and con- sultants should develop detailed conditions that would be applied if the quarry is ulti- mately approved by the OMB. This measure has dampened the enthusiasm of the Con- cerned Residents Coalition (CRC), which has been fighting the quarry plans for more than two years. "We're ambivalent. While we do appre- ciate the position council has taken and we commend them for it, we're concerned that the discussion is focusing on conditions. We don't believe there are conditions that can make it acceptable," said CRC President Doug Tripp. Key among the issues the CRC is deem- ing "irreconcilable" is the potential negative effect the quarry could have when blast- ing below the water table-- an uncommon practice that isn't currently being used in Ontario. Tripp said the CRC will be taking part in the OMB hearing and is currently awaiting legal advice on whether they should register as a participant or party; the latter of which would give the group the ability to present its case and cross-examine JDCL's experts/ consultants. JDCL originally applied to Guelph/Era- mosa Township for a zoning bylaw amend- ment in December 2012 to permit the quar- ry and then appealed its application to the OMB in June this year before the township's council had a chance to make a decision. An OMB pre-hearing date has been set for Nov. 9. The pre-hearing gives the board a chance to understand the interests of the parties and participants. Dates will also be set at that time for a full hearing and the ex- change of issues and evidence. GET Council to oppose Hidden Quarry; Bonnette happy to have new ally By Melanie Hennessey Special to The IFP