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OPINION The monster in our backyard Concerns about the future of the Niagara Escarpment have. reemerged with budget cuts from Queen's Park. Recent cuts to the Niagara Escarpment Commission's budget and changes being made to the Land Use Protection Act, which may affect the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP), have raised the concerns. Since the Escarpment climbs through Halton Hills like a giant dinosaur, its protection against ambitious entrepreneurs creates more concern here than, say, those parts of Ontario which lie outside its shadow. Our concern for the Escarpment, which traces its 725 km length from Queenston to Tobermory, has also emanated from attempts by quarry operators to turn the mined-out quarry, 2 km south of Acton, into a landfill site, aimed primarily at the Toronto market, which has some enormous garbage disposal problems looming. Despite setbacks from the Province and this municipality, Reclamation Systems Inc. (RSI) has doggedly pursued their intent to fill the cavernous hole on the south side of Region Road 43 with garbage. The situation was exacerbated recently when local environmentalist Reta Landry discovered that United Ag- gregates Limited (UAL) had never been given a development permit for the expansion of the quarry to the south side of Regional Road 43 and had already proceeded with mining it. She subsequently took the matter to the courts in a private suit against UAL for continuing to quarry without the devel- opment permit the Ontario Court of Appeal said was nec- essary. Since about 35 per cent of the aggregate used in the Greater Toronto area originates from the Escarpment, and a large part of that from the Acton quarry, her prosecution in the courts created considerable dismay to UAL. Landry's vigorous (and sometimes abrasive) opposition to desecration of the Escarpment have won her few friends among moderates but surely no one doubts her devotion to this cause. It seems she may have caught UAL in a big faux pas. Whether the company thought they could proceed with quarrying on the strength of their original development permits for the north side of the road, or whether they just decided to go ahead and hang the consequences, is moot. Perhaps they were just negligent, assuming they had a God- given right to all that rock. This writer suspects it may have been a little bit of all that. It must have been brought to the attention to MPP Ted Chudleigh very forcibly. Last week, in an articulate statement outlining the processes developed to protect the Escarpment, he noted he is committed to making sure the Escarpment is protected. "As a resident in this community, I have a vested interest in protecting this tremendously valuable ecosystem," he declared. Mr. Chudleigh stated that the government's funding cuts to the Escarpment Commission is simply a measure to provide the same level of service for less, by streamlining and eliminating duplication. It's a familiar story with government cuts. : "A Shrinking NEC does not equal less protection for the Niagara Escarpment," he declared. "In the end all government would still be guided by the Niagara Escarpment Plan and have to conform to its requirements when making development decisions." The problem with that statement, of course, is that amendments to the Plan, such as that proposed by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, would soon neuter it. Quarry operators operating since 1975 would almost have carte blanche. We really have to watch these guys. We have to keep in mind two things. One is that the quarries provide employment for a substantial amount of people at a time when good jobs are scarce and there is a need for aggregate. Two, the Escarpment, a unique geological formation, must be protected against those who would despoil it. : Who would to answer to that down the road? Surely it is time we got this monster off our backs. THE GEORGETOWN GEMINI WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 1996 Good morning Minister Ecker, your new office is right this way..... Minister Tsubouchi has just moved out and has told me he /efta little something inside for you. Your i LETTERS Thank you ... To the Editor, My mother and I were recently ina car accident in which my Mum was badly cut. We would like to thank everyone at the scene for their prompt action; the lady who called 911, the gentle- man who encouraged me to help Mum, the kind, gentle police officer who realized my moth was my top priority and the calm and efficient ambulance personnel who did their difficult job so gently. Each person played his or her part in getting my mother to treatment as safely and quickly as possible. Once at the hospital, we received immediate and efficient attention. My family and I waited from noon Skate park cou To the Editor: In response to all of the recent pub- licity about skateboarding, I would like to give you my ideas for skate- boarding in Georgetown. As you probably know the skat- ers have been kicked offevery piece of pavementand parking lot and it is now illegal to skateboard on any piece of public property although roller blading is allowed. Skateboasding is one of the fast- est growing sports in the world -- we are not going to disappear, even though we have nowhere to enjoy our sport locally. Thanks to Diskers, skateboard equipment is now avail- able in Georgetown. It is surprising there are not more outlets located here. I visited Kincardine, ON, where they have the facility set up in the summer atthe hockey arena. Ramps, fun boxes, quarterpipes and other skateboard equipment is provided. until 5 pm whilst Mum was thor- oughly examined, X-rayed and treated. Doctors and nurses alike keptus informed of her status, which helped relieve our stress. During her five day stay, Mum received excellent medical care given with such kindness and compassion. She is now making steady progress to recovery. It is madness to even contem- plate reducing or eliminating the services at this hospital. Georget- own is growing and needs more services, not less, to meet it's needs. It was tiring enough o visit Mum in town without having to travel to Milton, Guelph or Brampton. If any of the people who want to close this hospital had gone through this past week with us, they would change their minds and given the staff all the support they need. Words cannot express adequately our gratitude to all the people in- volved with this accident. Zyta Daykin, Norah Wisniewski, Eleanor Cres. Id be gold egg Allusers have to wear a helmet, but the facility has a "bring you own jumps and ramps" policy so it is free to skate and to roller blade. I would suggest that we could do the same in the old arena in downtown George- town, even make ita Skate pay, with $1 or $2 admission fee for skaters and roller bladers. The money could then be put towards a skatepark to buy ramps, with the concession stand selling food. Or we could just have part of the parking lot fenced off to provide a skateboarding area. I understand a petition of 400 names was sent to the Town of Halton Hills. I would like to thank your journalist, Timothy Von Boetticher for putting the two arti- cles in The Gem about skateboard- ing. Hopefully my friends and other skaters will soon have a place to enjoy skating in Georgetown. David Royce, Barnes Cres. Got a beef? Write us at The Gem! SNINT Publisher & Editor Paul Nolan Office Manager Linda Hayes Editorial Staff Jamie Harrison Frances Niblock Joanne Stevenson Advertising Staff Stan Ashby Lynne Buscher Trish Henry Monica Manes Elaine Petkoff Production Staff Kim Konarzycki Bill van Asperen Distribution Manager Marie Shadbolt Regular Contributors Allison Cook Eve Martin Steve Martin Mike O' Leary Timothy von Boetticher THE ACTON TANNER is published weekly on Wednesdays by Wicklow Hills Publishing Co. Inc. Mailing ad- dress: P.O. Box 145, Georgetown, Ont., L7G 4T1. Phone: (905) 877- 1113. Fax: (519) 853-5040. George- town administrative office: Personal Secretarial Services, Unit 47, 360 Guelph St., L7G 4B5. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Ideas expressed herein are those of the author only. AD SALES: Publisher is responsi- ble for errors in advertisements to extent of cost of that portion of the space occupied by erroneous item. PHONE THE GEM: (905)877-1113 FAX THE GEM: (519)853-5040