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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 4, 20 19 | 30 The Town of Halton Hills re- inforced its opposition to a pro- posed quarry in a neighbouring municipality at Monday's coun- cil meeting (March 25). James Dick Construction Limited (JDCL) filed an applica- tion to operate Hidden Quarry on the north-east corner of Highway 7 and Sixth Line in the Township of Guelph/Eramosa - approximately 2.5 kilometres from the Halton Hills border. It is appealing to the Local Plan- ning Appeal Tribunal (formerly the OMB) to have its proposal approved, and has a hearing set for May 21. Halton Hills' opposition to the quarry is based largely on the increase of truck traffic that the quarry would create in town, and concerns of how the quarry would impact the supply of ground and surface water in the area. "The main thing we have to remember in Halton Hills is this will be anywhere from 48 to 50 trucks per hour, Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 at night," said Mayor Rick Bonnette. Acton Coun. Jon Hurst said truck traffic is already a major concern, and he worries that more trucks will not only have a negative impact on downtown businesses, but also create safe- ty issues for children and elder- ly residents. "The biggest complaint I get on a regular basis is the existing truck traffic in downtown Ac- ton - with the tight turns at the downtown intersection, the narrow lanes along Mill Street, the noise, truck emissions, ag- gressive driving." JDCL's application calls for a quarry on a 39.4-hectare prop- erty, with 24.8 hectares being used to extract 12 million tonnes of aggregate; there would be a minimum of 700,000 tonnes ex- tracted each year. Several councillors stressed that the town is not simply anti- quarry, noting that Dufferin Aggregates has operated a quarry in town for years and has contributed to the local economy. "Dufferin has continually and willingly worked with the Town of Halton Hills to address concerns and issues over the years," Hurst said. "One notable accomplishment through dis- cussion and compromise was the establishment of a truck route that reduced negative im- pacts on town traffic and infra- structure." Coun. Bryan Lewis said he was informed by people in the industry that demand for aggre- gate is low, leading him to ques- tion whether another quarry is needed. "Part of the frustration here is as much as we're aware of what's going on, this is not a case of us trying to gang up on anybody," he said. "We're just trying to be part of the process." Council heard a presentation from Doug Tripp of the Con- cerned Residents Coalition. Since JDCL filed its application in 2012, the group has spent $700,000 fighting the quarry, all paid for through public fund- raising efforts. It has hired hy- drogeologists to study ground- water, used ground penetrating radar to study the land and wa- ter around the quarry, and had studies done on the effects on species at risk in the area. "I want to applaud the mem- bers of the CRC after so many years of your continued and spirited opposition to this pro- posed quarry," Hurst said. "Your insistence on facts and the use of various experts relat- ed to the various issues is the way to express opposition." At the conclusion of the meeting, the town passed a res- olution calling on the province to require applicants to demon- strate the need for aggregate be- fore opening new quarries. NEWS HALTON HILLS VOWS TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT NEW QUARRY NEAR TOWN BORDER HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com By Cory Soal R.H.A.D. . . . Lend MeYour Ears We care about your hearing! Professional Arts Building 99 Sinclair Ave., Suite 210, Georgetown 905-873-6642 Serving the community of Halton Hills and surrounding areas since 1992 HEARING INSTRUMENT PRACTITIONERS The Georgetown In Ontario, the Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners was derived from the former Ontario Hearing Aid Association and the Association of Hearing Aid Dispensers. As the Professional Association for practitioners in Ontario it outlines provision for registration, which includes the requirement of education and competency standards, sponsors the most strict code of ethics in the industry and enforces sound grievance and ethics procedures. The Hearing Clinic is proud to adhere to the strict regulations and guidelines put forth by the Association. For more information feel free to call.… UNSOLVED COLD CASES Visit TheIFP.ca/coldcase to join us as we investigate unsolved crimes across Ontario.