I am very concerned about…

I am very concerned about the big, longer term picture the quarry paints for the people and community of the Bancroft area, the wildlife, the land, and it's value (societal and environmental as well as economic). The idea of an aggregates quarry so close to town that is meant to supply (not necessarily local) roads while risking the many potential environmental and livability harms noted below doesn't seem to make sense. The economic argument doesn’t seem to add up either. While it may make $4 million a year for Mr. Freymond and create a few jobs (a positive thing), the development path it foreshadows seems counter to the potential community and economic opportunity open to Bancroft and the region at this very pivotal moment in southern Ontario. Such a healthy, clean, safe, quiet and sustainable community like Bancroft is currently looking better and better to both visitors and residents. With the high price of land and houses in the larger cities nearby it seems more and more young people might look to Bancroft and the area perhaps at first for cottages but then perhaps as their retirement place of choice. Some might even fall in love with it and move earlier because it’s such a great place to raise children. This combined with the “4 season playground” Bancroft offers and the rich and vibrant local artistic and outdoor community seems a much more sustainable, long term, and even lucrative resource worth protecting, nurturing, and investing in at this pivotal time in Bancroft’s civic and economic trajectory. Whatsmore, since tourism is so important to Bancroft, it would seem that the increased truck traffic and noise and pollution resulting from such an extensive quarry would hinder much more than help on this particular economic front. All this said, below is a list of key concerns and objections related to the quarry: · INCREASED TRAFFIC · GRAVEL TRUCK NOISE · TRUCK RELATED AIR POLLUTION · ASPHALT RECYCLING POLLUTION · MINING RELATED AIR POLLUTION · MINING RELATED FUGITIVE DUST EMISSIONS and particulate matter blown by wind THREATENING VEGETATION AND AQUATIC LIFE · MINING RELATED NOISE including blasting, crushing and conveying equipment · LOSS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE, FLORA AND FAUNA · POP UPS: Underground mining “rockbursts” THREATENING THE FRAGILE WATER TABLE · THREATS TO TROUT and other water populations including the Lake Jeffrey spawning bed · UGLINESS · THREATS TO TOURISM LACK OF SOCIAL IMPACT STUDY to determine the social changes likely to occur as a direct or indirect result of an Industrial Aggregate Extraction operation, to include descriptions of the existing social conditions; predicting the social changes that may result from the project; assessing the significance of the predicted changes; and identifying ways of lessening potential impacts that would address demographic change ,economic change including new patterns of business, employment/income, local economic effects, real estate property values & speculation, crime and public safety, accommodation and housing; health and well-being changes, both immediate and cumulative, including cultural, family, leisure, recreation and community health issues, community safety, needs of social groups, heritage & social amenity issues; environmental change including alterations to air quality, land use, natural habitat and hydrological regime; and institutional change including the structure of local government or traditional leadership, zoning by-laws or land tenure, legal issues. · SURROUNDING PROPERTY VALUE REDUCTION · UNFUNDED LIABILITY to compensate for: unforeseen consequences from quarry operations on the environment; diminution in price of surrounding properties and businesses, protection for the County and Township should the company become insolvent though liability exposure. In light of these concerns I submit objections to the Freymond Quarry on environmental, societal, and economic grounds. Thank you very much