I am opposed to the site…

I am opposed to the site plan amendment for Miller Paving Ltd to remove 36 hectares from its licence under the ARA and transfer the oversight of this land to the Township of Uxbridge.

My main concern and reason for objecting is that this Miller pit is located on a highly vulnerable aquifer within the Oak Ridges Moraine. Under their ARA licence, Miller has legally mined this property to within 1.5 metres of the water table, which is the standard allowed by the ARA for above the water table aggregate operations. To allow Miller to bring in the vast quantity of fill, that they are requesting as part of their site plan amendment, poses a significant risk to contaminating the water table, which is the source of water for wells in the surrounding area. Even though the proper paperwork procedures may be in place to track this fill from its source, transportation of, and dumping of this fill at the final destination, contaminated soil can end up in the dump site. This occurred at the Greenbank Airport in our neighbouring Scugog Township a few years ago, even though strict monitoring procedures were being followed to track the hundreds of truckloads of fill that were brought to that site.

If the MNRF agrees to this site plan amendment application by Miller, this 36 hectares would effectively become an industrial dump site. This would mean that the heavy truck traffic to and from this property would increase substantially each work day and could potentially continue forever. This ongoing daily volume of heavy truck traffic would create not only a road safety hazard but also noise, dust and diesel exhaust pollution to the residents that live along the Haul Route. I speak with personal experience on this.

Approval of Miller's request would also set a very dangerous precedent that, if successful, other gravel pit owners throughout the province will undoubtedly use in future site plan amendments for their operations.

There are approximately 41 other gravel pits just within Uxbridge Township. The Township of Uxbridge does not have the financial resources, staff or expertise to effectively oversee this type of industrial operation. It is almost certain that other municipalities in Ontario with aggregate operations would be in a similar situation as Uxbridge without the financial ability and expertise to effectively oversee such an industrial operation if this were to occur in their jurisdiction.

Under the ARA guideline, after a gravel pit is exhausted, it is to be restored to a natural setting - not a commercial industrial site. The MNRF should enforce this for the entire property that is in Miller's current ARA Licence at this location.

Miller has a history in this pit of non compliance with MNRF orders, i.e. an order in 2010, 2015 and 2020 to remove their contractor's yard, which they have never done.

This major site plan amendment application by Miller should not be approved and the MNRF should maintain responsibility and control of all the land within this pit that is currently licensed to Miller Paving under the ARA, and enforce all outstanding non-compliance issues.

Thank you.