I have been voting…

I have been voting Conservative for 55 years. When Covid hit in the winter of 2020, Doug Ford was heard every other day talking to the people helping them to deal with the unknown. He had to make a lot of hard decisions. I feel I can speak for a lot of people that Doug Ford did a good job under the circumstances. Unfortunately I can not say that about our Prime Minister. I was actually proud to be conservative. I have to question if Doug Ford knows about the proposed permit by rule plan?

My greater concerns are when it comes to aggregate. For building houses or subdivisions if there is bad planning it is not as likely to be as damaging as bad planning for aggregate would be. Houses and roads can be replaced but aggregate is not so easy to be replaced. Aggregate operations should definitely not be included in these changes to streamline the planning process.

The Cavanagh application to create a new gravel pit on the Highland Line in Lanark Highlands is an example of how bad the system is as it is now. This is a very dangerous application if it was to go forward. The only way streamlining the process could be a good idea would be if it meant that in the very beginning the Cavanagh application could receive a NO rather than going through the entire process. This would be best for everyone concerned if a bad proposal actually was outright declined at the beginning of the process.

My example of your term “permit-by-rule” means:
A sixteen year old son goes to his father and says I need more money to buy a car and the plan is to earn it some way that may not be legal. Father’s reply is (permit-by-rule).…Don’t get caught.
Another example of permit-by-rule….It is easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.

I am not qualified to comment on the clean water act or the proposed changes.
I feel I am very aware of the aggregate industry. For the last 60 years I have seen in Lanark County many small gravel pits that were used by locals. This was before there was compulsory licence about 1970. Most all the small pits became abandoned and to this day there has been little or no rehabilitation. Today there are about 50 gravel pits in Lanark County and surrounding area. There has been little or no rehabilitation ever taken to place to date. The MNR has done a very poor job of their obligation as far as monitoring the licenced pits in Lanark County. In the last few years I was told their neglect was due to lack of staff. Now that the Ontario government has killed the power of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, who is left to manage the health of our environment? Because of this, there is an even greater need to care for our sensitive lands and our precious waterways. When it comes to aggregate, the MNR should have the staff and wisdom to recognize a bad idea and say no before the a pile of money has been spent on the application.

We as regular tax payers should not have to hold the hands of the decision makers and hope they do the right thing. At the same time, we as citizens and business owners should rest assured the MNR would act responsibly and allow us to get on with our lives.

My view of the risks of aggregate application:
*Zoning must be changed by the township council
*I’m not sure all counsellors understand the big picture and could be swayed the wrong way
*There must be many studies done and paid by the applicant - it should be a third party that chooses the experts
*Are all the people that do the studies reliable not to take favours?
*There could be a cost for peer reviews
*In many cases the case could go before the Ontario Land Tribunal creating a cost
*In some cases the township council could get sued

Referring to the application of Thomas Cavanagh Construction which is presently in the works, because this application is so dangerous all of the above may apply. All of it could have been avoided if the decision makers had the power to simply say no.

I would hope Doug Ford would take a closer look at amendment to the environmental act and regain my respect.