To: Ministry of Natural…

To: Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF)
I object to the “Permit to Take Water” ERO #025-1082 Ministry Ref. #4235-DL5A93 for the Strada Pit in Melancthon Township. This is a Category 3 application — the highest environmental risk classification. Strada is requesting a start date of January 2026, yet their quarry application (#025-1005) remains only at the objection and comment stage and has not been approved. There is absolutely no justification for increasing water consumption before any quarry approval. This is putting the cart before the horse.
Strada has demonstrated no clear or immediate operational need for this permit. The company’s history of broken verbal and written commitments to the community makes them an untrustworthy steward of local resources. Their submissions are incomplete, fragmented, and often contradict their earlier statements and promises.
The proposal to withdraw up to 5,000,000 litres of water per day — more than double the daily usage of the entire Town of Shelburne — poses an unacceptable threat to local wells, wetlands, and streams. All local and surrounding communities depend on the same aquifer this water would come from. This ancient aquifer cannot withstand such large-scale industrial extraction.
If approved, this permit will inevitably lower the water table, reduce well water quality and quantity, and harm sensitive species due to shifting temperatures and water levels. As a resident relying solely on groundwater for drinking, household, and daily needs, I view this application as a direct risk to our community’s water security.
Water security means safeguarding long-term, reliable access to safe, clean water for all residents. It requires preventing overuse, contamination, and industrial degradation of groundwater resources. It also means ensuring residents have a voice in every water-taking decision, with proper oversight to guarantee sustainability and fairness. Strada cannot meet these standards.
I strongly urge the Ministry to deny this application. This Category 3 proposal carries serious, irreversible environmental consequences for Melancthon and surrounding communities. Strada must first prove — to the full satisfaction of the local residents — that their actions will not harm our environment, health, or water supply.
We must protect Melancthon’s million-year-old aquifer, which sustains local homes, farms, and the headwaters that feed countless communities downstream. Allowing this level of water extraction endangers not only our region but the entire watershed it supports.