April 28, 2021 Ministry of…

April 28, 2021

Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry
MNRF – ROD – Integrated Aggregate Operations Section
300 Water Street
South Tower, 4th Floor
Peterborough ON K9J 3C7

RE: MILLER PAVING LTD.
AGGREGATE LICENSE SITE #6578
ERO: 019-3449

1. My first concern would be that the MNRF feels that the only people affected by this Application would be anyone within 120 m of the lands to be surrendered. The ERO posting indicates that landowners within 120 m of the licensed site would be notified. It is not unreasonable to include anyone within a few kilometres of this Pit.

2. Secondly, why is Miller Paving not notifying all resident neighbours in the south-east quadrant at a minimum in the Township of Uxbridge? This would include signage on their property as to their intent, as well as in the newspaper of their intent. All Uxbridge residents should be aware of this Application.

3. Thirdly, backfilling this Pit with over one million cubic metres of imported fill over 10 years from construction sites and highways, is a huge contamination seeping into the aquifer. Note the site just south of the corner of Durham Highway #23, and Highway #21 (Goodwood Road), the amount of contaminated fill that was put in there with supposed strict conditions of making sure that the soil was clean, was abused.

4. Is Miller Paving planning on moving their operation from Markham to this site? What possible reason, other than huge amounts of money for the Town, Miller Paving, and possibly the MNRF, is worth contaminating our drinking water? Why else would Miller Paving require such an area to do something they should not even be proposing.

5. As a property owner who borders this property, I respect the fact that the Pit was here before I bought my property with full knowledge of what the Pit was doing, and that what the Pit was doing was the only thing that the Pit should be doing, removing aggregates. On any given day, it is not unusual to hear heavy machinery all day, tailgates banging, and sand flying through the air. I never open the windows on two sides of my house, as doing so makes the inside of my house totally gritty. I have even taken the screens out of these windows to make it easier to clean them, since I cannot open them for the sand. Truck traffic in our area is unbelievably heavy and dirty. This is simply an accident waiting to happen.

6. The average person would reasonably think that the Ministry of Natural Resources would protect the environment and all that is related to it. Why would the Ministry facilitate an existing Aggregate Licensed Pit, that they themselves granted, under strict use of removing gravel and rehabilitating the pit when they were finished, the ability to set up an extremely large construction yard on top of the one that exists there now. I have not seen any provision legally for what is going on in that pit now, the yard, machinery, and buildings.

7. This Area is designated rural/residential/countryside on the Oak Ridges Moraine, which sits on a large aquifer which feeds water supply to the Town of Uxbridge and south into the Duffin Watershed. Contamination of our water will make our properties worthless. Is Miller Paving going to pay to correct this problem to each and every person/landowner/business?

8. The Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry should be doing their job by not allowing the release of the requested areas by Miller Paving. I do not agree that these areas should be released, nor the Township taking them over. The Township does not have the powers, knowledge or best interests of the Environment foremost. The Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry need to protect the Oak Ridge Moraine Conservation Plan, ensure that our water source and supply remains clean, and protect us from what is being proposed by Miller Paving Ltd.

Respectfully Submitted,