We are concerned about the…

We are concerned about the process the Province is following for the proposed amendments to the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) and associated regulations for the following reasons:
(i) there are no specific details that allow us to understand and comment on changes to the ARA that may impact our community, water quality and environment of Skeleton Lake that could be negatively affected by activities related to aggregates extraction;
(ii) the time frame for comments on this ERO posting is short; and,
(iii) there are no details as to when members of the public will be given another opportunity to comment or the length of time that will be provided to respond to specific changes to the ARA or the associated regulations.
We request that:
(i) the wording “within the water table” be clarified (e.g. below the water table, above the water table); and,
ii) when the Province proposes specific amendments to both the ARA and the associated regulations, the comment period be a minimum of 90 days to determine the impacts on our community and lake.
We support changes to the ARA and regulations related to:
(i) strengthening the protection of water resources for extraction within the water table as part of a more robust application process for existing operations;
(ii) increasing public engagement for applications that may impact water resources;
(iii) enhancing reporting on rehabilitation; and,
(iv) reviewing the notification and consultation requirements for new applications.