It is most important to…

It is most important to protect the drinking water of municipalities and residents who may be negatively affected by aggregate pit extractions that compromise their ground water and below ground water sources. This should be the primary focus of any amendments to legislation. The Ontario government has an obligation to protect Ontarians' water supplies, which obligation is paramount to this government's response to aggregate owners' requests for simplified process to create or expand aggregate pits.
It is unacceptable that the Aggregate Summit excluded representatives from municipalities and people whose water sources are or can be directly and seriously affected by aggregate extraction activities.
I am dismayed by the lack of openness and transparency in the consultative process, which not even lip service was given to with respect to this proposed amendment request and process. Gravel Watch Ontario is clearly a stake holder representative group and should have been at the summit table and participated in the consultative process.
In Northumberland County where I reside, there are numerous aggregate extraction sites who are extracting continuously and there is no lack of aggregate supply.
Our municipal governments should and must have the right and jurisdiction to reject development and expansion of aggregate extraction sites if it negatively affects the local environment and in particular the water supplies for our residents, farms and agri-businesses, resorts, and water courses.
Municipal zoning bylaws should apply to applications with respect to depth of aggregate extraction to ensure sufficient clean drinking water continues to be plentiful for our residents, farms and businesses. We are the people who live here and are most negatively affected by legislation and regulations the effect of which favours developers and builders and hinders our right to clean water. All municipalities in Northumberland County have passed declarations that they will protect our right to clean water. The Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights also speaks to this protection.
Please do not make the same mistakes made with Bill 66 schedule 10 that resulted in yet another back tracking on inappropriate and potentially damaging legislation. I support the submission of Gravel Watch Ontario.