The pit on Shaws Creek and resulting water issues, traffic concerns directly affecting Belfountain, dust and noise is not a “done deal”. The pit is a new ARA license application by James Dick Construction Limited (JDCL). Letters from our residents have raised concerns causing the application to be reviewed by the Local Planning Act Tribunal (LPAT) on March 25, 2020.
At the AGM, you asked the BCO to tell you when help is needed. It is needed now. Getting these protections added to the license will cost money. It must be done properly by a lawyer and experts research and presentation. The initial stage costs could be as high as $10,000. Your help is needed to fund this initial stage and have our concerns heard please.
Our Regional Councillor Ian Sinclair has had conditions added to the Town of Caledon Zoning under the Planning Act.
- Details of the proposed conveyor tunnel design, including maintenance and decommissioning,
- Peer review protocol regarding the Credit River recharge springs and
- An outline of private well compensation if loss of water occurs.
Unfortunately, we have been given a very quick deadline and will need to know if you, the residents of Belfountain and environs, want us to move forward and how much you are willing to financially support this by the end of day Tuesday February 25th. Please email secretary@belfountain.ca and treasurer@belfountain.ca indicating any amount of money you can contribute.
The license application does not have any contingencies or protection for our water, additional traffic, noise and dust. These things must be added into the license application to protect our hamlet.
Water:
- JDCL must perform and pay for base line well testing of quality and quantity for houses within 500 M from the boundaries of the new pit. This is the only way to accurately report any changes in water.
- JDCL must fix any well issues and guarantee financially quality and quantity of water. This includes providing bottled water to residents and farms affected.
- Results of ground water monitoring must be provided to Region of Peel, so they have visibility to any impending issue and can mitigate wherever possible.
- Evaluation of the thermal and chloride impacts to the West Credit River of the Erin Waste Water Treatment Plant, below water table pit, new development in Erin, Hillsburgh and Belfountain and the pit pond drainage pipe(s) need to performed in conjunction with each other.
- The mining is to occur below the water table. There is a pit operated by LeFarge on the other side of Shaws Creek where mining below the water table is not allowed. Why is below water table mining necessary here?
Social Impacts:
- Belfountain residents are going to be directly affected by noise, dust and traffic. The amount of new development traffic will be combined with the 20 heavy truck loads per hour (equivalent to 40 cars) from the pit which is not considered in the traffic report.
- Winston Churchill will be closed for the tunnel, causing the trucks to use alternative routes such as Shaws Creek south of Belfountain and Mississauga Road.
- The closest grocery stores, banks, etc. for the residents of Belfountain are through the intersection of Winston Churchill and Bush Street in Erin. This intersection is going to be impacted. Even more slow-moving dump trucks pulling out into the 80 KM zone on a corner is going to cause accidents.
- JDCL should be required to upgrade all the roads not only Winston Churchill to new standards that accommodates the additional traffic and maintain them on a very regular basis. They should be to top notch standards not just the minimum requirements
Rehabilitation:
- Below water table pits and quarries are virtually impossible to convert back to the original agricultural use unless water is pumped back indefinitely. If they stay above the water table then the soil can be replaced, forestry and farmed. There are no future land uses if they go below the water table. Why is below water table mining necessary here?
- Clearly stating the end date of the mining and when rehabilitation will commence is critical. This prevents keeping the pit open without on-going full-scale extraction indefinitely. It prevents the threat to ground water quality and safety runoff into or in proximity to ground water from the open pit awaiting rehabilitation. The rehabilitation plan must indicate the type of natural resources that will be possible not just filling a big hole with water.
- There must be commitment not to use the pit for recycling products or any other industrial use that will create a permanent use. Recycling it is not an essential to the mining processing storage or shipping of virgin aggregate. How and who is enforcing recycling storage, processing, and location? Delaying or preventing rehabilitation must not occur and an unlicensed garbage dump is not to be created.
- Fines must be levied if the rehabilitation does not occur timely and in accordance with the license. Inspections should occur at least every six months.
Only with the understanding of your position on this new pit will we be able to move forward.
Thank you.