Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with our partners Friends of Lanark Highlands. I was joined by Victoria Gibb-Carsley of Perth and District Community Foundation, one of the funders for our project to protect Lanark Highlands from irresponsible aggregate development. Thank you PDCF for your support of this work!

The community is opposing a particular gravel mine project which threatens a sensitive natural environment and the livelihoods and well-being of those who tap maple trees, live on and enjoy this incredible part of Ontario – which also supports over 40,000 agritourist visits each year. The pit developers are seeking below water table extraction, a direct outlet to the lake and minimal buffers to nearby creeks, wetlands and beautiful Barbers Lake. Thomas Cavanagh Construction Ltd. proposes digging deep into the water table on lakefront land, removing up to 500,000 tonnes of aggregate per year – 12 hours a day, seven days a week – and trucking this gravel out using secondary roads. Besides the health issues of noise, dust and traffic, any impact on the water table could threaten both local water supply and the survival of surrounding maple forests. This at a time when a report from Ontario’s Auditor General makes it clear there is currently an oversupply of aggregate in Ontario.

Recently, Friends of Lanark Highlands were buoyed by the decision that both they and Chief Doreen Davis of Shabot Obaadjiwan were granted Party Status at the upcoming Ontario Land Tribunal hearing on this below water table gravel pit. As the first pit application ever opposed by the Township of Lanark Highlands, this case presents a rare opportunity to help shape the provincial conversation on aggregate development. There is more information on the project here. Your support in their fight would be greatly appreciated!

– Kim Bilous, VP, Development

PS: The maple syrup they produce in this region is INCREDIBLE.