DUMPING IS A BIG ISSUE FOR RESIDENTS IN SMALL TOWNSHIPS The deadline to oppose A/H council s intention to sell an unopened road allowance to the owners of a gravel pit at 10118 Oak Ridges Drive is September 20, 2018 (see attached A/H Notice)
A group of A/H residents is working hard on behalf of all citizens to protect the right to clean, safe drinking water. They are asking Council not to approve the sale of an unopened road allowance, and to put by-laws in place to stop "Fill" being brought in from outside the township. Weston aerial photo showing map of area with the two properties outlined in red and the road allowance in blue The pit is located on the North side of County Road 9, West of Lilac Valley Road and East of North Bethesda Road and sits atop the Oak Ridges Moraine watershed.
Photo of gravel pit on Oak Ridges Drive The Pit and adjacent property owners operate Hydrovac industrial waste processing, treatment and disposal companies located in Vaughan. Their primary intention is to transport these materials to Alnwick/Haldimand and dump them in this pit. A Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry s Stop Dumping Order remains in effect, although James Bakker (MNR & F Aggregates Technical Specialist} reports tests that have been carried out are considered clean. The concern going forward is that "fill testing" is the responsibility of the private business owners/operators. The MNR does not have the resources to effectively monitor all dump sites. Illegal dumping is happening and it is big business, as evidenced by the following article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gta-soil-illegal-dumping-black-market- 1.4781717 Concerned Cramahe Township residents reported three dumping sites to staff and Council last month. Those sites were shut down pending load analytical test results and
required permits to be issued under the Site Alteration and Fill By-Law. Residents remain vigilant and continue to raise the issue at Council Meetings. Other neighbouring Townships have also experienced costly problems where clean fill was found to be contaminated, and they have changed their By-laws to reduce this risk. Concerned residents have respectfully and repeatedly requested Council to act and amend the By-laws to protect all the lands of Alnwick/Haldimand Township. The current Council of Alnwick/Haldimand Township has not acted on these requests. The Pit owners have formally requested that they be allowed to take over the unopened road allowance between their properties to facilitate the expansion of the gravel pit. This will provide them the opportunity to bring more material from their Vaughan facilities. With full knowledge of the Pit owner s intentions and in spite of objections and concerns of residents, Alnwick/Haldimand Council in a Closed Session on July 26, passed a resolution to initiate the process to authorize the sale of this road allowance. Dumping and pit expansion are matters of deep concern not only to the neighbours with wells close to the Pit operation, but also to anyone living in the larger watershed area. Allowing companies to bring in materials from the Greater Toronto Area and dump them in this Township, is a risk to all Alnwick/Haldimand residents. While it does not matter where you live, your support does matter. Please take a moment to email your objection to: rvdm@ahtwp.ca A suggested letter is attached below.
Date Robin van de Moosdyk, CAO/Municipal Clerk The Corporation of the Township of Alnwick/Haldimand 10836 County Road No. 2, P.O. Box 70 Grafton, Ont. K0K 2G0 Re: ROAD ALLOWANCE CLOSURE BETWEEN Lots 32 and 33, Concession 9 Township of Alnwick/Haldimand I oppose the closure and sale of this road allowance and request that Township Council reject the request for purchase of this road allowance. I request Township Council to maintain and ensure necessary rights of ways on this municipal land in order to provide opportunities for public access and future utilization. The Owners of the Gravel Pit on Lot 33 should not be allowed to assume this portion of the road allowance to expand the pit onto the adjoining farm property destroying productive agricultural land. The Gravel Pit and this adjacent road allowance should not be used as a dump site by its owners for the purpose of disposing of recycled soil from outside Alnwick/Haldimand Township and deposited on Oak Ridges Moraine property, potentially contaminating the watershed and our drinking water. The Alnwick/Haldimand Township Council should listen to the concerns and opinions of local residents and give serious consideration to this submission and reject the closure and sale of this road allowance. Yours truly, (Name)