Reflecting on Melancthon's mega-quarry proposal
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- Published on Monday, 04 February 2013 21:00
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MEANDERING THROUGH LIFE with Clare McCarthy
The opera isn’t over till the fat lady sings,” is a quotation attributed to Washington Post journalist Dan Cook in 1978.
I view Cook’s opera as a metaphor for the Nov. 21 cancellation of The Highland Companies’ application to construct a mega quarry in Melancthon Township.
Since I have written in the past about potential problems such a project might cause, I was pleased at Highland’s action.
Being the suspicious bird that I am, I hope Highland is honest in its intentions and is not simply waiting for a more opportune time in the future to ‘have the fat lady sing an encore,’ and renew its quarry application once the local controversy has died down.
As long as Highland owns acreage in Melancthon, I shall remain concerned.
Speaking to my friend Dave about Highland’s sudden action, he responded, “I’m not surprised. That’s the way corporations operate. It’s called cutting your losses. They took into account strong negative public opinion and the fact that sitting on this acreage produced little profit for its investors.
“Also they may even have considered that potential damages to the water table might lead to them incurring monetary liabilities which would cut further into company profits.”
I hope you are right Dave. If The Highland Companies does in fact intend to pursue the production of potatoes in Melancthon, I see that to be a reasonable objective.
I know others who are closer to the site than I are determined to remain vigilant so this ‘quarry beast doesn’t once again raise its threatening head’ to gobble up prime agricultural land, disrupt our water table, and pollute the atmosphere.
It is essential that our federal and provincial governments adopt firmer laws to protect Canada’s environment.
With mega government omnibus bills being passed these days without proper scrutiny, politicians must exercise due diligence to ensure no clauses are permitted to sneak through, allowing companies to mount projects that will jeopardize our children’s future.
In hindsight, I wonder if First Nations participation in the protests was a sign of today’s Idle No More movement?
It was heartening that the quarry’s objectors stuck to peaceful means to voice their objections towards the mega-quarry.
If Highland’s application had been allowed to proceed, I fear protesters frustrations might have gone off the peaceful rails and became violent. Activists wisely established this was not just a case of NIMBYism (not in my backyard).
They told a simple story which showed clearly the mega-quarry could also have a profound effect on those living outside of the immediate Melancthon area.
When chefs launched Foodstock, the event brought consumers to the site to show them what land was really at stake.
Soupstock was another excellent method of increasing awareness to the general public.
The cancellation of Highland’s application was, I believe, a watermark (and landmark) response to our society’s pressures as it showed peaceful public expression of displeasure can still have impact on even the largest of companies.
Prevention of the mega-quarry was good for Melancthon farmers, but I think it was even more important for Canada in general.
This controversy was a pointed reminder to us all that we should keep a critical eye on decreasing supplies of food and water wherever we live in the world.
Until the possibility of such quarry applications rest permanently on their death beds, I encourage residents of Melancthon to remain vigilant and keep in mind the words of legendary New York Yankees catcher, outfielder and manager, Yogi Berra, “The game isn’t over till it’s over!”
Opinion column by Clare McCarthy
Published in the "Orangeville Banner", Mon. Feb. 4. 2013