Food and Water First
Food Water FirstNEWS: Melancthon quarry backers talk water use, NAFTA and lobbyists
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- Published on Tuesday, 11 October 2011 19:45
- Hits: 1648
http://canadians.org/blog/?p=11049
Posted on "The Council of Canadians" website
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 by Brent Patterson
Foodstock Fights Mega Quarry with Mega Food
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- Published on Thursday, 06 October 2011 16:49
- Hits: 1792
List of participating chefs
http://www.thegridto.com/life/food-drink/foodstock-fights-mega-quarry-with-a-mega-feast/
Posted in "The Grid", October 5, 2011
By Karon Liu
Tilson meets with chair of international joint commission on Melancthon Quarry Project
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- Published on Thursday, 29 September 2011 12:27
- Hits: 1221
Posted on September 29, 2011
Political Parties Answer Gravel Watch’s Question
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- Published on Tuesday, 27 September 2011 08:01
- Hits: 1553
Gravel Watch Ontario emailed Ontario’s Green, Liberal, New Democratic and Progressive Conservative parties the statement / perspective and question below. We received responses from the Green, Liberal and New Democratic parties, which are posted below. We did not receive a response from the Progressive Conservative party.
We are sending these responses to you for your consideration in deciding your political support in the October 6th provincial election, and for forwarding to your contacts as appropriate.
Best regards,
Ric Holt,
Gravel Watch Ontario
Protecting and Keeping Control of Our Farmland
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- Published on Tuesday, 20 September 2011 21:59
- Hits: 1376
Across Ontario farmland is being paved over, dug up and converted to other uses by both citizens of Ontario and foreign companies. The proposed mega-quarry in Melancthon Township has caught the attention of both rural and urban residents concerned about the loss of farmland and our ability to feed ourselves down the road. With the increased awareness, this is an ideal time to bring the issues of aggregate removal and foreign ownership of farmland to the campaign trail.
The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) says that ‘prime agricultural areas shall be protected for long-term use for agriculture’. However, there are several exemptions that apply, including for the extraction of aggregate resources (aggregates coarse materials, like rocks and gravel, used in construction). Under the PPS, aggregate extraction is considered an interim use of land, and once aggregates are removed the farmland must be rehabilitated to its original use. As farmers know, farmland with gravel or limestone underneath, is generally more valuable as farmland because of the enhanced natural drainage provided by the aggregates, making it impossible to return the land to its original value as farmland.
Each year more and more farmland in Ontario is lost to aggregate extraction, especially from areas close to urban centres. These cheap, close to point of use, aggregates are used to build the roads, big box stores, houses and factories we as a society demand. In order to protect land for food production we need to change how we move from place to place and where and how we live and shop.