The North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Task Force isn’t shutting down just yet.

NDACT’s Carl Cosak says he is elated, humbled and cautious about the announcement the Highland Companies made last Wednesday to withdraw its application to build a 2,300-acre limestone quarry in the Melancthon region.

Cosak, a farmer from the area, spearheaded the NDACT group and became one of the key opponents against the mega-quarry.

He gave speeches at protests, rallies, to students, to politicians, and to the media about the issues that he foresaw with the quarry. Cosak was concerned about what the quarry would do to the region north of Shelburne, an area he described as rich with potatoes, Brussels sprouts, peas, and rhubarb.

He said the Highland’s proposal stated the quarry would require pumping 600 million litres of water a day, which is considered enough fresh water for 2.7 million Ontarians daily. The traffic increase would have seen 3,600 tractor trailers coming to and from the quarry every day.

He said when Highland’s announcement came the rural community took a big breath, but they will continue to engage in farming as usual — and NDACT will continue to strive to change provincial policy.

“This was never against aggregate, it’s against bad planning, and we are going to stay right at it,” he said.

NDACT’s mission statement is to “preserve and protect the unique and non-renewable resources of North Dufferin County — including the headwaters that supply water to hundreds of thousands of Ontarians', our exceptional prime agricultural farmland and the environment, social, economic, and cultural characteristics that have been such an important and vibrant part of our community and its heritage for more than 150 years.”

Cosak said the Provincial Aggregate Resource Act Review could be very meaningful and the group intends to keep lobbying for change by sending letters and attending policy meetings to ensure it sees the results it’s after.

He described the Highland Companies as pushing their way into a community unable to protect itself because there isn’t strong enough legislation.

Cosak said Ontario will never be short of materials for growth, if only better planning principles are applied. He asked: “What’s the use of building roads and houses, if you can’t feed yourself?”

In March, the Ontario legislature directed the Standing Committee on General Government, an all-party committee of the legislature, to develop recommendations to strengthen the current Aggregate Resources Act, which was created in 1990 and updated in 1997.

With the current prorogued house, the committee has been dissolved and it is uncertain when debate on the legislation will resume and what committee business will be addressed, said a representative of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

By Emily Innes

Published in the "Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin", Nov. 27, 2012

http://www.theenterprisebulletin.com/2012/11/27/key-megaquarry-opponent-elated-by-decision