Newsletter

Lowndes' Holdings Corp. and Proposed Quarry Property Sold!
Name on the Proposed Quarry Gate Changes; Community Case Remains Strong

 

On June 20, 2006, St. Marys Cement Group announced it has purchased Lowndes Holdings Corp. which owns the site of the proposed quarry on the 11th Concession East in the former Township of Flamborough, now part of the City of Hamilton. St. Marys has also confirmed its intention to proceed with the applications previously submitted by Lowndes Holdings Corp. for the site. The change in ownership does not change our opposition to the proposed quarry!

Many in the community felt that there had to be another player behind the Lowndes Holding Corp proposal or that there would be one before the approvals process was complete. At the recent public information meetings many questions were asked about the financing of the proposal and its operations, possible partners, crushing and other royalty type agreements. While representatives of Lowndes Holdings Corp. continued to say they were strictly "family financed", there were indications that other businesses had approached them. Now, a new organization has stepped forward and will try to seek approval for the proposed quarry.

The many substantive reasons that we as a Community felt disqualified this site for a quarry in May 2004 still hold true today:

• Hydrogeology - the groundwater we drink and use for our households, businesses, and farms including the wellhead protection zones for the 3,000 residents of Carlisle, the communal well at Stonebrook Estates, and the hundreds of private wells in rural Campbellville, Freelton, Kilbride, and Milton.
• Environment & Natural Features - our fragile ecosystem of Provincially Significant Wetlands, significant woodlands, and species habitat.
• Transportation - the lack of haul routes, the implications for the volume of truck traffic forecasted, and the cost of road improvements and maintenance.
• Community Issues - impacts on agricultural operations, our homes, local elementary schools, and our health.

We will continue to raise and support these and other concerns with materials produced by our expert, legal, and Community Teams. The laws, regulations and plans - such as the Greenbelt Legislation and the Clean Water Act - which set the criteria used to evaluate the proposal continue to raise the bar higher. Our Community Case remains strong!

We have to expect that St. Marys Cement will attempt to convince the Community that everything will be OK now, that they are an industry leader, that they have the experience necessary to manage this project, and that they will be a good neighbour.

As a Community, we need to ensure we don't lose track of what is at stake - the very nature and future of our Community. The problems with the proposed quarry remain no matter whose name is on the signpost at the proposed quarry gate. We must, and we will, stay focused and engaged!

Please visit this website for updates as more information becomes available.