Water, thoughts & dialogue.: Melancthon Quarry or Melancholy: Threats to Canadian Water and Farmland

In recent news regarding threats to water in Canada, I have been following the Melancthon quarry- an enormous open pit mine proposed in Melancthon township on Highway 124 just north of Shelburne, north of Orangeville. This would be the largest quarry in Ontario and the second largest in North America. Today, I received an alert from Avaaz.org warning that this mining project could poison a million people's drinking water and the headwaters for five major rivers, would create an open pit deeper than Niagara Falls and decimate thousands of acres of healthy farmland.

Highland Companies had posed as a potato farming company for past years and bought acres of land from local farmers. It was recently revealed that it is backed by a $14 billion hedge fund out of Boston called Baupost Group. It was also announced that the plot of farmland would be converted into a limestone quarry (2300 acre pit), so deep it would interfere with the ground water system in the region. Furthermore, the quarry would require over seven thousand trucks to transport limestone each day, increasing carbon emissions and requiring new roads to handle the exploding traffic, further destroying the natural habitat of many species of animals. It is also in the middle of farmland that Canada depends on for food production. But, in order to start digging, Highland must win approval from Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey.

Jeffrey is taking 4 more days to consider public opinion on this quarry before making her decision. Avaaz.org is encouraging the interested public to sign a petition that can deliver a wave of opposition to the plan. The petition can be signed here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_quarry/?vl

Ralph and Mary Lynne Armstrong on their farm near the proposed quarry. “Where’s the good food going to come from if you don’t have land to grow it on?” says Ralph, a cattle and pig farmer. (Sept. 24, 2009)

ANDREW WALLACE/TORONTO STAR

Residents and environmental activists are working hard to oppose the quarry's license. Ontario's Liberal government faces a tough re-election fight in October and Liberal Minister Linda Jeffrey is concerned about public opinion in these key months before votes are cast. A national call will put pressure on Jeffrey and her party to stand up for Canada's environment, its farmers and the fresh water many Canadians depend on for survival.    

This information was provided by Emma, Ricken, Iain, Pascal and the rest of the Avaaz team.    

MORE INFORMATION  

Council of Canadians report on the mega-quarry http://www.canadians.org/index2.html  
Limestone quarry threatens prime farm land (Toronto Star) http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/734969--limestone-quarry-threatens-prime-farm-land  
Environment ministry blasts mega-quarry proposal (Toronto Star) http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1017849--environment-ministry-blasts-mega-quarry-proposal   
The call for open submissions to the Ministry of Natural Resources http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTEyNTY2&statusId=MTY4ODI5&language=en  
Chong calls for federal review of quarry proposal (Guelph Mercury) http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/549053--chong-calls-for-federal-review-of-quarry-proposal

Avaaz.org is a 9-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here.