North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce signs quarry agreement with Strada Aggregate

June 22, 2023 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce (NDACT) and Strada Aggregates have signed an agreement regarding an application to quarry below the water table.

The agreement between the local community advocacy organization and the aggregate producer seeking a quarry license was announced in a press release from NDACT on Tuesday (June 20).

“Normally a community finds out about aggregate development plans once an application is submitted, often resulting in years of conflict and strife between the parties,” said Karren Wallace, chair of NDACT. “This is a new approach in that the community and the aggregate company worked together pre-application designing the manner in which they will engage through the lifecycle of the
aggregate project.”

The signed agreement gives NDACT input and decision-making into Strada’s quarry application prior to being submitted. As part of the agreement, NDACT will not oppose the application until and unless the science shows the quarry could harm the environment.

The agreement includes six protocols designed to ensure collaboration and cooperation between the two organizations and the local municipality throughout all hoses of the property development. The six major subject areas include communication, peer review, wells and natural resources, recreation fund, land assumption, and licence assumption.

“Both Strada and NDACT recognized the potential conflict inherent in siting a quarry in Ontario,” said Mario Pietrolungo, vice president of Strada Aggregate. “This agreement seeks to overcome that by agreeing to proceed together based on the shared principles of openness, transparency and science-based decision-making.”

Strada Aggregate initially brought forward a presentation proposing the quarry to Melanchthon Council in October of 2021. The Strada Aggregate quarry was proposed to be constructed in an existing gravel pit located in the area of 4th Line and County Rd. 17 in Melancthon and designed to extract 2 million tonnes while extending below the water table.

In January of 2022, NDACT released a list of key terms and conditions they were requesting Strada Aggregate follow, including the hiring of a community trusted consultant, creating a substantial fund to aid in court costs for residents who may experience water problems, and committing to annual funding of 10 cents per tonne of their extracted aggregate to the Honeywood Arena.

The three terms and conditions were included in the signed agreement.

“The Township of Melancthon looks forward to working with both parties in a collaborative fashion moving forward,” said Melancthon Mayor Darren White.

Copies of the agreement are available for the public at www.ndact.ca and www.stradaquarry.com.