By Jason Misner Burlington Post October 22, 2009  
Nelson Aggregates Inc.’s controversial five-year-old quarry expansion application in north Burlington has suffered its second major rejection in the last three weeks.
Before a large crowd, Halton Region’s planning and public works committee yesterday (Thursday) turned down Nelson’s request to extract more stone from its No. 2 Side Road facility, saying it “does not represent good planning,” would destroy prime farmland and countryside and take decades for the area to be rehabilitated for residents to enjoy recreationally.
The committee vote — still to be ratified by regional council Oct. 28 — follows a unanimous vote by Conservation Halton (CH) on Oct. 1 to nix the application licence request. CH cited concerns related to the loss of provincially-significant wetlands and significant woodlands plus changes in water flow to downstream watercourses.
However, Nelson could still get licence approval as the issue is currently before the joint review tribunal of the Ontario Municipal Board and Environmental Review Tribunal. Expected to resume in December, the tribunal has the ultimate authority to approve or deny the company’s expansion request.
After the meeting, Nelson president Norm Elmhirst told the Post he’s confident the joint board will assess fairly his company’s extraction licence application.
“I think the joint board will make its decision based on the science and the law,” he said, stressing Nelson still wants to resolve issues before the board rules.
In its detailed 42-page report about the application, regional staff stated a slew of concerns including that the extraction footprint includes: two provincially-significant wetlands; its impact on the threatened Jefferson salamander, endangered butternut tree and on private wells; final rehabilitation will not be completed on either the existing or proposed quarries for 55-65 years; and lack of mitigating adverse effects on a nearby nursing home.
“Prime agricultural land, close to several urban areas, will be lost forever,” the report stated, noting the proposed quarry falls within a United Nations World Biosphere Reserve and “should be taken into account” before voting. “The objectives of the Halton Region Official Plan are clear in that prime agricultural lands are to be protected for agricultural purposes.”
It also cited heavily last February’s report findings of the Joint Area Review Team (JART) that was highly critical of the quarry expansion’s viability.
Nelson, open since 1953, wants to open a new 82.3- hectare quarry immediately south of its existing quarry on No. 2 Side Road. Materials from the quarry are used for construction purposes like building roads and bridges. The current quarry has only a limited number of years of aggregate remaining for extraction, so Nelson has proposed a new quarry, stated CH.
Extraction is proposed to be below the water table, which means Nelson needs a special licence under the Aggregate Resources Act. Extraction below the water table requires a process called ‘de-watering’ to allow the quarry floor to remain dry during excavation, CH said.
Nelson officials and consultants hired by the company said at the meeting yesterday a quarry expansion is needed to meet growth in the bustling Greater Toronto Area and, if the expansion was granted, would save Burlington and the region $30 million in trucking costs.
Ecologist consultant Tom Hilditch said the breeding grounds of the Jefferson salamander are outside of the extraction area.
Elmhirst argued the quarry benefits “are largely missing” from the staff report. He said a close-to-market quarry would not only reduce delivery costs but see less greenhouse gases burned through truck traffic and less wear and tear on the roads system.
“Our goal is to protect rural land uses,” he said. “Aggregate extraction is a rural activity.”
The Nelson president warned councillors of rising costs of a joint board hearing, referring to Caledon budgeting $1.3 million for 20 weeks for a similar hearing.
Some groups, including Protecting Escarpment Rural Land (PERL) and BurlingtonGreen are worried wells could run dry if the expansion gets the go ahead.
Roger Goulet, president of PERL, told the committee before it voted that it must turn down the application, noting that ecologically-sensitive areas in the extraction zone, like the Mount Nemo plateau, must be protected.
“The Mount Nemo Plateau has given all it can give,” he said. “It is at its tipping point. Please put the environment first.”
Burlington city council is expected to vote on the application at its community development committee meeting Monday (Oct. 26) night and the Niagara Escarpment Commission in mid-November.