Several organizations in Simcoe County, north of Toronto, gathered outside Queen’s Park on Tuesday, World Water Day, to call on the Ontario government to protect water in the county’s uplands — l one of the purest in the world, according to some Canadian scientists.
“The event recharged me,” said Franco-Ontarian Bonnie Pauzé, whom I met near the Ontario legislature. The resident of the municipality of Tiny is part of a group of activists who oppose the extraction of aggregates threatening the water of the aquifer. Barely a hundred meters from the Franco-Ontarian’s home, Dufferin Aggregates extracts thousands of tons of gravel from the Teedon quarry and is now looking to expand its operations.
Former city councilor Tony Mintoff joined his fellow citizens, who arrived by bus Tuesday morning, in front of the Ontario legislature. “I haven’t lost my interest in the cause,” he said, clutching a sign with the slogan “Save our water!” Stop the gravel pits! “. He tendered his resignation last September due to his former colleagues’ endorsement of the career expansion, among other things.
A little further on, another aggregate extraction company, Sarjeant, is trying to obtain two water withdrawal permits for its site, which has already been cleared. “I would be happy if these two permits are not granted,” said Anne Nahuis. The resident of the village of Elmvale, near Waverley, has campaigned alongside Bonnie Pauzé for several years to protect the region’s water.
The majority of members of the various water advocacy groups want aggregate mining at the two quarries to be stopped, says Tara Marshall, board member of the Tiny Municipality Federation of Riparian Associations (FoTTSA ). “If we want to stop the extraction of a private company like CRH Canada, [la compagnie mère de Dufferin Aggregates]it’s going to take more than just the residents,” says Tara Marshall.
The ambitions are even greater within the Green Party of Ontario. During a speech, its leader Mike Schreiner called for an immediate moratorium on all new gravel extraction projects. “You can’t stop gravel extraction,” says Professor Mike Powell, who plans to apply for federal funding to study water quality for five years.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.