A provincewide day of action Saturday, which included Barrie, took steps to harden gravel positions in Ontario.
“Our protest is not going to change the (Ontario) government’s direction, but we’re trying to raise awareness,” said David Jeffery of the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition. “We’re trying to bring the public further along with this conversation.”
The coalition was “mobilizing residents and policymakers to defend lives and the environment by Demanding A Moratorium Now (DAMN!) on all new aggregate approvals” as part of the day of action, and to protect Ontario residents from the many effects of gravel mining.
Saturday’s protest was held outside the Barrie constituency office of Doug Downey, Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP and attorney general of Ontario. The office was closed.
Jeffery said the gravel mining situation concerns Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and Ministry of Transportation.
But he said the protest has fallen on deaf ears at Queen’s Park to this point.
“They’re ignoring us. The strategy of this government is to ignore protesters,” Jeffery said, “which is what they’re doing with us.”
He said Saturday’s day of action took part in about 30 Ontario communities, also mentioning Kincardine, Burlington, Caledon and the Saugeen area.
Jeffery mentioned the Auditor General’s Management of Aggregate Resources: 2023 Value-for-Money Audit report, released six months ago, that highlighted many shortcomings to approvals, management and non-conformances of gravel pits and quarries in Ontario.
Saturday’s Barrie protest also included members of the Springwater Green Community Coalition, highlighting the group’s opposition to the expansion of Galibier Materials’ Lewis Pit in Springwater Township, and to support similar efforts across the province.
The hope is also the provincial government will demand an environmental assessment of the Lewis Pit, and also use this as an opportunity to include stronger language and dust mitigation requirements within the proposed licensed expansion.
For more, visit barrietoday.com/
