This week we wish to give you brief new information on two important issues that we have previously discussed. These are the Green Energy Act (Bill150), and the possible Highland Companies Quarry. Here is the news. .

Green Energy Act. ( BILL 150)

The intent of this Act is welcomed. It has been passed and is now law. There was pressure by many groups and municipalities to see the regulations before the bill became law. The regulations spell out the details and in those details may lurk the devil.

The Government had given itself a blank cheque. Since the Bill passed the government has published, not draft regulations, but a document outlining what the draft regulations might contain. Prior to seeing this document there was much concern about wind turbines.

The setbacks of turbines from dwellings, communities, roads and lot-lines had to increased.. Noise from wind turbines was deemed to be a health hazard.

The initial setbacks mentioned by the Government were as low as 450 metres.

The recently-published document had minimum setbacks of 550 metres and 40decible sound levels at dwellings for a single turbine and up to 1.5km and 40db depending on the number and noise output from a number of turbines. The government is listening to the people!

There are a number of other issues in the document that should be changed but there is hope that they too will be fixed. Against this optimism is the knowledge that the wind industry will be pushing back. The draft regulations are promised soon. Only when they are passed will we know for sure that significant community input to the government has had impact.

Highland Companies Quarry.

On a recent Saturday the North Dufferin Agriculture and Community Task Force (NDACT) held a meeting at the Honeywood Arena to review the status of the Highland Companies' land accumulation in Melancthon and Mulmur.. Despite the appalling weather over 100 people attended this meeting to hear the status of the Highland proposals.

I will not go into details of the meeting as this will be reported on elsewhere.

The Companies' spokesman reported that the Companies would be making an application to Melancthon for a permit for a quarry to extract limestone below the water table. The application would be made within 3 to 6 months. He also said that there would be no application to Mulmur, but would not put the Mulmur pledge in writing.

This is a huge issue that will have a disruptive impact on the community for many years to come. This mining operation will put at serious risk critical water resources and will eliminate some of the best food producing land in Ontario.

Three policies are affected here and choices have to be made. They are the Provincial policies on protecting agricultural land, source water and aggregates.

To date, aggregates trump everything. Is this the right priority? In our global community of drought, starvation and expanding population, should aggregates mining be allowed to eliminate food-producing land and sources of clean water that feed two of the most important river systems in the Province?

This issue cannot be resolved at the local level. Local communities need to seriously evaluate the impact of large aggregate mining operations on their way of living, their environments, and their economies and then band together to try to impact Provincial government attitudes, as has happened on windmill setbacks.

It will not be done overnight, but we need to start now!

Dick Byford, David Hahn, Don MacFarlane

(MC)2