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Orangeville – Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and candidate Rob Strang congratulate the community groups, farmers and residents who have worked together in calling for an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Melancthon Mega-quarry. For months, Strang and Schreiner have actively worked with citizens fighting to stop to this project.
The Green Party is pleased that the Liberal government has finally caved to the demands for an Environmental Assessment. For months, it’s been clear that a project as deep as Niagara Falls that would manipulate about 600,000,000 litres of water every day and threaten 2,300 acres of prime farmland, should be subject to a full EA.
“The need for such a massive citizen effort to wake up the government and local MPPs on the need to protect our water, our farmers and our future clearly shows that we need Green MPPs,” says Schreiner. “We need to plug the loopholes in the law that allow this and projects like the King Peaker Plant to happen.”
The announcement of an Environmental Assessment does not stop the project, but it will now be subject to a more rigorous review. The Green Party is calling for an end to the project, as well as updates in legislation to protect the environment, farmland and our water supply.
“We need legislation to protect our water supply and stop the destruction of such a large amount of farmland,” says Deputy Leader andDufferin-Caledon candidate Rob Strang. “We need “taters not craters” as the farmers in my riding are saying.”
The Green Party is committed to:
- Revising the Aggregate Resources Act to create incentives for more efficient use of aggregates, aggregate recycling and stronger site rehabilitation efforts. Requiring a full Environmental Assessment for aggregate applications that meet the Ministry of Natural Resource’s definition of a mega quarry (currently 150,000,000 tonnes)
- Revising Ontario’s growth plans to support more balanced population and job growth around the province and eliminate the population quotas that impose unsustainable and unaffordable growth on some municipalities.
- Changing the Ontario Policy Statement to protect Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 farmland. Preservation and protection of our farmland, water resources and natural heritage needs to be a high priority in Ontario.
It’s time to put our water supply, our farmland and our communities first.
For more information on the Green Party’s plan to build vibrant local economies please visit www.itstimeforgreen.ca
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Media Contact:
Becky Smit
Office: 416-977-7476