Schreiner statement on Hidden Quarry approval

February 12, 2020

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner released the following statement regarding the LPAT decision to approve the Hidden Quarry mine:

“This is a devastating decision for citizens in Halton Hills and Wellington County who have worked so hard to defend a precious resource – the water we drink. 

Nothing is more important than protecting the long-term supply of our drinking water, and yet Ontario’s weak aggregate and water-taking rules continue to put private profits first. 

That’s why I put forward the Paris Galt Moraine Conservation Act, covering the region where this quarry will be developed and a vital recharge area for the Grand River Watershed. 

If my private member’s bill was passed, then projects like this would be assessed under a much more rigorous land-use planning framework that puts food and water first. 

Without such a framework, we are allowing industrial pressures on our water supply to pile up, on top of drought and other threats brought on by climate change. 

I want to thank the local governments and citizens who spent time and money opposing this quarry and protecting our water and communities. 

As Ontario’s Green MPP, I will continue to support people pushing for stronger laws to protect the natural environment that gives us the water we drink.”

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