You’re going to watch this video and feel like nothing is happening and you are totally safe – but wait for it.
Then I want you to imagine that camera was you driving in your car.
For some reason, other places have required buffers around aggregate blasting to protect their residents. But in Ontario “The Ontario government currently does not have regulations to establish “Flyrock Exclusion Zones” . This CTV article explains the concerns other residents feel about flyrock: Do you realize quarry license applicants are not required to account for the dangers of flyrock? That means, there is no buffer to keep you safe from aggregate blasting when for the next 50 years you drive or walk by the proposed Bay Lake Road quarry & and it’s extensive surrounds.
And can you expect to see Flyrock buffers in Ontario before a decision is made on the Freymond-Fowler quarry? Unlikely – in fact, the language of the Ford government is “remove the red tape” for aggregate quarries. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is running an online survey about “removing the red tape for aggregate quarries -they use those exact words. (I know – Aren’t you like, ‘Et tu, Brutus?”)
There was even a hasty secret aggregate meeting hosted by Ford & the Ontario Government March 31, 2019.
If you’re worried about the dangers of you, your friends or your children being struck by flyrock – you’re certainly not the only ones.
Across Ontario, concerned residents are trying to understand how safe we are from flyrock danger.
I wonder if you’re driving from your cottage out to Bancroft for a little ice cream – and you feel like nothing is happening -you are totally safe in your car – but then you drive by the proposed quarry… do you want that nasty surprise of flyrock?
Maybe we should be questioning whether the Freymond-Fowler proposed aggregate quarry is such a good idea in this highly populated, highly environmentally sensitive location.
As Professor Sharon Cowling at University of Toronto writes, “ Surprisingly, the proposed location of Freymond’s quarry site falls near a region only deemed a secondary aggregate source but one that is surrounded by an area considered too environmentally-sensitive or lacking aggregate resources.”
Help us protect your slice of perfection in Bancroft.
Help! We only have until end of June 2019 to fundraise all the expert opinions we need to show Hastings County that they have to demand more information to protect our freshwater supply, the environment, existing tourism businesses, and the many many year-round and seasonal residents safe from the next 50 years – the proposed lifetime of the Freymond/Fowler quarry. Donate to our GoFundMe page to help. If you require a tax receipt we’ve also set up NoSmallChange donation site just for you.
