West Grey council unanimously approved the rezoning of the proposed controversial Tremble gravel mining operation on May 19, allowing the pit to proceed.
The pit is one of three proposed operations in the same area that opponents say will threaten the nearby Saugeen watershed, its floodplain, fisheries, and nearby protected lands.
Representatives of the Saugeen Preservation Society Inc. (SPSI) the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters (OFAH) and residents voiced their opposition and concerns at the meeting.
“I live across the road from this property and the day this application showed up on our doorsteps in 2023, those of us who live here knew it was a horrible idea,” SPSI spokesperson Judi Smelko said. “It would strand my neighbours and the Saugeen River, our greatest natural asset and heart of our community, in the middle of an industrial extraction zone. The public support and that of the OFAH only goes to further validate our insistence that this is the wrong place for a gravel pit.”
Councillors did not speak for or against the bylaw amendment on May 19. Before asking council to approve the decision, applicant agent Ron Davidson summarized the application and studies undertaken to date, which include an agricultural impact study.
Last November, West Grey council voted against implementing an interim control bylaw, which was sought by opponents, to temporarily restrict the use of the land while they study the impact of the proposal.
Noise concerns have been addressed, and the driveway to the site will be paved to mitigate dust, Davidson said during his deputation.
SPSI, which was formed three years ago after the pit was proposed, has worked to create awareness and opposition to the project. They say increased traffic to and from the sites, which is near a very popular access point to the Saugeen, could be put residents and river users at risk.
Tremble and two other proposed pits are surrounded on three sides by three kilometres of the Saugeen and Saugeen Valley Conservation Protected Lands. Across the river, Walker Pit is in the process of expanding closer to the Saugeen, putting the river between multiple industrial operations. The SPSI says council has done no meaningful studies regarding the impacts of the three open pits.
“The Saugeen River is a cornerstone of natural connection for the people of West Grey and an irreplaceable ecosystem, shrinking habitat and degrading ecosystem health across much of southern and central Ontario, means systems like the Saugeen must be a priority,” OFAH representative Mike Evers.
“We are angry and disappointed that West Grey failed us,” Smelko said. “It is their job in this process to make decisions through the lens of our natural assets, rural economy and public health. They didn’t do that. Sadly, we aren’t the only ones having to fight so hard to protect a river from the impacts of aggregate extraction, the same thing is playing out in the Saugeen, Nottawasaga, Credit, Grand and Maitland Rivers. We all need to keep this in mind when we head to the ballot box in October.”
“Despite this setback, we will continue the fight,” SPSI member Al Ashton said.
