Past Activities
West Grey's Saugeen Preservation Society joins other Ontario Communities Demanding Action on Gravel Mining
A wave of grassroots mobilization swept across the province this June 8, as residents in nearly a dozen communities participated in the first provincial Day of Action to Protect Ontario from Gravel Mining.
In Grey County Saugeen Preservation Society, a residents group who are fighting multiple gravel mining applications in close proximity to each other in West Grey, held a popup rally at MPP Rick Byers' office in Owen Sound. SPSI members and friends raised signs and handed out fliers to spread the word about their fight against the three applications, that if approved will have serious negative impacts on the Saugeen, environment, residents and businesses.
This coordinated effort demonstrates growing concern about the social and environmental impacts of gravel mining, whose unchecked expansion poses a threat to public health, water supply, and climate sustainability in Ontario.
The demand from communities is clear: impose a moratorium on all new aggregate approvals until the province can ensure the benefits of gravel mining are equally weighed against its harms. This call to action is strongly validated by Ontario’s Auditor General, whose 2023 audit found the province is “falling short” in its duty to regulate the aggregate industry and protect the public from its adverse impacts. Six months later, the lack of an adequate response from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has further eroded the public’s trust in both aggregate companies and the MNRF.
At the center of this distrust is the glaring deficiency in reliable data regarding aggregate supply and demand. The industry says we need more aggregate to meet Ford’s housing targets. The reality is far murkier. Existing data indicates the government authorizes companies to extract 13 times more aggregate than is consumed in the province each year on average. More broadly, the Ministry has “not provided the public with complete and accurate information on the supply and demand for aggregates,” according to the Auditor General. All in all, the province has no plan for sustainably managing gravel, which is a non-renewable resource that plays a vital role in keeping water clean and safe to drink, and whose mining feeds the cement industry that is one of the world’s largest carbon emitters.
The repercussions of unchecked gravel mining are severe. They include the destruction of endangered species habitat, increased risk of groundwater contamination, and increased risk of respiratory disease and cancer from the dangerous particulate matter contained in mining dust. There is also serious financial impact on businesses, residents. This financial impact reaches into local economies, municipalities and ultimately all taxpayers.
The applications that Saugeen Preservation Society are objecting to are on properties that sit in and adjacent to the Saugeen River floodway, they are part of a bio diverse area that is home to multiple endangered and at risk species. There are multiple homes trapped between the properties as well as multiple businesses adjacent including Camp McGovern, non profit camp for underprivileged youth. If approved Camp McGovern's property will be rendered unsuitable for their needs. Other businesses in the area will also be directly negatively impacted.
On the Day of Action, hundreds attended rallies and signed petitions, demonstrating they are not willing to remain silent while aggregate companies haul our collective future away with the rubber stamp of the provincial government. These numbers will continue to grow until the province meets the reasonable demand to press pause on new gravel mining approvals.
Bioblitz Identifies Species at Risk Threatened by Proposed Gravel Mining in West Grey
On Saturday, May 18, the Saugeen Preservation Society, a community group that works to protect the Saugeen River, the environment and residents from aggregate mining in the municipality of West Grey, hosted the Saugeen Field Naturalists for a bioblitz aimed at identifying rare species and species at risk in the footprint of three proposed gravel mining operations. In their survey of adjacent properties, the field naturalists documented the threatened Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark and special concern Eastern Wood PeeWee birds, as well as the endangered Black Ash tree.
The bioblitz covered 200 acres surrounding two new gravel mining operations proposed by the JT Excavating Ltd. and JR McLaughlin companies, as well as the proposed expansion of the existing Walker Aggregates Redford pit. These proposed operations all sit within less than 300m of each other trapping a strip of over 100 acres between them that includes the Saugeen River and it's floodplain, wetlands, significant woodlands and valuable farmland.
Nikki May from Saugeen Field Naturalists shares:
This is a biodiverse area with a variety of habitats and a large number of different species of birds, insects and plants. Most of the species found on this date: May 18, 2024, are commonly found in Grey County and considered Secure in Ontario. However, the Bobolink, a Threatened species, breeds on this (Judi Smelko's) property, as it would on meadows nearby. Plant species that are rare or uncommon in Grey include Wild Geranium, Prickly Ash, Water Shield, and Downy Arrowwood.
Adjacent properties along the river exhibited additional habitats and species, some of which are rare locally and provincially including the Eastern Wood-peewee (Special Concern) and the Eastern Meadowlark (Threatened). Natural areas like these are crucial for the health of the ecosystem which sustains human society in Grey County. They cleanse our air and water, and absorb carbon dioxide to help mitigate climate change. They support the web of life that keeps our farmland productive and our human communities healthy. Further surveys at different times of year would undoubtedly uncover many more species; this initial one just touched the surface.”
Judi Smelko, President of the Saugeen Preservation Society, shares: “Finding these species here is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we are delighted to know that the area is healthy and a desirable home to them. But at the same time, we are devastated to think of what will happen to these precious and endangered species if the province approves these harmful and unnecessary gravel mining operations in their habitats.
Residents here have sighted additional species on the list of Species at Risk in Ontario, just this week we documented adult and baby Snapping Turtles which are listed as special concern. We can't thank Saugeen Field Naturalists enough for helping us start to fill this gap in the data and reveal exactly what's at risk”
SPSI will continue to survey the area as a part of their efforts to protect this diverse thriving ecosystem as well as residents and businesses in the immediate area from these destructive and unnecessary industrial operations in this unsuitable location.
Public Information Session
On Friday, January 19th the Saugeen Preservation Society (SPSI) held our first meeting of 2024. We were beyond pleased to see close to 70 people show up on a cold winter evening to show your support and to learn more about our cause to fight the pits!
We began the meeting with a review of all of the activities and accomplishments SPSI completed in 2023.
Judi Smelko (newly appointed President of SPSI) spoke from the perspective of a West Grey resident.
https://youtu.be/Jm8drnppQ8I?si=uyTjfAq9b716kU0_
Mike Balkwill (Campaign Director for the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition) provided an explanation of the bigger picture (at the provincial level) and helped us to better understand and appreciate why this fight is so important.
(OOPS! NO VIDEO)
David Donnelly (our environmental lawyer) then expanded on the information Mike shared, with some great advice on further steps and suggested direction we can take.
https://youtu.be/FzgNLTlI3cI?si=siHykfqMSEmiu5TB
The highlight of the evening was the keenly interactive question and answer period. The audience asked some great questions with Mike and David providing the answers we needed!
Part 1
https://youtu.be/VuwVN-Np99s?si=jUFYVfqznjnAycv_
Part 2 (Call to action included)
https://youtu.be/VORHUH7gITI?si=rPjCNNAc1OxkGqzo
SPSI came out of the meeting with renewed vigor and some exciting new avenues to pursue, which will sink sharper teeth into our fight. As a group, we have created even stronger momentum! We are going to run with it and carry you all with us at our upcoming meeting with MPP Rick Byers.
Calls to Action:
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We are in the process of wrapping up our financial summary from 2023. If you made a pledge at our previous public meeting in 2023, please go to the Donate link on our website (which will redirect you to Small Change Fund) asap to complete your donation.
https://www.saugeenpreservationsociety.com/
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Volunteers. We need more hands on deck to assist with outreach and especially fundraising.
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Letters to council - request a public meeting on Aggregates in (West)Grey
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Letters to MPP – request an environmental assessment and proper impact study based on the cumulative effect of 2 pits & a 3rd pit expansion all within the same area.
We are hard at work taking action on the guidance from the meeting. Soon we will reach out with dates and times of our next opportunity to gather again and show our strength in numbers!
Once again, THANK YOU! You all rock!
CTV INTERVIEW!
On January 8th CTV aired an interview with Judi Smelko about the recent Auditor General Report on the Management of the Aggregate Resources. View the video and read the article here!
CTV London 3,400 violations for Ontario aggregate industry: Report
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