Letters_08-45

Jeff Green | Nov 13, 2008

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Re: Pray for the Land, Wolfe Erlichman

Re: Water Plant Faces $1.4M Upgrade, Edward Kennedy

While it is true that many of the issues and questions raised by the proposed exploration and drilling at the Robertsville site remain unanswered, many positive things have happened. The exploration and perhaps drilling have been delayed, maybe permanently, and a great community coalition comprised of First Nations and settlers has been created.

Also, parts of the Robertsville site have been withdrawn from exploration by the province, and the community has spoken loudly against the flawed assumption that mining is the best use of land. Instead, land-use planning should determine where mining ought to be permitted. Municipalities should have the right to say “NO” to the exploration and mining of uranium. Premier McGuinty is aware that First Nations want to have real input into land-use decisions on their traditional lands and that mining exploration, especially for uranium, can have a negative impact on the environment. There has been no indication that any of these ideas will be included in the modernization of theMining Act, which is supposed to be debated in the legislature in December.For the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium (CCAMU), this will not be a "long quiet winter". We plan on being very active.

Wolfe Erlichman, CCAMU

Your front page articleWater plant faces potential $1.4 million upgrade (6/11/08) delineates a comment from Del Stowe wondering "why the MOE had approved the present system."

Please understand, Mr. Stowe, that this is the same MOE whose own regulations mandated that no manure banks/storage be located within 400 metres (1230 feet) of a water source, yet, approved the installation of two 10,000-gallon human waste storage facilities within 125 feet of a well that supplies water to a major dairy operation and to a household of people in Horton township. Four landowners were arrested there earlier this year trying to force Horton township and the MOE to abide by their own regulations.So, as it shows, the MOE makes a set of rules that are non-applicable to themselves, but which must be obeyed by us peons.

Their comeback was that there were no regulations for human waste and this was a pilot project. Indeed, so it is then acceptable to violate the minimal distance setbacks of animal waste, and ignore them for storage of a much more toxic type of waste?

No wonder rural people see MOE and other bureaucratic bunglers as incompetent, heavy-handed bullies. As an aside, I bet there are no MOE people drinking from the Sydenham water system.

Edward Kennedy