Heavily weighted committee formed to discuss, share information and action around the Meridian Aldershot Quarry

By Pepper Parr

February 5th, 2021

BURLINGTON, ON

We reported yesterday on a Motion the Mayor put forward to create a Public Health Bylaw that Council didn’t want to say all that much about at the time.

The Motion put on the Council Table came after a two hour CLOSED session during which it is believed the Meridian Aldershot Quarry and the air pollution issues were discussed. Council had the benefit of advice from legal counsel that had a strong environmental background.

Later this week we will report on a Staff Direction response that set out for Council just what the issues at the Meridian Quarry are and what might be done to mitigate the concern residents that have been raised by the Tayandaga Environmental Coalition.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has taken a significantly different approach to being Mayor than her predecessor Rick Goldring. Goldring took the position that the quarry had a license and there was nothing the city could do.

The West and Centre quarry cells are close to depletion. Meridian Brick wants to open up the East Cell creating air pollution problems for West Haven residents.

In a report Mayor Meed Ward sent to council she sets out what she calls the “Aldershot Quarry Community Liaison Committee(AQCLC)” and its Terms of Reference.

She has created yet another committee that has the potential to make life very difficult (but respectful) for the Meridian Brick people.

1. Mandate The Aldershot Quarry Community Liaison Committee (AQCLC) is group comprised of community stakeholders, city staff and Quarry representatives to provide a forum for discussion, information sharing and action around the Meridian Quarry activity in the Aldershot area of Burlington.

2. Purpose The AQCLC provides an opportunity for respectful dialogue between stakeholders to share questions, concerns, ideas, and new information related to the Quarry’s ongoing activities. The committee is also an opportunity to identify agreed-upon action items by any stakeholders. Note: Any advocacy activities for or against the Quarry’s activity rest solely with external organizations – this committee is not an advocacy group.

3. Member Selection Membership will be comprised of:

Mayor Meed Ward, City of Burlington

Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith, City of Burlington

Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan (based on quarry activity taking place in his ward)

Mike Greenlee, Customer Experience Manager-Business Development, City of Burlington

2 representatives from Meridian Quarry–to be recommended by Meridian Quarry

2 representatives from Tyandaga Environmental Coalition–to be recommended by Tyandaga Environmental Coalition

1 representative from BurlingtonGreen–to be recommended by BurlingtonGreen

1 representative from Conserving Our Rural Ecosystems (CORE) Burlington–to be recommended by CORE

1 representative from Protecting Escarpment Rural Land(PERL) – to be recommended by CORE

1-2 citizen representatives from the Burlington community – to be appointed by a subcommittee of the Mayor, Ward Councillor and Customer Experience Manager based on a call for expressions of interest from the community.

Secretary from the Mayor/Councillor’s office (non-voting)

Ex Officio Tim Commisso, City Manager (optional attendance, not counted for quorum).

That is more than a dozen people for a committee that one Council member said might be around for 25 years.

Additional members can be considered and added with committee approval. Representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry will be invited to each meeting.

4. Meeting Roles & Responsibilities Chair:

The meetings will be co-chaired by Mayor Meed Ward and Councillor Galbraith who will oversee setting the agenda and providing advance materials, calling the meetings to order, turning the meeting management to the facilitator, and closing the meeting with summary of next steps. Secretary: a member of the Mayor’s team or Councillor Galbraith’s team will be present to take minutes during the meeting and distribute said minutes to members in a timely manner afterward.

The secretary will also forward agendas and any supporting materials in advance of each meeting, and send calendar invites with virtual connection details. Until further notice, all meetings will be conducted on a virtual platform (Zoom or Teams).

Facilitator: An impartial and trained facilitator appointed by the City of Burlington (TBD but ex: Stephanie Venimore) will move the meeting through the agenda and ensure respectful dialogue occurs, with reasonably equal speaking time be provided to all participants who wish to contribute to the conversation.

5. Meeting Schedule The AQCLC will meet virtually or in person at minimum twice annually, with the option of additional meetings should they be mutually agreed upon by members. Meeting invitations will be sent out several months in advance and will be estimated to be approximately 90 minutes in duration unless the agenda warrants otherwise, and schedules can accommodate.

6. Meeting Protocol The agenda will be distributed by the Secretary one week prior to each meeting. Agenda items for discussion are due to the Mayor’s and Councillor’s office two weeks prior to each committee meeting (one week prior to agenda going out). Items for discussion that are raised after the agenda is circulated will be addressed under “Other Business” if time permits.

Meetings shall be attended by members listed above, with the option to invite additional guests as relevant and when agreed upon by all members.

There is no mention as to whether or not the meetings will be public.

Heavily weighted committee formed to discuss, share information and action around the Meridian Aldershot Quarry

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