Parks4People want Regional government to support turning the quarry into a park - in a couple of decades.

By Pepper Parr

August 30th, 2021

BURLINGTON, ON

There is a Battle Royal taking place between two community groups where the focus is on what happens to the quarry on #2 Side Road west of Guelph Line.

The quarry has been there for decades during which time it provided the aggregate needed to build Burlington.

Nelson Aggregate has gone about as deep as they can go on the current site.

The quarry has reached the point where the open pit mine is close to being mined out.

Nelson Quarry has made an application to extend the area they can mine. People in the area are opposed.

Nelson Quarry took a significantly different approach to this second application. In 2012 their application was turned down based on the impact a new mine would have on the Jefferson Salamander.

The quarry people have identified an area that is a breeding ground for the salamander that is to be set aside for just that purpose.

The CORE group are opposed and they have worked diligently to raise finds and fight the good fight.

A second community group – Parks4People want the city to accept the offer of land that will be donated to the city when the extension of the land is also mined out.

THAT eventuality is decades away.

Both Parks4People and CORE are gathering signatures. The Parks4People have 3000 plus signatures – no word on what CORE has but it is understood to be quite close to the Parks 4People number.

The Gazette has done a number of story’s on the CORE group. Their web site is at: https://www.coreburlington.com/

Parks4People put together a presentation that is online at: https://www.parks4halton.com

Their argument is that –

Our parks are already packed

They provide a map that shows park use in Halton on an average weekend. The red shows maximum capacity.

They claim “ our park resources are already stretched thin” adding that with population projections through to the 2040’s “ set to explode” – “where will our children and their children play?”

If the data is correct – there would appear to be a problem on the horizon.

They want to see a plan for how Halton will meet the growing need for green space.

Nelson Aggregates has offered to turn the land over to the city and create a 1,000 acre park.

Turning a mined out quarry into a park is a great idea – it was done in St Mary’s Ontario and turned out to be very popular. The crunch comes when the details are made public,

The Parks4People claim “the mayor has rejected the offer outright. The local councillor has said Halton “doesn’t need a big park.”

Parks4People want Regional council to vote “yes” to parks.

Healthy debate and discussion over different views is a good thing.

The final page of the People4Parks ends with a Call to Action.  They want you to click on that box and support their position.  Something really interesting happens if you click on the box to show your support.  That’s a follow up story.

That little box is there for you to show your support. Interesting thing happens when you do click.

The final decision on this matter will be made by a Joint Tribunal that has a clear process and a time line.