Group in Milton oppose quarry, ask Ford to keep promise made 4 years ago

A group in Milton says it’s taking action against a proposed reopening of a quarry in Campbellville.

They are calling on premier Doug Ford to keep a promise he made years ago to stop it, amid a looming provincial by-election in the area.

The group of residents are pointing to a news conference in the area held in July of 2020.

At the time Ford said he knew most people in the town did not want the quarry and he didn’t want it either.

Four years later, the group says the premier made a promise and they want him to keep it.

“We aren’t going to put something in that the whole community is dead against. It’s very simple. I know the mayor, you don’t want it, no one wants it. I don’t want it, we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen one way or another,” Ford said in 2020.

Four years later, George Minakakis, the chair of Action Milton and a Campbellville resident of 20 years, says he is still waiting on Ford to make good on his promise.

“All of us are just scratching our heads saying … wait a minute, if the premier said he’s going to stop this one way or the other, why are we being dragged through this,” said Minakakis.

Since that 2020 news conference, an environmental assessment was announced for the proposed reopening of the Reid Road Reservoir Quarry.

It’s still ongoing with no specific time frame for construction.

Action Milton, a group opposed to the quarry says residents have multiple concerns, including those around the potential impact it would have on the surrounding ground water and air quality.

“A lot of people worried about their well water, they’re worried about traffic from the trucks,” said Minakakis.

“Vibrations, there’s fly rocks that can happen, so we’re saying: there’s plenty of risks.”

The proposed site of the quarry is 9210 Twiss Road.

The area is currently heavily forested with bodies of water.

Environmental Defence says a quarry would result in a loss to a lot of valuable green space.

“This is also the Niagara escarpment, right, so this is our area of most forest cover in southwestern Ontario. We know that sprawl has been really unleashed by the current government, so remaining areas of natural cover, wetlands are incredibly important,” said Environmental Defence Executive Director Tim Gray.

When asked about the ongoing environmental assessment on the quarry, the premiers office shared the following statement from Ford:

“We’re going to go through the process. We’re going to go through the environmental assessment. And, at the end of the environmental assessment, a decision will be made. But I always govern based on the people. People don’t want something, then the government shouldn’t do it. It’s it’s pretty simple.”

George Minakakis says he wants to ensure potential replacements of former Milton MPP Parm Gill are on the side of the residents.

Zee Hamid is Ford’s Progressive Conservative candidate running for the by-election, who Ford praised as a well-respected candidate.

“Aren’t we so lucky to have Zee running for us in Milton,” he said. “He was a councillor. He’s well-respected and when I went doorknocking every single person knew him. So, what a great representative for Milton.”

Meanwhile, a rally this Saturday is going to be held next to Milton town hall to protest the quarry.