‘I don’t want to become quarry-town’

By Mark Squibb

CBS council last week denied an application to develop a sand and aggregate quarry approximately 300m northeast of White Hill Pond in Seal Cove.
The initial motion brought forward by councillor-at-large Rex Hillier was to approve the quarry, however Ward 4 councillor Melissa Hardy moved to amend the motion to refuse the application as there has yet been no accumulative impact assessment completed.
“Right now, there are currently three operating quarries in the vicinity there and we have one on standby, plus this new application,” said Hardy, who noted council can still approve the quarry at a later date should more information be provided.
Hillier echoed Hardy’s concerns, noting that several quarries in town actually operate just outside the town boundary.
“We need to do a comprehensive study on the environment, access, waterway in that area, and so on,” said Hillier. “Now this one has come forward, and it’s inside our own boundary, so I think we need to do due diligence even more so that it’s in our own town. If this one goes in, we’ll have a continuous two kilometres of quarries, potentially, in that area.”
Mayor Darrin Bent said that quarries within town boundaries must be held to the same standard as those outside town boundaries.
“I have a real concern with new quarries,” said Bent. “If there is any thought on council to move forward with new quarries, I don’t think we can do so without an overall assessment that lays out exactly the impacts and potential impacts of quarry development within the town.”
While the Mayor said he would not interfere with existing quarries — though he did allow that certain quarries outside the town boundaries should never have been allowed — he said there was no “free pass” for new quarries in CBS.
“I don’t want to become ‘quarry-town’ if we don’t have to, and without doing the proper work,” said the Mayor.