Board rules that concerned residents can seek participant status instead
by Brad Holden
The Duntroon Quarry Consolidated Board hearing reconvened Monday morning after a long summer break, with members of the Clearview Community Coalition, the ratepayers' group that is opposing the application along with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, hoping that the Board's first ruling of this session would be to include a "public night" so that those not involved in the hearing might be able to voice their concerns.
Instead, the Board announced that it was wary of a "free-for-all" meeting, and that in its opinion, the long process that has brought the matter to this point has included many opportunities for members of the public to get involved, whether by filing an appeal and becoming a party to the hearing or by signalling their intention to take participant status, file a witness statement and address the Board in due course.
As a compromise, it was ruled that the deadline for applying for participant status would be extended, and that when the time comes for the Board to hear statements from participants (likely sometime in November), it would be willing to sit into the evening to accommodate everyone.
Lawyers for both sides were instructed to meet sometime in the near future to hammer out details regarding a new deadline, as well as how the public is to be notified of this new opportunity.
The rest of the week featured testimony from Walker Aggregates' landscape architect and its planner.
On Wednesday, the lawyer for Grey County also revealed that her client had reached a settlement with Walker over the summer, guaranteeing that if County Road 91 is closed, then Nottawasaga 27/28 Sideroad will be upgraded to a tar-and-chip surface, rather than the gravel surface agreed upon in the previous settlement between Walker, Clearview Township and Simcoe County.
Testimony from Grey County's transportation director regarding the new settlement will be heard on Monday.
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