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NEWS: Conservative MP calls for federal review of Melancthon quarry proposal

Conservative MP Michael Chong

Conservative MP Michael Chong

The Guelph Mercury reports, “Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong spoke out Wednesday in the House of Commons against a plan to dig one of Canada’s largest-ever open-pit mines in his riding. ‘This is an environmental disaster in the making,’ the Conservative member told the first session of Canada’s 41st Parliament, calling for a federal review of the 2,300-acre quarry’s potential impact on the Great Lakes.”

“‘People are very concerned,’ Chong said by phone from Ottawa. ‘The Grand River is the lifeblood of Wellington County. It is the lifeblood of our local tourism industry, our local fly-fishing industry. The watershed and recharge areas provide the drinking water for residents in the entire county.’ A project of this size will have a massive impact, he added. ‘It would be one of the largest open-pit mines in Canada, in the heart of southwest Ontario, home of the country’s richest farmland and home to millions of people.'”

“Chong said he would continue to work with Ottawa colleagues to voice ‘deep concern’ about the project.”

“Michael Daniher, a spokesperson for The Highland Companies, (the company seeking the quarry)…said further reviews and assessments ‘would simply duplicate rather than add to the information available.'”

The Guelph Mercury article is at http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/549053–chong-calls-for-federal-review-of-quarry-proposal. For more on the campaign against the quarry in Melancthon, go to http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?s=melancthon.