'Save Balls Bridge': Citizens claim victory in gravel pit fight
The “Stop the Pit” signs along Little Lakes Road near Goderich, Ont. tell you how most residents feel about a proposed gravel pit.
“It’s just the wrong thing, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and we all think it shouldn’t happen,” says Rebecca Garrett, leader of the Friends of Balls Bridge and Little Lakes Road citizen’s group.
Garrett and her fellow citizens have been fighting an application from V.B Sand and Gravel to take as much as 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel a year from 30 hectares of land in the Municipality of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, within Huron County.
“We have far more aggregate already approved for extraction than we need in the next 20 years, so approving another quarry in Ontario rapidly is not something we need,” says David Donnelly, an environmental lawyer who is representing the citizen’s group in their legal fight against the proposed pit.
Donnelly says a recent decision by the Ontario Land Tribunal, granting a 10 day hearing instead of the normal three day hearing, into the gravel pit plan is a huge victory.
“It’s a huge deal. Particularly for residents and potentially, First Nations, up in this beautiful part of Ontario,” he says.
While the gravel pit company contends they plan to operate the pit for 15 to 20 years and will then rehabilitate the area afterwards, local residents don’t want it at all. They suggest the proximity to Balls Bridge, a restored 1885 architectural gem, and more than five species at risk along Little Lakes Road makes the proposed pit a mistake.
“Many, many different reasons that make this a very special place where there shouldn’t be an open pit, below water, aggregate mine. It shouldn’t happen here,” says Garrett.
Garrett and Donnelly say the 10 day hearing — to be heard a year from now — will give them plenty of time to make their case, that Little Lakes Road and Ball’s Bridge should be protected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.