McDonalds Corners residents come out in droves to speak against proposed sand pit

A dozen speakers let their voices be heard over a nearly three hour marathon public meeting at Lanark Highlands council chambers Tuesday night.

About 100 people filled the building well past standing room only, deep into the hallways as everyone wanted to hear more about the proposed sand extraction pit Cavanagh Construction seeks.

They want to implement a pit within their 50 hectare property, 35 hectares of which to be used for extraction, between Barbers Lake and popular sugar bush and tourism destination Wheelers Pancake House, with 24/7 operating hours.

John Young lives in McDonalds Corners, and says this pit would go against what he’s been taught.

Young continued, saying local First Nations have residents backs.

Lanark Highlands Reeve Peter McLaren says taking emotion out of the decision, if Cavanagh’s site plan application “meets the smell test,” they’d be legally obliged to approve it.

According to McLaren, Lanark Highlands would receive 61% of every 22 cents per tonne extracted from the pit, and Lanark County would receive 15%.

Cavanagh intends to extract up to 1,000,000 tonnes per year from the one site, though Cavanagh representative Neal DeRyuter noted they don’t anticipate coming close to the maximum.

DeRyuter said their strategic plan is a flexible document, and they have an obligation to consider and implement changes based on public feedback.

McLaren echoed those comments.

If approved, resident Tim Schruder, who lives 120 metres northeast of the proposed site, says their day-to-day life would be severely impacted.

Scrhuder shared his concerns about the traffic study attached to the submitted reports, adding the large trucks and excess speed is “an accident waiting to happen.”

McDonalds Corners resident Judy Hitchcock also spoke during the meeting, after previously chatting with Lake 88.

Multiple members of the Wheeler family also spoke at the meeting, highlighting concern for not only their business, but also the peace and tranquility the area provides which they feel is part of the experience, and a big reason people make the drive.

“Our quiet and peaceful life on Barbers Lake would never be the same,” if the pit were approved says Angela Wheeler, whose family owns the popular tourism spot and sugar bush Wheelers Pancake House which sits about 500m away from the proposed site. pic.twitter.com/t2EJYzTq4v

— Grant (@grantdeme) March 14, 2023

These are still the early days of what will be a lengthy process towards the march of a final decision.

Cavanagh has four applications on the go which require approval from various levels of government including Lanark Highlands, as they seek to re-zone their property which would also require an official plan amendment.

DeRyuter said during his presentation no dewatering or blasting would be required during the extraction process below the water table, and provincial representatives would further look into the impact on wildlife a pit could have on Barbers Lake, the Long Sault Creek, and surrounding areas.

Their current proposal has the site with 30m setbacks from wetlands.

As for the concerns around a 24/7 operation, DeRuyter says the night shifts would be limited to shipping, and no extraction would occur.

Lanark Highlands Senior Planner from Jp2g Consultants Forbes Symon said the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority no longer has authorization to look into the matter, due to the recent cutbacks conservation authorities saw from the provincial government.

“It’s a bit of a disappointment to see their focus (have to) change on what we’ve seen in the past.”

A representative from Climate Network Lanark was also in attendance and spoke against the pit on the organizations behalf.

Cavanagh will be hosting an open house this spring for residents to answer all their questions.

Lake 88’s reached out to Cavanagh Construction for comment.

Story by Grant Deme