asking staff to investigate if what’s alleged to be illegal quarrying was occurring on the Sophiasburgh Ward part of the port’s property.
why they believe Picton Terminals is not quarrying in the Sophiasburgh portion.
This after Bill Beckett, appearing as a delegation, showed council photos of pits and heavy equipment located on that section, in contrast to photos of the same piece in 2018.
“If, as many believe they have been operating a commercial quarry, the county has lost out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties
that apply to licensed quarries. We have many legally-regulated quarries in the county and it’s time to find out where the Ministry (MNR) stands
on Picton Terminal’s actions.”
Mention was made of Picton Terminals’ sale of tonnes of aggregate for $65 million as well.
For their part, Picton Terminals’ owners say no quarrying is being done on the Sophiasburgh piece except what’s necessary for port development and that the Ministry had no issue with the sale of aggregate as it had to be removed for the development.
The owners stress any stone removed on the Sophiasburgh section was to make room for silos, a storage facility, access and storm water management.
Development of a major grain terminal has been approved and is underway on the property.
Councillor Bill Roberts had an interesting take on the entire situation, saying although he supported an investigation to “help us learn whether or not
this (Picton Terminals) is a quarry masquerading as a port” the changing global economic landscape under U.S. President Donald Trump might be worth keeping in mind.
Roberts said President Trump’s tariffs have forced governments worldwide to rethink how to best manage their economies to benefit their citizens.
And those considerations in Canada have led to the conclusion that the U.S. can no longer be considered a reliable economic partner for Canada.
“Trump has repeatedly referred to Canada as a 51st state and clearly he considers us a vassal state.”
Roberts said new markets need to be opened up for exporting Canadian goods and accepting products from elsewhere.
“Just keep somewhere in the back of our minds that new and expanded ports in Lake Ontario are widely recognized as the fastest and
most efficient way to build the strongest economy possible at this time and it’s also our best bet to remain a prosperous G7 country.”
