Tilson meets with chair of international joint commission on Melancthon Quarry Project
Ottawa, ON – David Tilson, Member of Parliament for Dufferin-Caledon, met yesterday with the Honourable Joseph Comuzzi, the Canadian Chair of the International Joint Commission, to discuss the Highland Companies proposed Melancthon Quarry Project.
Established by The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, the International Joint Commission is the Canada-US body charged with the stewardship of the trans-boundary waters shared by Canada and the United States. Their mandate includes the continued health of the Great Lakes and the watersheds that feed them.
“One of the many aspects of this project that I am concerned about is that the operation of proposed mega-quarry will ultimately have a negative impact on the Great Lakes and I wanted Mr. Comuzzi to be aware of this,” stated Mr. Tilson. “Given the amount of explosives and blasting and the 600 million of litres of water per day that Highland claims they can manage, I cannot imagine that some of this will not end up in either Lake Ontario or Georgian Bay via the Grand or Nottawasaga watersheds.”
“I had an excellent meeting with Mr. Comuzzi. He is clearly passionate about protecting the Great Lakes and I was able to convey to him the size and scope and potential threat of this project,” noted Mr. Tilson. “He and his officials committed to examining the scientific details of the Highland proposal so that they can better follow the process as it moves forward.”