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12 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, December 1, 2010 GANARASKA Continued from pg 8 more information or to register please call 905.797.2721 or email us at gfc@grca.on.ca. The Ganaraska Forest Centre is about a 20-minute drive from Port Hope and Orono. If you're travelling from the west, exit Hwy. 115 and travel east about 10 km on Ganaraska Road 9 (sign on highway reads Durham Road 9). Turn left (north) at the Cold Springs Camp Road sign and proceed 4 km to the forest. From the east, travel west off Hwy. 28 onto County Road 9 and proceed about 2 km west of Elizabethville. Turn right (north) at Cold Springs Camp Road into the forest. Staying in Touch MPP John O'Toole Moratorium Needed at Commercial Fill Site I have formally asked the Minister of the Environment for an immediate moratorium to halt the dumping of fill at a former gravel pit site in Scugog Township. At the same time, I appreciate and understand the importance of cut-and-fill operations throughout the Province. In the Ontario Legislature last week, I tabled a motion calling on the Ministry of the Environment to immediately halt the commercial dumping of fill at the Lakeridge Rd site. This moratorium is necessary to protect the drinking water of residents and the vital water aquifer in the Oak Ridges Moraine. What is needed is a clear set of policies, rules and procedures for rehabilitation of abandoned pits and quarries, especially in sensitive areas like the Oak Ridges Moraine. I have also introduced a second motion calling on a select committee to be appointed for studying the general use of commercial fill in exhausted and abandoned gravel pits within the Oak Ridges Moraine and elsewhere in Ontario. There are many exhausted pits and quarries across the province that have great potential for rehabilitation. That being said, we must ensure material deposited in these pits during rehabilitation doesn't damage the environment or affect the health of residents. Of particular concern is the potential contamination of underground aquifers that supply private wells and drinking water to thousands of households throughout the moraine. An immediate moratorium on placing commercial fill at the Lakeridge Rd. site will ensure no contaminated material makes its way to this location. Follow-up action should include an evaluation of what material is already there. In addition, there needs to be a clear protocol for ensuring where the fill originates and for testing the fill for contamination. It is important to keep in mind that the Oak Ridges Moraine and the provincial Greenbelt have been designated by the Province for environmental protection. Accordingly, the Province has to take the lead in ensuring its own environmental protection rules are followed. Lower tier municipalities do not have the resources to investigate and oversee these large areas. I am continuing to keep in touch with the Ontario Environmental Commissioner and the Minister of the Environment to ensure they are aware of all the concerns raised by residents, environmental agencies and elected councillors. I am currently circulating a petition in support of the moratorium and would be pleased to send you O'TOOLE see page 14 Childrens Choirs Thursday at 6pm Town Hall Steps