(Jed Tallo/GazetteStaff)
Re: Size of Council (News, November 26). I would hazard a guess that the lack of participation in the public meetings on the subject of the size of Council and a third party review of ward boundaries are not due to a lack of interest in the topic, but rather that everyone has already made up their mind on how they are going to vote when the question appears on the ballot.
There is nothing to discuss, so why attend.
I say bring it on. Let’s see how many voters participate in the election. Let’s see if 50 percent plus one support the motion.
I think the results will speak for themselves, and that Councillor Braney may have found a very silent, but very strong undertow on this one.
Barbara Mason, Picton
Re: Ridge Road Pit (News, November 5). For thirty-two months I’ve been asking Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to show one thing — the lawful license and site plan for what they call Pit #2907 on Ridge Road in Prince Edward County.
In that time, I’ve sent over 800 emails, asked more than 1,000 questions, and documented about sixty rule breaches. Yet the Ministry has not produced a single executed license certificate or an approved, stamped site plan — both required under the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) to be licensed to operate a pit.
A Freedom of Information release confirms that Ministry staff searched their records twice — in 2018 and again in 2023 — and found no valid license or site plan. Despite that, the Ministry continues to treat the property as a lawful, below-water pit and even recognized a “license transfer” to Ellbrook Excavating in 2023. That transfer has no lawful foundation because there was nothing to transfer.No license exists.
When the Aggregate Resources Act came into force on January 1, 1990, every pit licensed under the old Pits and Quarries Control Act had three months to apply for an ARA license and pay the required fee. If they didn’t, the old license expired on April 1, 1990. The FOI searches show no application, no fee, no license, and no stamped site plan for this property.
It appears the former owner, John Leavitt, never applied. The site then sat dormant for more than 30 years.
Despite this, the Ministry still lists the site as “Pit 2907” and even labels it “below-water” — an internal error they acknowledged in June 2023 but have never corrected. No new site plan exists, no public notice has been issued, and no proper approvals have been granted, even though visible work has taken place on the land.
My position is straightforward: 1188 Ridge Road is not a pit, and hasn’t been one since 1990. The MNRF has no authority there. Any operations must stop.
If the new owner wishes to start a pit, they must apply for a new ARA license, provide a proper site plan, and meet current standards — including the groundwater protections imposed by the Ontario Land Tribunal in 2021 (Case MM200017) for the adjacent property. The shared aquifer here runs roughly sixteen kilometres and neighbours depend on it.
I will continue working to ensure the law is followed and local water is protected.
John McKinnon, Picton
Animal welfare is an integral part of living compassionately in a rural community. In a sense, kindness to animals is what makes us human, whether it’s the chirpy robin that signals spring, the graceful swan families that travel our waters, or the deer we see darting across our County roads.
For the not-for-profit Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre (based in Napanee), their mission is to help injured and orphaned wildlife, rehabilitating them for release back into the wild.
In late November, we were recipients of the kindness of the Sandy Pines team. Our neighbour in Cressy discovered an injured and beautiful barred owl resting on the ground. The owl’s position and location didn’t appear to be normal behaviour so we called Sandy Pines, left a message and in short order, received a call back.
The owl eventually managed to move to yet another neighbour’s home to camp on their doorstep. All the while, staring at us with large and likely terrified eyes.
Sandy Pines came out to our community and began searching for the owl which had further relocated itself, likely still on foot. They found the owl, assessed its condition and ultimately determined that his loss of tail feathers and what looked to be a broken wing pointed to the inevitable. Euthanasia.
While this story doesn’t have the happy ending we had hoped for, it was a true testament to Sandy Pines’ responsiveness and commitment to helping wildlife. We applaud their efforts and care.
Lorraine and Chris Wilson, Cressy
See it in the newspaper
0° Light Snow
