The Duntroon Quarry has been in operation on County Road 91 for approximately 40 years, and since 1995 has been operated by Walker Aggregates Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Walker Industries Holdings Ltd.

The high quality limestone produced from this quarry is in demand as building material and also for use in agricultural, recreational and environmental projects. As a result, we are seeking to expand our operations across the road to a new parcel of property.

Expanding quarry operations cannot be done overnight. The process requires permits or approvals from a number of bodies, including the County of Simcoe , Township of Clearview , local conservation authorities, the Niagara Escarpment Commission, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment.

The approval process for our quarry expansion has taken more than six years so far. We hope to receive a license in 2011.  

Preliminary comments are starting to come to us from agencies reviewing our Duntroon Quarry expansion proposal. The comments have been constructive and demonstrate that the agencies want to ensure natural features around the proposed quarry are protected. We have been attending plenty of meetings with representatives of the commenting agencies, addressing such issues as buffer widths, wetlands, tree planting and the proposed Adaptive Management Plan.

Meanwhile, the peer review scientists hired by the Niagara Escarpment Commission have reviewed our studies and prepared preliminary comments. Once it has been finalized, we will be pleased to share the details of this report with members of the public.

The next step in the approvals process will be a hearing before the Consolidated Hearings Board (CHB), which is a panel of members from the Environmental Review Tribunal and the Ontario Municipal Board. This hearing will be held on April 12 th at the Creemore Community Centre. For more information, please see the Notice of Preliminary Hearing posted in this website’s Document Library.

Considering the due diligence and in-depth scientific study that we have undertaken for our quarry proposal, we’re optimistic that the CHB will approve our applications.

We believe a good planning process is essential, and have been transparent in sharing our information throughout this process and have engaged in extensive outreach and community consultation. There are a number of ways for interested parties to both follow and participate in this approval process. In addition to this website, we have an information booklet and a newsletter, Stepping Stones, which is published quarterly.  We have also set up a project committee with neighbours of the quarry.

Our goal has always been to develop the new quarry in such a way that any impacts are minimized to the greatest degree possible. We promise to continue to listen to any concerns expressed by neighbours or others and to address those concerns.

As always, we are available to answer any questions or concerns about our proposed Duntroon Quarry expansion.