According to numerous residents of the Township of the North Shore, the protection of an endangered species of turtles and the preservation of the region’s pristine environment are being pushed aside to allow for the construction of a trap rock quarry just north of Lake Lauzon.

A group of more than 20 residents of the township, along with members of neighbouring First Nations, staged an information protest along Highway 17 in front of the municipal office in Algoma Mills last Wednesday to inform travellers through the region of their concerns over the short and long-term impacts of the quarry. The peaceful protest was overseen by members of the OPP with no incidents of violence or unruly behaviour reported.

The township’s municipal council recently agreed by a narrow 3-2 vote to re-zone the 285 acres that would house the quarry from Restricted Open Space to Mineral Extraction. The land, which also lies within the boundaries of the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850, is home to a provincially significant wetland and a particularly dense population of Blanding’s turtles.

Along with four other species within the boundaries of the proposed quarry, Blanding’s turtles have been identified as a “species at risk”. A recent study by researchers from Laurentian University and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (and published in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Global Ecology and Conservation’) pointed out that the land in question contains one of the highest population densities of the species in North America.

Proponents for the quarry, Darien Aggregates, have estimated that the quarry would generate 20 to 25 jobs within the Township of the North Shore, and would generate an additional $60,000 for municipal coffers through aggregate levies of 12 cents per tonne extracted on the estimated 500,000 to two million tonnes of material to be removed from the quarry per year.

However, opponents of the quarry point out that in addition to the endangerment of sensitive species of animals, the quarry could have significant impacts on the region’s water and land. They further question the research done by Darien Aggregates to support their application to re-zone the land, noting numerous flaws in the environmental and archeological reports of consultants retained by the proponents of the quarry.

Local historian Janice Gamble, author of a Township Historical Update in 2016 and ‘Connected to the Land: Stories from the Serpents Band’ in 2013, points out that there are some major holes in the archaeological assessment done by the consultants for Darien Aggregates. She noted that she was never contacted to provide background history for stage one of the assessment (when she would have been the person to provide this information), and that the test pits dug for the second stage of the assessment were done in such a way that no artifacts could possibly have been discovered.

By contrast, Gamble points out that a cursory observation of the proposed quarry site found an eight-foot-long runner from a logging sleigh lying right in the open within the site. She estimates that the runner dates from the time between 1860 and 1920, perhaps even back to the time when Alfred Lauzon was working with the Indigenous people of the area and attempting to acquire logging permits in the area, but there is no mention of this important artifact in the assessment report.

A local citizens group named ANSWER (Advocates for North Shore Water and Environmental Resources) was also on hand to provide information during the protest. The group is currently seeking legal advice before filing an appeal of the quarry site re-zoning with the provincial Land Use Planning Tribunal (LPAT).

In addition to their concerns regarding the turtles and other endangered species within the proposed quarry site, ANSWER members have expressed fear over the impact that the quarry may have on local water quality. The quarry would be located in a significant wetland area, which provides filtering and purifying qualities to the water which flows into Lake Lauzon via Trudel Creek, which in turn supplies the drinking water for most of the residents of the Township of the North Shore.

Gamble expressed concern about the effects of the proposed quarry on the quantity and quality of drinking water within the region, particularly on salmon spawning areas in Lauzon Creek. She noted that the potential destruction of wetlands by the development is very troubling.

“Jack Trudeau of the Serpent River First Nation told me that, “Wetlands act as the kidneys of Mother Earth”, Gamble related. “They filter out many of the impurities from our water source.”

With knowledge of the geological history of the area, which has demonstrated low levels of uranium close to the earth’s surface, area residents have expressed concern that disturbing the area with a development such as a quarry could have devastating effects on the local watershed. These fears have been echoed by First Nations within the region, who have already faced concerns over water pollution stemming from the uranium mines in the region.

Representatives from neighbouring First Nations have also expressed concerns over the impact that the quarry could have on the water quality of Lake Huron. They note that Lake Lauzon connects directly to Lake Huron via Lauzon Creek, and if water quality in Lake Lauzon is compromised this could affect the big lake as well.

Steve Meawasige, of the Serpent River First Nation, noted that Elders in the region, such as Ray Owl of the Sagamok Anishnabek, had provided wisdom regarding the quarry development on such a pristine area.

“I’m learning from the Elder about the importance of water, turtles and our responsibility to the land,” he stated.