Wilmot council says no to Hallman gravel pit, but applicant may appeal

Wilmot council has unanimously refused a zone change for a proposed gravel pit, known as the Hallman Pit.

Jackson Harvest Farms first submitted an application in December 2019 for the property at 1894-1922 Witmer Road, but following hours of meetings ahead of Monday night, gravel extraction, concrete importing, and asphalt recycling will not go forward. 

But, this may be short-lived.

Jackson Harvest Farms can now file an appeal with the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Rick Esbaugh with Jackson Harvest Farms said he would appeal a refusal by Wilmot council.

The decision of the OLT would then be final.

Councillors considered an appeal would be expensive, but chose to side with the community.

There were over 60 residents who delegated to council, opposing the gravel pit. 

Ahead of the vote, Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong praised residents' tenacity and told councillors he wouldn't support the application.

“It has been stated in the past that we should be listening to the people, the residents of Wilmot Township,” he said. “That hasn’t always happened, but I think that we need to make sure that they are heard.”

Community members organized to fight the application and expressed concerns that the gravel pit would ruin designated prime farmland, be in a source water protected area, and cause pollution on the doorstep of the Shingletown community.

“There is certainly a lot of possibility for environmental impacts,” councillor Barry Fisher said. “Fertile farmland will be lost. To me, the close proximity to Shingletown, like 113 residents there, I think their lives are just going to be changed dramatically”. 

Councillor Jennifer Pfenning said there's a larger problem.

She told councillors she doesn't think making the request makes the applicant “public enemy number one.”

“What we have, is a problem with the system, and that's not his fault,” she said. “It's not his responsibility to fix. It's ours, at least to begin to try to fix it.”

The proposed Hallman pit would've added to seven other pits already in the area, and Jackson Harvest Farms did not have to prove another one was needed. 

Wilmot has joined calls asking the province to put a pause on new gravel pits.