The Duntroon Quarry has been in operation on County Road 91 for approximately 45 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 nine years. We hope to receive a license in 2012.  

From May 2010 until early June 2011, the Consolidated Hearings Board (CHB) – made up of representatives of the Ontario Municipal Board and the Environmental Review Tribunal – heard evidence from various parties about whether the Duntroon Quarry expansion should proceed.  The parties in favour of the expansion are Walker Aggregates, the County of Simcoe and the Township of Clearview.  Opposing parties are the Niagara Escarpment Commission, Clearview Community Coalition and neighbour Emelia Franks.

Experts from the parties testified on topics including hydrogeology, natural heritage features, traffic, blasting, noise, rehabilitation, visual impacts and planning.  Members of the community also had an opportunity to participate and share their thoughts on the expansion.

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.  A decision is expected early in 2012.

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 and invite you to contact us.

Note: In 2007, Georgian Aggregates and Construction changed its name to Walker Aggregates Inc. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.