THUNDER BAY — The Lakehead Rural Planning Board has given the green light to a controversial gravel pit near Trout Lake north of Thunder Bay.
Five members of the board unanimously approved an application by Lempiala Sand & Gravel—owned by Bruno's Contracting—to rezone the Lappe-area property.
Chair Lucy Kloosterhuis says the recent decision was made "for good planning purposes."
Kloosterhuis told Tbnewswatch the board felt that permitting a gravel pit "adheres to the official plan, the provincial policy and the Northern Growth Plan."
Residents and cottage-owners at Trout Lake opposed the application, arguing that gravel extraction is incompatible with a residential and recreational area, and detrimental to the environment.
Kloosterhuis acknowledged the objectors' concerns, but said they don't fall within the scope of a planning decision.
"They do have valid concerns," she said, but added that they are not planning concerns but rather operational concerns which will be considered by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry when Lempiala applies for a licence to operate the pit.
"Noise, dust, truck traffic at the entrance, hours of service. All that kind of thing is operational and under the purview of the MNR. They are the ones that would enforce it. We can't enforce it because we have no authority to enforce it," she said.
The stage for a favourable decision for Lempiala was set earlier this year when a certified planner prepared a report for the board that said permitting the gravel pit would constitute proper planning.
Kloosterhuis said the opponents have the option of taking the matter to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.
However, a spokesperson for the residents previously stated that the tribunal will only review process-related issues such as whether stakeholders have been properly consulted.
Robin Latimer also noted that the cost of trying to reverse a planning decision can quickly grow to "thousands and thousands of dollars," which objectors must pay out of their own pockets.
