Grunthal gravel pit plan turfed

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This article was published 13/04/2021 (1494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Swayed by objections from residents, council in the RM of Hanover on Wednesday crushed a gravel company’s plan to establish an aggregate extraction operation near a park and rural residential neighborhood in Grunthal.

Gagne Gravel Co. Ltd. applied for a conditional use permit to extract and crush gravel on a 50-acre portion of a 71-acre property located at the corner of Road 26E and Road 26N, near Grunthal Centennial Park. The heavily treed, undeveloped property is currently zoned for agriculture.

Jeremy Neufeld, the RM’s manager of planning, estimated the pit’s lifespan at 15 to 20 years and traffic at 30 vehicles per day. Haul trucks would use Road 26N and crushing would occur at the site for four to eight weeks each year.

Gord Lee, a partner at Gagne Gravel Co. Ltd. and president and CEO of Nelson River Construction, said Gagne has been operating gravel pits in Hanover for 40 years.

“We’ve been able to coexist quite well, I think, with the community and take their concerns to heart.”

Lee said the company currently operates 43 extraction sites in Manitoba.

“We have to go to great lengths to find aggregate these days,” he said.

Lee urged council to remember the role aggregates play in economic growth and development.

Questioned by Coun. Jim Funk about site security, Lee acknowledged trespassing, including partying and off-roading, was a chronic problem at gravel pits that company measures hadn’t solved.

“There’s not a lot that can be done unless you wall it off with a 10-foot-high fence,” Lee said. “If they want to get in, they’re going to get in.”

Six letters of opposition and two letters of concern from area residents were submitted ahead of the hearing.

Four area residents also spoke against the proposal during the hearing. They detailed noise, dust, and traffic, and water-quality concerns, and highlighted the amount of pedestrian and cyclist traffic to and from the park.

“There’s kids everywhere, all the time,” area resident Glen Friesen remarked.

Residents also voiced concerns about the clear-cutting of oak forest and the loss of wildlife habitat.

South Ridge Drive resident Ange Neufeld presented council with a petition containing the names of 46 locals opposed to the plan. Existing pits aren’t rehabilitated properly, Neufeld observed.

“It becomes a party place and an eyesore.”

In an administrative review, Neufeld wrote, “The likelihood of a pit at this location creating land use conflict is extremely high. Conversely, the utilization of non-renewable resources is one that council does need to take into consideration.”

An interdepartmental technical review carried out by the Manitoba government found the site has “high aggregate potential,” but also noted nearby residences would be “significantly impacted” by a gravel operation.

Council voted unanimously to deny the proposal. Funk told Lee it simply wasn’t the right place for a gravel pit.

Under the Planning Act, Lee has 30 days to appeal council’s decision to the Municipal Board. An appeal would trigger a second public hearing. The board’s decision is final.