Caledon residents rally at Osprey Valley during Canadian Open to protest mega quarry linked to golf course owner

“I ignored environmental issues and just carried on with my day-to-day life.” 

Caledon resident David Sylvester admits his own apathy contributed to the problems now pushing in on his rural Caledon community. But when Doug Ford was elected Premier in 2018, that all changed.

Sylvester, who moved to Caledon more than 35 years ago, has built a successful small business he takes great pride in. It was a blasting quarry proposal near his home in the hamlet of Cataract that transformed him from a quiet entrepreneur into a vocal, well-known environmental advocate—one now on the front lines of a growing local movement. 

“I believe in free enterprise and the system of capital markets. But my views on environmental issues and priorities have evolved considerably in the last five to ten years,” he says.

“It's been mind boggling to just to see the alarming changes that are happening, but not even slowly, rapidly, overnight.”

On June 5, he joined fellow residents outside TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, which is currently hosting the RBC Canadian Open, to protest the 700-acre proposed mega-quarry led by CBM Aggregates, a subsidiary of Brazilian mining giant Votorantim Cimentos, and supported by Osprey Valley owner Chris Humeniuk.

The topography just south of the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley has already been altered by massive quarries that ripped out greenspaces just east of the village of Cataract in Caledon.

(Google Satellite)

The golfing world has descended on this usually quiet corner of the GTA, where the Canadian Open is being held, and will return next week to the location where the country’s national golf association, Golf Canada will eventually be housed.

David Sylvester outside Osprey Valley on a rainy June 5th morning. 

(Forks of the Credit Preservation Group)

The quarry project near the nearby village of Cataract would involve blasting below the water table that feeds the Credit River, extracting millions of litres of groundwater each year. Residents fear it will disrupt local ecosystems, threaten drinking water and permanently alter groundwater flow, all to meet an aggregate demand experts say is already satisfied.

Even the Ministry of Natural Resources’ (MNRF) own 2016 supply-and-demand study concluded that existing reserves in the Greater Golden Horseshoe were more than sufficient to meet future needs. 

“The Ministry has not provided the public with complete and accurate information on the supply and demand for aggregates. Absent such information, many stakeholders have concluded, based on the limited available data, that there is an oversupply of aggregates already approved for extraction,” the province’s auditor general noted in 2023.

Yet the digging goes on.

The land in question in Caledon includes farmland, fifty acres of woodland with over 60,000 mature trees, isolated wetlands, and habitat for at least five species at risk, including brook trout, little brown myotis, chorus frogs, bobolinks, Eastern meadowlarks and red-headed woodpeckers.

“This is the biggest single mining application in the history of Caledon. The town has never dealt with a blasting quarry like this,” Sylvester said, exhaling a deep sigh. “It's a totally new animal.”

Bill 5, legislation forced through by the PC government with little consultation, removes key protections for these species by weakening the legislation that would normally restrict or prevent development on ecologically sensitive lands and taking away opportunities for meaningful public consultation.

“Bill 5 is part of the problem because, of course, it dilutes or weakens so many environmental safeguards. In particular, the Endangered Species Act has essentially been gutted by Bill 5, which is so alarming,” Sylvester noted. “There is too much at stake here to turn our backs on this.”

Northwest Caledon already resembles what Sylvester called a “moonscape of pits” with eleven active aggregate sites covering more than 3,000 acres and producing upwards of 15 million tonnes of gravel annually, one of the largest concentrations of aggregate operations in Canada.

(Forks of the Credit Preservation Group)

The CBM quarry proposal had been effectively paused since the Town enacted an Interim Control By-law (ICBL) at the outset of its study process. Although the bylaw was extended in 2023, CBM appealed the extension to the Ontario Land Tribunal. 

The ICBL ultimately expired on October 18, 2024. As reported by The Pointer, residents closely watching the case now fear the quarry could break ground within the next four years.

One of the most contentious elements of the application involves the discharge of up to 500 million litres of groundwater. This water would be pumped out of the quarry site, where it naturally seeps in as excavation extends below the water table, and dumped into a series of holding ponds on the Osprey Valley Golf property.

The water won’t stay in these ponds. Eventually, it will flow into the Credit River.

Originally, CBM proposed routing the water through a pipeline across Credit Valley Conservation lands, but that plan was rejected outright. Their new scheme shifts the burden downstream by using surface ponds to temporarily store the excess water.

Sylvester says this will have devastating consequences.

A rare, self-sustaining population of brook trout, which breeds just downstream of the quarry site, is particularly vulnerable. Brook trout are a cold-water species that can only survive and reproduce in low-temperature environments, conditions the Credit River has naturally provided for centuries.

But when cold groundwater is pumped into surface ponds and sits exposed for days or weeks, it warms to ambient temperatures, especially in spring and summer. This now-warm, sediment-laden water is then released into the river, potentially raising water temperatures and disrupting the delicate thermal balance brook trout require.

“A state-of-the-art design may not be required everywhere, but we should not be destroying the last remaining healthy subwatershed for expediency”, retired MNRF fisheries biologist and renowned fisheries advocate in southern Ontario, Jack Imhof, said in a statement shared with Ontario Nature.

Brook trout populations in southern Ontario have dropped by 80 percent over the past 70 years, largely due to unchecked urban development. Under the PC government, projects like Highway 413 and the Ontario Place megaspa have only worsened conditions.

Alongside the heat threat, there’s elevated turbidity, caused by stirred-up silt, and altered water chemistry, including changes in pH and dissolved oxygen levels, as the water sits stagnant before being released.

“None of this is healthy for the river,” Sylvester warned. “In fact, it could be catastrophic.” 

Osprey Valley’s Chris Humeniuk told The Pointer that his team has engaged with the Forks of the Credit Preservation Group (FCPG) “on several occasions” and “offered to have their qualified consultants attend the properties and review alongside us the independent, third-party reports that form an important part of the regulatory approval process.” Despite this, he said, the group remains opposed to the project.

Sylvester noted that in June 2024, “following several outreach efforts from our group and concerned community members,” experts affiliated with FCPG were granted only “limited access—less than a day—to a small portion of the proposed quarry site, specifically the South Area.”

“We appreciated the opportunity; however, the scope and duration of the visit were not sufficient to fully assess the potential environmental impacts of a project of this scale.”

He added that FCPG has shared its concerns directly with Humeniuk, “particularly regarding the risks to groundwater and the Credit River, which flows into Lake Ontario and affects communities downstream.” 

But “to date, we have not received a clear or meaningful response that addresses our primary concern: the threat to our region’s water resources.”

In northwest Caledon, every household relies on private wells, as there is no municipal water infrastructure. Sylvester points out that a significant number of these wells will be impacted, many likely to run dry—a fact acknowledged in CBM’s public application documents. “They don’t deny it,” he said.

Running out of well water is catastrophic for homeowners. Not only is access to water essential, but without adequate potable water, a home cannot legally be sold.

The number of people aged 65 and over in Caledon grew by 30 percent between 2016 and 2021.

(StatsCan)

In 2011, over 90 percent of Caledon households were homeowners, and the population is aging, with the highest concentration of seniors in rural areas. By 2021, nearly 15 percent of residents were aged 65 or older. Many worry they could become trapped in unsafe conditions, unable to sell their homes and relocate.

Sylvester, whose own home relies on a private well, says, “The damage won’t just stay local… everyone downstream should be concerned.”

He’s referring not only to the immediate impacts on the Caledon stretch of the Credit River, but to the broader consequences along its path. The river winds through Brampton, Mississauga, and eventually into Lake Ontario, forming a watershed that sustains countless species, ecosystems, and communities.

A CBM spokesperson told The Pointer that if the blasting quarry proposal is approved, the company “plans to conduct blasting in its proposed quarry using state-of-the-art techniques that adhere to Ontario's stringent provincial standards for safety and environmental protection. By employing precise monitoring systems, controlled blast designs, and adhering to strict vibration and noise limits, CBM ensures that the blasting process minimizes the impact on surrounding communities, protects nearby water sources, and safeguards local wildlife with the appropriate setbacks to achieve this protection.”

But critics argue the current regulatory framework falls short, especially when it comes to flyrock, a highly dangerous byproduct of blasting. The Aggregate Resources Act (ARA), which governs the aggregate industry in Ontario, lacks clear definitions or enforceable standards related to flyrock, leaving a serious regulatory gap.

“A licensee or permittee shall take all reasonable measures to prevent fly rock from leaving the site during blasting if a sensitive receptor is located within 500 metres of the boundary of the site,” the ARA states.

In October 2024, the Town of Caledon proposed updating its Official Plan to include new blast impact assessment requirements, like a flyrock management plan and a vibration management plan, directly tied to the CBM quarry proposal.

While these measures are stronger than previous regulations, critics say they don’t go far enough. Key protections, such as mandatory setbacks between quarries and residential areas, are still missing.

Worse, the policy language is vague and non-binding; operators are merely “encouraged” to conduct studies or “may” develop plans, instead of being firmly required to do so.

Sylvester believes the real solution lies in the hands of the provincial government, which must step up and finally impose proper regulations on the aggregate industry.

In 2023, Ontario’s Auditor General found that the MNRF “is falling short in balancing its competing roles of facilitating the extraction of aggregate resources and minimizing the impacts of aggregate operations, particularly through its role in regulating the industry to ensure approval holders comply with all necessary requirements.”

Between 2018 and 2022, 48 to 64 percent of inspected sites were found non-compliant, resulting in 1,750 violation reports, with inspection rates dropping 64 percent under the Doug Ford government due to a shortage of qualified inspectors.

Self-reporting by industry is also failing: 25 percent of approval holders did not submit mandatory annual compliance reports, but nearly 15 percent continued operations a year later despite laws requiring suspension in such cases.

Rehabilitation efforts are sorely lacking. Pits and quarries covering land the size of Brampton have sat dormant for over a decade without proper restoration or oversight.

Financially, the MNRF’s aggregate management program is unsustainable. In 2019, extraction fees covered only about 80 percent of the program’s costs, with many operators owing significant unpaid fees. Low fees incentivize the continued mining of virgin aggregates rather than encouraging the use of recycled materials.

Despite these troubling findings revealed in 2023, quarry operations continue. With Bill 5 now in place, aimed at accelerating resource extraction amid an “economic war” with Canada’s southern neighbour, the government has effectively given itself the authority to keep digging.

This ongoing push for aggressive resource extraction continues to disrupt the lives of residents who fear for their homes and environment.

Like Sylvester, another Caledon resident, Tony Sevelka, had once imagined a quiet retirement in Cataract until plans for a blasting quarry just steps from his home forced him into action. Now, he spends his time meeting with Caledon town officials and publishing international research on the dangers of flyrock.

Tony Sevelka (left) at the demonstration outside TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June 5.

(Forks of the Credit Preservation Group)

Sevelka is calling for three key safety measures, including a minimum 500-metre onsite setback from property boundaries; a minimum 1,000-metre offsite separation distance from sensitive land uses and settlement area boundaries; and a requirement that all contaminants, as defined by the Ontario Environmental Protection Act, remain onsite.

He argues these are essential given the ARA’s failure to clearly define flyrock or establish meaningful protections for nearby residents.

These are necessary since the ARA does not provide specific provisions for preventing flyrock debris from leaving a quarry site, nor does it clarify what “reasonable measures” the blaster-in-charge should take. 

Even the MNRF, which is responsible for overseeing the ARA, has never conducted an evidence-based, quantitative study of flyrock incidents, despite flyrock being the most dangerous and potentially deadly aspect of blasting, Sevelka notes in a 2023 study.

He argues that there is “no real effective oversight” and that residents “can’t possibly be expected to know” all the details about these issues.

"Residents shouldn't have to build their homes to fortress standards just to safeguard themselves from these risks. Even if my house has existing cracks, that doesn't give anyone the right to cause further damage. The suggestion that it's my fault for not building a 'castle' is utterly ridiculous," Sevelka said.

Whether it’s the chants of “Stop Bill 5” outside Queen’s Park or the determined voices of Caledon residents gathering at Osprey Valley, voices too often ignored, one thing remains certain: the spirit of Ontarians stands firm against a government and powerful interests that refuse to listen.

“My wife and I have lived here in Cataract, raised our four children. They’ve grown up and flown the coop, but I have no plans to leave. This is a beautiful, special part of Southern Ontario, and we’re doing everything we can to protect it.”

And what keeps him going? 

“I truly believe it’s the right thing to do, for the sake of our environment and for our children and grandchildren. It may sound idealistic, but this moral and ethical imperative is what drives me.”

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