Potton mayor Bruno Côté has said the town has no concrete plans for new gravel, stone or sand quarries on its territory, despite two proposed zoning changes to that effect.
On Nov. 1, about 20 concerned citizens attended a public consultation organized by the MRC de Memphrémagog to address two zoning changes proposed as part of an update to the regional land use plan developed by the MRC. At the municipality’s request, the MRC adopted zoning changes that would authorize “extraction” on two lots along Chemin de la Vallée-Missisquoi and Chemin de la Mine. One resident, Jean Paré, who said he lived near an existing sand quarry, told La Voix de l’Est he was “gobsmacked” by the proposed changes.
Côté said no new quarry projects are in the works in the area; the two changes, he said, were required to bring existing quarries into conformity with zoning regulations. “For one of the two sectors, there’s an existing sand quarry that benefits from a grandfather clause. The other [change] involves a private landowner digging for stone on his own land.” Since the changes involve bringing town bylaws into conformity with the MRC’s land use plan, rather than approving new projects, they are not subject to a referendum.
Côté did leave the door open to a future project, however. “Nobody wants extraction in their backyard, but all the municipalities are looking for material. We have 175 square kilometres of gravel roads, and we need to bring gravel in from Bromont and Eastmain – that has a financial and environmental cost. It’s normal to want more supply chain autonomy. The day a project will be proposed, we’ll make a decision, the Government of Quebec will make a decision and the citizens will make a decision. It might be 10, 20 or 25 years down the road – we have no way of knowing that.”
Nicolas Cornellier, communications director for the MRC de Memphremagog, said the Nov. 1 consultation was required as part of the land use plan modification process. “Following the public consultation, the consultation commission analyzes the points of view expressed. Subsequently, the MRC council will be invited to adopt a bylaw…modifying the [land use] plan.” The bylaw is then subject to approval by the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs (MAMH). After the bylaw receives MAMH approval, the municipality has six months to implement the bylaw, Cornellier explained. He added that all new quarry projects must be approved by the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC).
The land use plan was initially approved by the MRC council in September, and a final version is expected to be approved by the end of the year. No one from the MELCC was available to comment on the provincial approval process at press time.