Meridian Brick Canada Ltd. - Permit to take water

Instrument type: Permit to take water

ERO number
019-5975
Ministry reference number
0672-CHZQXF
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Ontario Water Resources Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Notice stage
Decision
Decision posted
Comment period
September 9, 2022 - October 9, 2022 (30 days) Closed
Last updated

This consultation was open from:
September 9, 2022
to October 9, 2022

Decision summary

We have issued a new Permit to Take Water No. 7177-CLWPE7, on December 12, 2022, which cancels and replaces permit No. 3314-BGALVQ, for Meridian Brick Canada Ltd. for quarry dewatering purposes. The permitted water taking will serve the Meridian Niagara Quarry located in Niagara -on-the-Lake, Ontario. The new permit expires on December 12, 2032.

Location details

Site address

545 Line 8 Road
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
L0S 1J0
Canada

Site location map

The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.

View this location on a map opens link in a new window

Proponent(s)

Meridian Brick Canada Ltd.
5155 Dundas Street
Burlington, ON
L7R 3Y2
Canada

Decision details

We have issued a new Permit to Take Water No. 7177-CLWPE7 on December 12, 2022, which cancels and replaces permit No. 3314-BGALVQ, for Meridian Brick Canada Ltd. for quarry dewatering purposes. The permitted water taking will serve the Meridian Niagara Quarry located in Niagara -on-the-Lake, Ontario. Water will be taken from one sump for quarry dewatering in order to extract shale used for the production of clay brick. The new permit expires on December 12, 2032.

Details of the water taking are as follows:

Source of water: quarry sump

  • purpose of taking: pits and quarry dewatering
  • maximum rate per minute (litres): 3,000
  • maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
  • maximum volume per day (litres): 4,320,000
  • maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
  • period of taking: January 1 to December 31 for 10 years

Information about Permits to Take Water

Permits to Take Water include conditions that require the permit holder to:

  • collect and record the daily amount of water taken
  • comply with the terms and conditions in the permit
  • immediately report complaints or interference to the ministry
  • report water takings each year to the ministry

Issued Permits to Take Water can be viewed and downloaded at Access Ontario, by searching the approval number, 7177-CLWPE7, in the search field located at the top of the map, see “I want to…Search by Approval Number”, here:

https://www.lioapplications.lrc.gov.on.ca/Access_Environment/index.html?viewer=Access_Environment.AE&locale=en-CA.

Access Environment displays the following information:

  • business name
  • facility address and location on an interactive map
  • type of approval or registration from the ministry (view a PDF copy)
  • date of issue
  • status of the approval (approved, amended, revoked and/or replaced)
  • status of the registration (registered, suspended, removed)

Comments received

Through the registry

0

By email

1

By mail

0
View comments submitted through the registry

Effects of consultation

One comment was received from the Regional Municipality of Niagara identifying the proximity of the water taking to the Regional Core Natural Heritage System (CNHS), consisting of important fish habitat and significant woodlands. The municipality requested the ministry consider the impacts of the water taking on Core Natural Heritage System features.

Ministry response

This comment was considered in this decision and was also considered under previous renewal decisions at the same site. Monitoring data collected during the previous permitted period suggests some localized drawdown of groundwater resources in the vicinity of the quarry, however, as per the Monitoring Report, there are no plant species or wildlife habitats within the zone of groundwater drawdown that are dependent upon groundwater inputs. Monitoring reports suggest that the potential groundwater drawdown in proximity to the quarry will not have a negative impact upon the designated natural heritage features in proximity to the site, including those of the Core Natural Heritage System.

As a condition of the permit, the permit holder is required to continue to monitor and record water levels at monitoring locations located on and around the quarry site. Furthermore, conditions of the permit also require the monitoring of groundwater quality parameters to characterize the quality of the groundwater at the quarry site. The data collected under this monitoring program is to be analyzed, interpreted, and summarized in a biennial report, and recommendations on the need for mitigation are to be provided by the permit holder.

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

Client Services and Permissions Branch
Address

135 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

Office phone number

How to Appeal

This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from December 13, 2022 to begin the appeal process.

Carefully review the information below to learn more about the appeal process.

How to appealClick to Expand Accordion

Start the process to appeal

If you’re an Ontario resident, you can start the process to appeal this instrument decision.

First, you’ll need to seek leave (i.e. get permission) from the relevant appellate body to appeal the decision.

If the appellate body grants leave, the appeal itself will follow.

Seek leave to appeal

To seek leave to appeal, you need to do these three things:

  1. prepare your application
  2. provide notice to the minister
  3. mail your application to three parties

1. Prepare your application

You’ll need to prepare an application. You may wish to include the following things in your application:

  1. A document that includes:
    • your name, phone number, fax number (if any), and/or email address
    • the ERO number and ministry reference number (located on this page)
    • a statement about whether you are a resident in Ontario
    • your interest in the decision, and any facts you want taken into account in deciding whether you have an interest in the decision
    • the parts of the instrument that you’re challenging
    • whether the decision could result in significant harm to the environment
    • the reason(s) why you believe that no reasonable person – having regard to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind – could have made the decision
    • the grounds (facts) you’ll be using to appeal
    • the outcome you’d like to see
  2. A copy of the instrument (approval, permit, order) that you you are seeking leave to appeal. You’ll find this in the decision notice on the Environmental Registry
  3. Copies of all supporting documents, facts and evidence that you’ll be using to appeal
What is considered

The appeal body will consider the following two questions in deciding whether to grant you leave to appeal:

  1. is there is good reason to believe that no reasonable person, with respect to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind, could have made the decision?
  2. could the decision you wish to appeal result in significant harm to the environment?

2. Provide your notice

You’ll need to provide notice to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that you’re seeking leave to appeal.

In your notice, please include a brief description of the:

  • decision that you wish to appeal
  • grounds for granting leave to appeal

You can provide notice by email at minister.mecp@ontario.ca or by mail at:

College Park 5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON
M7A 2J3

3. Mail your application

You’ll need to mail your application that you prepared in step #1 to each of these three parties:

  • appellate body
  • issuing authority (the ministry official who issued the instrument)
  • proponent (the company or individual to whom the instrument was issued)

Issuing authority
Neil Taylor
Permit to Take Water Surface Water Specialist

Environmental Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Avenue West
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

416-388-0961

Proponent(s)

Meridian Brick Canada Ltd.
5155 Dundas Street
Burlington, ON
L7R 3Y2
Canada


Appellate body

Registrar, Ontario Land Tribunal
655 Bay Street, Suite 1500
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1E5
(416) 212-6349
(866) 448-2248
OLT.Registrar@ontario.ca

About the Ontario Land Tribunal


Include the following:

ERO number
019-5975
Ministry reference number
0672-CHZQXF

This is not legal advice. Please refer to the Environmental Bill of Rights for exact legal requirements. Consult a lawyer if you need help with the appeal process.

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Original proposal

ERO number
019-5975
Ministry reference number
0672-CHZQXF
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Ontario Water Resources Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Proposal posted

Comment period

September 9, 2022 - October 9, 2022 (30 days)

Proposal details

This proposal is for a renewal of Permit to Take Water No. 3314-BGALVQ for Meridian Brick Canada Ltd. for quarry dewatering purposes. Water will be taken from one well to dewater a quarry in order to extract Queenston Shale used for the production of clay brick, located in Niagara, Ontario. Details of the water taking are as follows:

Source of water: quarry sump

  • purpose of taking: pits and quarry dewatering
  • maximum rate per minute (litres): 3,000
  • maximum number of hours of taking per day: 24
  • maximum volume per day (litres): 4,320,000
  • maximum number of days of taking per year: 365
  • period of taking: January 1 to December 31 for 10 years

More about Permits to Take Water

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

Client Services and Permissions Branch
Address

135 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

Office phone number

Comment

Commenting is now closed.

This consultation was open from September 9, 2022
to October 9, 2022

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