To the Mayor and Councillors of Muskoka Lakes Township:
I am writing this letter to express my strong opposition to the proposed Lippa quarry. As so many have already stated, this project would negatively affect the water, wildlife, safety, health, and overall quality of life for so many. In my opinion, these factors alone are ample reason for you to unequivocally turn down the proposed pit.
However, there is one factor I would like to focus on primarily in this letter and that is the issue of noise. No study can claim it won’t exist, because it will. Period. There is no legitimate way for any individual or paid corporation to downplay that fact or pretty it up. The noise from the proposed quarry would ruin the area for so many. Cottagers and homeowners come to the lake, and live in the Aspdin Road area, in large part to escape noise, to bask in the tranquility that is so difficult to find in the city. This is no small gift.
Skeleton Lake and the surrounding area is one of Muskoka’s most beautiful treasures. The thought of allowing someone to desecrate it at all is disheartening beyond words. The thought of allowing someone to desecrate it for personal profit is worse.In closing, I would like to say that the heart of this matter is a matter of the heart. And isn’t that what Muskoka is all about?
Petitions have been signed by hundreds of people who have a deep love for, and connection with, Skeleton Lake and the surrounding area. By people who find much-needed peace in taking quiet morning canoe rides, sitting on the dock during the day gazing at the amazing clear blue water, and falling asleep at night to the echoing laughter of loons. The deep love people have for this area CANNOT be overlooked and it CANNOT be underestimated. To me, it’s not only a factor, it is THE most powerful factor of them all. So please factor it in and factor it in big.
So many times in this world, the voices of those who stand as quiet stewards of the sacred are shouted down by the raucous. Too many times, money-fueled bulldozers rip through holy ground, uncaring about the carnage left in their wake. Time after time after time, the heart’s lifeblood connections are kicked to the curb by those who stand to benefit from its destruction.
This time, let the stillness of a Muskoka night speak louder than the demands of those who care nothing for its quiet offerings.
This time, let the hearts of the people be the deciding factor, not the blatant motives of a would-be profiteer.
This time—for all the times when it seems not to—let love, laughter, and future generations win.
Respectfully,
Pam Bahr