Green and Pleasant Land… for how long?

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Cavan Township, Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan Township and finally Cavan-Monaghan Towsnhip (the name we have grudgingly accepted) – also known as the Green and Pleasant Land… for how long?


- Mega development in Fraserville
- Water diversion project
- Enormous wind turbines
- Monstrous gravel pit expansion
- Brookfield’s development study for over 23,000 acres

Fraserville mega development of a “complete community” of between 2,000 and 3,000 residential units, industry, hotels, casino, golf course, retail/wholesale enterprises etc. was reduced to 680 housing units because thousands of houses could not be serviced. The rest stays but it is totally unknown what all these enterprises are going to be.

Then a new project has been introduced – water diversion from Millbrook artesian wells ( 2 of them located in the provincially protected Oakridges Moraine ) through a 12 km pipeline to Fraserville increasing water use by 800%.

Then come wind turbines, monstrous structures, almost as tall as CN Tower. They would be located on leased private lands and lease for each one is $8,000 a year – sounds wonderful for struggling farmers but not for their neighbours; and at the end of the day, owner of the leased land will not be able to use it – just think of those security guards alone… and once the turbine is there, it is going to stay.

Wind farms are to be in Millbrook, Bethany, Pontypool, Orono; there are proposals for Warkworth and Grafton.

Next comes Hayes Line gravel pit expansion in Mt. Pleasant, enormous land eating enterprise with its huge trucks, noise, road construction and threat to underground water.

Since there is a wind monitoring tower on Hayes Line, most likely the wind turbines will be located in Mt.Pleasant as well.

And finally, the Brookfield’s studies and most likely development plans for over 23,000 acres, most of it prime agricultural land…

Fraserville development and water diversion project is the result of a local political decision and only

a local political decision can stop it. The shovels (or rather bulldozers) were to be in the ground on Larmer Line by mid-November 2009. However, both water diversion and the Official Plan are on hold as a result of opposition from the residents of Millbrook and surrounding area.

In view of the grandiose plans for this Township, there might be no space for the current population to live and enjoy living once it will be turned into the “grey and unpleasant land”. We should stop thinking locally and considering Mt.Pleasant or Ida a foreign country. Perhaps it is an overused expression of the past, but people here should UNITE and fight for the Township as a whole, to fight for the proper way of managing and developing it. It can be a jewel if things are done right. There is no need to bring thousands of newcomers, no need to destroy agricultural land. Employment can be created for those who live here and not for those who will come. As for the agriculture – it does not need to be addicted to corn/soybean/feed (hay), there are much more profitable crops.

The reason we are being swarmed by the developers and other fortunes seekers is no protection of the Green Belt; hopefully it will be extended in the near future, before total destruction of this land.

Lets hope too for the wiser local political decisions in the nearest future.

Eva Hans
Cavan Ward