Statement by St Marys Cement in Response to Inflammatory Comments by Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin
TORONTO, Oct. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Earlier this week, St Marys Cement announced that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and other senior Cabinet Ministers will be subpoenaed and compelled to testify in the judicial review of the Liberal government's decision to kill the proposed Flamborough Quarry. St Marys has also filed a NAFTA claim based on the regulatory failure in this case, and is seeking damages of not less than $275 million.
In an article posted on the CBC Hamilton website yesterday, Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin referred to the actions by St. Marys Cement as "belligerent threats to people." We believe that Mr. McMeekin's comments are inappropriate and highly inflammatory.
Mr. McMeekin further states that the project would have been on "environmentally sensitive lands." In fact, in response to an exhaustive Freedom of Information (FOI) request by St Marys Cement, the government did not produce any evidence that the quarry would compromise the watershed, water quality or quantity, wetlands, or the natural environment.
What we did find in the materials released were numerous documents suggesting a deeply politicized process that amounts to another Liberal seat-saver scandal, similar to the Oakville and Mississauga gas plant debacles. One such document shows that on the eve of the Ministerial Zoning Order announcement which halted our application process, the Press Secretary to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Jim Bradley counseled Ted McMeekin to "trumpet your success" at the local level. He told Mr. McMeekin to do a multi-day celebration to get "the most media bang for our buck." He further suggested a victory party complete with "a giant cake, some music, etc."
Mr. McMeekin should correct the record, retract his comments and apologize. St. Marys Cement continues to seek an opportunity to follow a well-defined aggregate licensing process that would bring much needed jobs and new tax revenue to Hamilton.
About St Marys Cement
St Marys Cement is a leading manufacturer of cement and related construction products in Canada and the United States. The company operates two cement plants in Ontario, one in St. Marys, where the company was founded in 1912, and one in Bowmanville. Through its division Canada Building Materials (CBM), it is a major supplier of concrete and aggregates across the Province of Ontario from Ottawa to Windsor, operating over 40 ready-mix concrete plants and 22 aggregate pits and quarries. St Marys Cement Inc. (Canada) is a subsidiary of St. Marys VCNA, LLC and is a part of Votorantim Cimentos, an international cement manufacturer based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
SOURCE: St Marys Cement Inc.
Karl Baldauf, 416-848-1429
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