Editors Note: Dr. Witzke has also written letters regarding the current proposal before Tri Roads to:
MLA Rick Wowchuk, the Minister of Environment, Dept of Fisheries and Manitoba Tourism
Dear Sir ;
My name is Dr. Ronald W Witzke, a retired surgeon and RCAF veteran who has chosen your region as my retirement home (Cottage Cove at Asessippi Ski Hill) .
This community, which began as a skier’s alpine village, has evolved over the decades to become a permanent home to many families who are here because of the unique ecology, natural beauty and serenity of the Shell River Valley that cradles us.
A skiing resort in winter (a major local industry) and a fishing, boating and hiking destination in summer (another major tourist industry) has made this area attractive to retirees and investors alike.
All of this is now facing an existentialist threat by an application to destroy the valley by placing a gravel pit adjacent to the Shell River, less than half a kilometre from our quiet community. There is already a gravel pit a few kilometres north of our settlement and the river, which, although annoying at times for the noise it produces, does not significantly impact the river and the bucolic beauty of the valley (which is often used as a background for the wedding venue business located nearby).
We have already approached local municipal and provincial representatives with our concerns, but I worry the coalition of big business (Russell Redi Mix and Concrete) and a socialist government will result in money trumping environment.
Therefore, I am writing to you, as the local Member of Parliament (copying the Hon Julie Aviva Debrusin), pleading for any intervention to prevent this environmental disaster. The river provides a hatchery for the spawning of walleye, perch and pike that feed the Lake of the Prairies (a huge tourist attraction) and I fear the dust and industrial waste produced by the gravel pit equipment leaching into the river will destroy this fishery. The river also provides recreation to locals and tourists alike, who enjoy the kayaking, hiking and boating in the serenity of natural beauty provided by the valley.
There is a boat dock by the bridge, the TransCanada Trail runs through the valley and kids can watch pelicans, eagles and vultures soar above while they fish with their grandparents from the old bridge across the Shell. I can’t imagine any of this existing adjacent to a huge gravel pit crushing rock and hauling gravel daily. In the winter, Asessippi Ski Resort is a major tourist destination, attracting busloads of kids and thousands of skiers (bringing millions of tourist dollars) to its pristine runs and quiet setting. Imagine the impact of gravel dust on the clean snow and the cacophony of the pit grinders on the quiet hills; the operation of a gravel pit cannot coexist with this kind of recreation. There must be hundreds of other gravel deposits in Manitoba that are not as existentially impactful to surrounding ecology, economy and environment. There has been no environmental impact study, no fisheries department study, and no economic impact study; surely that is the least that should be done prior to any consideration of this application. Please help us preserve this beautiful unique part of Manitoba in any way you can.
Sincerely,
Ronald W Witzke CD