• In a 4–3 decision, Council approved a controversial fill permit for 5783 Bloomington Road.
  • Thornbay Drive residents voiced strong concerns about potential health, safety, and quality-of-life impacts stemming from the seven-year operation.
  • Town Staff explained that rejecting the plan could have pushed the applicant to seek Provincial approval through a new aggregate extraction permit.
  • That alternate process could have allowed the project to proceed with no municipal conditions, benefits, or oversight.
  • By approving the agreement, Stouffville secured a future four-acre park and a projected $2.5 million in revenue.
  • While residents remain skeptical, a possible signalized intersection, mud- and dust-mitigation measures, and two noise barriers are planned.
  • Mayor Lovatt and Councillors Kroon and Smith opposed the fill permit, with Councillors Sherban, Acton, Bartley, and Upton in favour.

 

“Thanks for nothing!” Pamela Calderone said sharply as she left Council Chambers last Wednesday. Moments earlier, Stouffville Councillors had narrowly approved a 1.9 million cubic metre fill operation behind her Thornbay Drive home.

“This application has weighed heavily on us,” she said during an earlier deputation. Speaking on behalf of neighbours who could not attend the meeting, Calderone listed the children who call Thornbay home and told Council that quality-of-life impacts would be life changing for them.

“These children thrive outdoors in a community us parents have created together,” she said. “As parents, we do the worrying for them… The quality of these children’s lives will be adversely affected if a project of this nature will operate in such close proximity to our homes.”

Other members of the Thornbay community spoke to the plan, echoing many of the same worries and frustrations they brought forward over the summer.

“This decision doesn’t just change a piece of land, it changes a childhood,” concluded Calderone. “This plan may look acceptable on paper, but no study or report can change the simple truth that the location itself is fundamentally unsuitable for a project of this scale.”

The proposal comes from the Battistella family, operating as Bloomington Soils Inc., who have owned 5783 Bloomington Road since 2000. The property was partially restored after a gravel and sand extraction operation ended in 1985, and although the family farms corn and soybeans on the land today, they say its usefulness is limited.

Two ponds, remnants of the former pit set to be dewatered and filled as part of the project’s initial phase, sit within a deep depression in the landform just west of Thornbay. While serving as part of a scenic vista enjoyed by adjacent property owners, the bodies of water are direct conduits to the aquifer that supplies local wells.

Alongside the potential for groundwater drawdown, residents fear incoming fill could contaminate their drinking water. Bloomington Soils argues the opposite, saying the plan to fill the ponds will help protect the aquifer by reducing exposure to potential contaminants.

They have committed to using the highest-grade soil, known as Table 1 fill, to fill the ponds. Table 2.1 agricultural fill, also considered a clean, high-quality grade, would be placed throughout the rest of the site.

In recommending Council approve the fill plan, Town Staff agreed with the applicant’s assessment: “Backfilling the existing ponds and capping the aquifer will protect the groundwater from external elements and potential contamination from the runoff entering the groundwater through the open ponds.”.

While Thornbay residents left the meeting understandably discouraged, context from Commissioner of Engineering and Public Works Jack Graziosi underscored the complexity of Council’s decision.

He explained that if Stouffville had rejected the plan, Bloomington Soils could have turned to a Provincial route by applying for a new aggregate extraction permit. Because recoverable aggregates remain on the property, the company could have incorporated its fill plan into a Provincial extraction approval, effectively bypassing municipal authority.

Under that scenario, the project could still have proceeded, but without the Town’s conditions or financial benefits. Stouffville would have forfeited an estimated $2.5 million in fees tied to the imported fill.

Although the Provincial pathway could require additional time and resources from Bloomington Soils, it would leave the operation overseen solely by the Province. Without an agreement in place, the Town would have no authority to enforce compliance.

“The Town would have zero input into that approval, as it would be undertaken by the Province,” Graziosi said in response to a related question from Councillor Richard Bartley. “Any of the conditions that we have discussed today…would not be within our realm to comment on, nor the revenues.”

One of those conditions, a significant change from Bloomington Soils’ original proposal, is the company’s commitment to transfer a four-acre parcel to the Town once the project is complete. Intended to help expand Stouffville’s parkland supply, which is currently facing a deficit, it was another benefit the Town could have potentially lost had Council rejected the application.

Stouffville is growing quickly, and a combination of rising land prices and minimal supply have strained the Town’s ability to expand its inventory of programmable parks. Located near the southwest end of Thornbay, the new park could accommodate fields, playground facilities, and parking, though final programming will be determined later.

Operations will run weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Saturday activity allowed only through Town approval. Environmental and fill quality controls are outlined in the Fill Management Plan, with incoming soil facing a structured testing schedule at its source per Provincial regulations.

Bloomington Soils will operate a groundwater monitoring program subject to semi-annual audits by Stouffville and York Region. They will also offer residents a well survey to establish baseline depth conditions and track impacts over time.

While pending approvals from York Region, they also promised to build a signalized intersection to facilitate truck movements. Bloomington traffic would be stopped only to provide a safe exit onto Bloomington Road when a truck needs to depart the site, Graziosi said.

Trucks will be restricted from queuing on Bloomington, and rumble strips will be placed near the exit in an effort to reduce mud. Community reports of excess mud must be addressed within four hours, and Councillors asked Staff to explore adding a wheel-wash system to the agreement.

While residents have questioned how effective they will be, dust-control measures and a no tailgate-slamming policy will also be in effect. To help manage noise, a 2.4-metre fence will be erected along the Thornbay edge of the property before work begins. A seven-metre berm will then be built in phases, relying on the availability of materials to get underway.

This has led to additional fears from the community, who worry the temporary fencing won’t be enough to mitigate noise before the berm is completed. Construction activity has slowed across Ontario, reducing access to clean fill. While that could keep daily truck volumes below projected peaks and ease some pressure on nearby residents, it could also extend the timeline beyond the project’s estimated seven-year completion window.

A dedicated complaint line will be put in place by Bloomington Soils, which committed to responding within 48 hours. Reports will be filed with the Town, and Councillor Sue Sherban requested they provide a public-facing website where residents can easily access project information and documentation.

Councillors Hugo Kroon and Maurice Smith joined Mayor Iain Lovatt in opposing the fill plan. Lovatt thanked both Bloomington Soils and Thornbay residents for their engagement and reaffirmed a promise he made earlier in the process.

“Before this addendum came to us in our agenda about the parkland that’s being offered, I made a commitment to the residents that I wouldn’t support the application,” Lovatt said. “My word is my word, and I’m going to stand by my word.”

“While I see the opportunities for the Town, and I see the cons if it gets out of our hands like Councillor Bartley raised, I also have seen the kids that were listed,” he continued. “I know what the impact of something like this will have on that community.”