Estey's Bridge quarry opponents get no answers from province

Residents from Estey's Bridge and Douglas say they feel let down after leaving a meeting with government staff with no answers to their concerns about the rock quarries the province has allowed near their homes.

A group of residents believed it had an appointment with assistant deputy environment minister Perry Haines, but he didn't show up.

Instead, the residents say, they were met by lower-level officials, who wrote down their concerns.

The Environment Department denies that Haines was asked in advance to be at the meeting.

Want quarry shut down

The group wants the Mira Quarry on Royal Road, which opened in December 2014, shut down.

The residents also want Serge Rousselle, the minister of environment and local government, to reject a request from Springhill Infrastructure Ltd. to open a new quarry in the area.

People living near the quarry have complained about the dust, potential health risks, truck noise and the increase in traffic.

They've also expressed concerns about their property values dropping since the quarry was established north of Fredericton.

Nathaniel Purcelll, who lives near the Mira Quarry, said he was prepared to meet with the assistant deputy minister in hopes he would answer questions.

"It's very disappointing when you have to wait three years to get answers to any of the questions you've been throwing at this particular Department of Environment," he said.

"If I had one question I could ask [Premier] Brian Gallant and Serge Rouselle, it would be 'What do you have to say to people who have been robbed of their equity, who have been robbed of their health, and who have been robbed of their quality of life?'

"What would you say to people like that?"

Not asked in advance to attend

A spokesperson for the Environment Department said staff were at the meeting to listen to residents' concerns, the spokesperson said.

Judith Seymour, who represents Estey's Bridge on an Environment and Local Government advisory committee, said residents have been trying to get the attention of the department for years now, so it will recognize how much a problem the quarry is.

"The government may hide behind the regulations of the day and say whatever's happening with Mira is tickety-boo, but a regulation that allows a quarry to be this close to residents, that regulation is wrong and needs to be changed," she said.

"And they're the government and they have the power to do that."