Editor's note: The following story has been updated from its original version to reflect that the nearby watercourse is the Pine River. The river had previously been misidentified. BarrieToday regrets the error and any confusion it may has caused.
Protecting the Pine River as it flows through Angus is a priority for some of the village’s residents.
So, when one of them saw a snow-removal contractor dropping one dump truck load of snow after another in the back parking lot of the plaza at 17 King St., Friday night, just a few metres from the banks of the Pine as it meanders behind the plaza, he jumped into action because he was concerned that something nefarious was on the go.
The resident said he approached the workers with his concerns and was told they were doing the job they were assigned to do. They told the concerned resident they had the property owner’s permission to dump the snow in the plaza parking lot and that’s all they were doing.
The resident then escalated his concerns and alerted Essa Township officials to what was going on.
Mayor Sandie Macdonald was notified around 9:30 p.m. and went to investigate. She said she had a conversation with the workers on-site.
According to Macdonald, the workers were co-operative and willing to relocate the piles of snow, once they were made aware of the potential impacts it could have on the river and flooding in the immediate area.
“I was thankful for the resident notifying me,” Macdonald told BarrieToday on Monday morning. “(The workers) stopped what they were doing instantly.”
According to Tyler Colby, owner of CCL Landscaping, the company moved its snow drop zone immediately after talking with Mayor Macdonald.
They started a mound in the front near an existing pile of snow that was already well over two metres high. It was at least 100 metres from the river’s edge.
“It was a complete misunderstanding,” Colby told BarrieToday on Monday. “We thought we were doing the right thing. We had permission to dump there. But after talking with the township officials and understanding their concerns with the river, we moved the snow to another location.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” he added. “Nothing crazy.”
Michael Mikael, the township's chief administrative officer, also visited the site Friday night.
“I think they were just confused and weren’t aware of the contamination and flooding risks,” he said. “We explained the risks and we have notified the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
“I am waiting to hear back from both agencies,” Mikael added.
