A public hearing will be held on a proposed gravel quarry in the Valleyview area.

That became evident after a 5-2 vote Monday in favour of first reading for an amendment to the Official Community Plan (OCP) to designate the site as Natural Resource. A large group of citizens were on hand to hear the issue discussed.

Councillors Samson Hartland and Dan Boyd voted against first reading following a lengthy discussion among council and earlier presentations by five delegates speaking on the matter.

Ben Asquith, Da Daghay Development Corp.’s CEO, was also on hand at Monday night’s meeting with Ta’an Kwäch’än Council Chief Kristina Kane to answer city council’s questions about the plans.

Da Daghay is proposing the quarry on the 12.2-hectare site as part of an effort to lower the grade of the property (part of the Ta’an’s settlement land in the city) off the Alaska Highway.

The grade needs to be lowered because it currently can’t be developed due to height restrictions in place in light of the proximity to the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport.

In her presentation, Kane stressed quarrying on the site is not expected to be in place for decades, but rather simply to lower the grade so the planned development can happen.

“It is not a long-term project,” she said.

Asquith later suggested timelines of two, five or seven years depending on the market and how the effort moves forward. There’s no black and white when it comes to an exact timeline for quarrying.

The First Nation and development corporation also stressed their commitment to work with residents of the area.

“We want to work with Valleyview; we want to work with this community,” Asquith said, adding that ultimately, the goal is for the area to feature a beautiful development.

For that to happen though, the grade needs to be lowered – and that can happen through the proposed quarry.

As Asquith pointed out, the developers of the tank farm area behind the settlement land are already operating a similar quarry in order to get that site ready for development.

Residents of Valleyview who addressed council, however, voiced their opposition to the proposal, calling on the city not to move the matter forward.

Richard Runyon, the first to speak, highlighting numerous studies that point to health concerns that come for residents living near quarries.

He suggested children could face issues with lung development and could need regulators (breathing apparatus) when they’re outside if living within 400 metres of a quarry.

“I’m a bit dismayed if I have to get a regulator for my child to play outside – in Whitehorse – that’s a pretty disheartening thing,” Runyon said.

Sylvie Binette, the Valleyview Community Association’s president, told council “people are worried” about the health and safety issues that could come with further quarrying work in the area.

Questions exist around bank stabilization, impacts on ground water, monitoring of potential air pollution and more, Binette said.

She and others don’t understand why this is moving forward before these issues are resolved.

Similarly, another resident argued questions have gone unanswered around potential jobs, economic benefits and more.

She also said the development corporation’s proposal to reduce the required 300-metre buffer from residential areas to 15 m is “absolutely unacceptable.”

In light of the many issues, she said, the city should turn down the OCP amendment and change to buffer requirement.

Council also heard Ta’an citizen John Bunbury voice concerns he has with the proposal.

“I feel there’s not a real structured plan,” he said, adding the proposal needs proper planning and procedures in place.

During council’s discussion later in the meeting, members highlighted this as one of the most difficult decisions of this term, which began in late 2018.

Hartland highlighted sections of the First Nation’s land claims and self-government agreement pointing to the importance of sustainable development and the environment.

This parcel, he went on, was never identified for a gravel quarry, and the presence of one could lower the value of nearby properties.

At the same time as arguing against the site being used as a quarry, Hartland noted the need for the city to work with First Nations. He suggested there are provisions for properties to be swapped out for more developable parcels.

While he would not vote in favour of the OCP change moving forward, Hartland said, he does want the Ta’an to be successful and would like to see an alternative found for the First Nation.

Boyd, meanwhile, voiced his anxieties around the reduced buffer, noting it would be an incompatible land use and could create issues with the tank farm development.

He suggested ways to modify the land development, outside of operating a quarry, should be looked at.

Boyd noted he would like to see the city work with the Ta’an on the matter.

Other council members conceded there are concerns around the quarry proposal and questions that have yet to be answered. However, they were in favour of moving the OCP change forward to the public hearing stage ahead of second reading.

As Coun. Jan Stick said, she wants to hear all sides on the matter before making up her mind.

“It’s going to be a hard decision in the end,” she said.

Coun. Steve Roddick, who’s serving his first term as a councillor, pointed out this marks the most difficult decision since he was elected in October 2018.

“We have an obligation to the First Nations governments with whom we share land and jurisdiction here in Whitehorse,” he said.

“We also have responsibilities to make decisions that are in the interest of Valleyview residents, Hillcrest residents, and all Whitehorse residents when it comes to things like quality of life, health, and the enjoyment of their properties and neighbourhoods.”

Others also highlighted the potential to work toward a solution for all and the importance of listening to everyone who has an interest at the public hearing.

“I want to hear from everyone,” Mayor Dan Curtis said.

Along with the public hearing set for April 8, a public meeting hosted by the development corporation will be scheduled ahead of that.

A report on the public hearing would come forward April 29, with second reading scheduled for May 6.

If that’s approved, there would then be a 45-day ministerial review at the territorial level before it would come back for third reading.

It’s anticipated that third reading would come forward at council’s July 8 session.