Friends of Lanark Highlands

Protecting Lanark Highlands from irresponsible aggregate development

September 22, 2026

Candidate Survey for the Upcoming Municipal Election

We sent out a survey to all of those running in the Township of Lanark Highlands for the October 26th municipal elections. See how the candidates responded.

Page Under Construction - Coming Soon

September 19, 2026

We are very pleased to share a special upcoming event in support of Friends of Lanark Highlands.

Local artist Gloria-Lee Shoebridge will be presenting Once There Was a Tree, a collection of nearly 50 of her wood sculptures and paintings at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonald’s Corners.

Gloria is a mostly self-taught artist whose connection to the natural world began during her childhood in Saskatchewan’s Souris River Valley and continues to inspire her work today. Many of her sculptures begin with found remnants from the forest, particularly pieces in that remarkable stage of transformation from tree back to earth.

Gloria has an incredible eye for seeing the beauty and story in pieces of the natural world that others might simply pass by. Her work explores nature, change, healing and renewal, while honouring the marks and imperfections that become part of an object’s history.

In an incredibly generous gesture, Gloria is donating all net proceeds from the sale of her artwork to Friends of Lanark Highlands. This will help support our ongoing efforts to protect the land and water of Lanark Highlands.

We hope you will mark October 4 on your calendar and come out to support this very special event. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet Gloria, experience her work, come together as a community and perhaps take home a one-of-a-kind piece of art, while also supporting Friends of Lanark Highlands.

The show will remain at the MERA Schoolhouse until October 31. After opening day, visitors may stop by when the Schoolhouse is open or arrange a private viewing with Gloria by calling 613-715-4150.

Sunday, October 4
2:00–4:00 p.m.
MERA Schoolhouse
McDonald’s Corners

You can preview Gloria’s artwork here:

https://once-there-was-a-tree.vercel.app/about

We are incredibly grateful to Gloria and Tom Shoebridge for their continued support, and especially to Gloria for the tremendous amount of time, creativity and generosity she has put into making this fundraiser possible.

September 14, 2026

Status of the Highland Line Pit Proposal:

We would like to provide a brief update on the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) proceedings for the proposed Highland Line pit.

The second Case Management Conference (CMC), which had been scheduled for September 14, 2026, has been postponed. This is due to the Aggregate Resources Act application having not yet been referred to the OLT by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The second CMC, which will include scheduling of the OLT hearing, is now expected to take place early in the new year.

Friends of Lanark Highlands continues to participate in the OLT process as a Party and will continue to keep you informed as further information becomes available.

Thank you, as always, for your continued interest and support.

Ontario Government guide to the Ontario Land Tribunal process

Click on the above image to download.
The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) replaces the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). This guide explains the changes made to the process of land use planning in our province.

Click here for past updates on our blog

September 2, 2026

Click Image to download September 2026 Newsletter

Cavanagh Construction proposes a huge sand and gravel pit directly on the borders of Barbers Lake

A Class “A” pit operation with excavation below the water table operating 12 hours a day - 7 days a week (7 am to 7 pm)
Only a 30 metre setback from the sensitive wetland shores of Barbers Lake
Crushing, washing, and screening plants with recycling of imported construction waste and asphalt
Licence to remove up to 500,000 metric tonnes of aggregate annually
A truck every 2 minutes on the Highland Line, and continuing through Lanark Village to points east and south
The technical reports Cavanagh has submitted leave many unanswered questions about: traffic and roads; acoustics; the dark night sky; the impact on springs, aquifers, and wells; the impact on wetlands; loss of habitat and threat to species at risk; pre-contact archaeology; air quality;human health; property values; resource allocation; potential release of on-site uranium; climate change
In short, this proposal is an assault on the environment and the community surrounding McDonald’s Corners

Impacts

Removal and export of the entire hill forming the western shore of Barbers Lake

Potential destruction of important pre-contact artifacts
Loss of wildlife habitat in the vicinity of Barbers Lake and Long Sault Creek
Impact on property values and quality of life for waterfront and haul route communities
Damage to existing and future eco-tourism
Harm to water bodies through warmed water, potential contamination and silt
Threat to residents’ water supply, air quality, peace and well-being
Potential future demands, including a water taking licence, or permission to dewater

Aggregate is necessary for the growth and development of roads, housing and business!

Ontario has 13 times more aggregate than currently needed in already licensed pits

Misconceptions

This is revenue for the Township!

Lanark Highlands Township gets only 13 cents per tonne of aggregate taken away from the Township forever - in this pit the maximum payout possible would be $73,500 (14.7 cents x 500,000 = $73,500 per year), but likely much less - and MUCH MUCH less than the costs of road upgrades, loss of nature-based business and tourism, and the diminished value of properties throughout the area.

What can you do to help?

Write a letter! Details

Sign the petition to support the cause!

Attend public meetings. See upcoming Events

Become a member of Friends of Lanark Highlands

Join our mailing list to stay up-to-date (see below)

Make a donation to Friends of Lanark Highlands. Our Donation Page

Stay informed! Sign up for the mailing list here.

Make all your friends and neighbors aware!

Continue Writing Letters!

Letters of concern are crucial and can still be sent to Lanark Highlands Township, the County of Lanark and to our MPP John Jordon.

Subject: Cavanagh Proposed Highland Line Pit

Township of Lanark Highlands: LHclerk@lanarkhighlands.ca

County of Lanark: info@lanarkcounty.ca

Member of Provincial Parliament John Jordan: John.Jordan@pc.ola.org

Thank you to all who wrote letters of concern to both Phil White, the ARA/MNRF and the Environmental Registry as part of the licence application by Cavanagh. Every letter makes a difference!