For Inverhaugh (Ontario's the Pits) 2006
Wood and Gravel,
76" by 52" by 74" tall,
Eventually carved from stone.

 

The Government of Ontario is in dire need of gravel and aggregate for its roads and subdivisions. A consistent increase of traffic on our highways means more lanes, more construction, and more materials in demand. Fortunately, across Southern Ontario there are dense deposits of gravel close to the surface of the ground, left from glacial moraines.

Unfortunately for the small rural communities of Southern Ontario, the Government of Ontario simply gives the location and rights for contractors to open up the ground and start a gravel pit. The small communities watch as they get bullied around and have to sacrifice their quiet way of life. Losing prime agricultural land, losing historical landmarks, and expecting up to one hundred and fifty gravel trucks a day pouring out of the pit.

The hamlet of Inverhaugh is just one of these small communities that are being bullied by gravel pit demands. They have been fighting the Government of Ontario over it, and so far in the last couple of years, are succeeding. Inverhaugh is only a stones throw away from the Grand River between Elora and Waterloo. The gravel deposit beneath their community acts as a natural filter as agricultural runoff trickles down through it into the Grand River water shed. The gravel has been cleaning the water from over a century of farm practice, and the removal of the deposit will have dire consequences. What happens when old ways and new demands collide…