Objectives

 

Proposed by Friends of NDACT

 

Ontario’s Aggregate Resources Act does not reflect today’s standards.  Thus, the following list of objectives was written with the intention of pursing change at the provincial level by filing comments on the Environmental Registry for new permit applications:

 

I am an Ontario resident and taxpayer.  I ask that the Government of Ontario and the Ministry of Natural Resources:

 

  1. Make conservation of aggregate, a non-renewable resource, a priority over approval of new extraction sites.  Conservation can occur through aggregate recycling and use of alternative materials.

 

  1. Reserve virgin aggregate, a non-renewable resource, for use within Canada.

 

  1. Prohibit aggregate extraction below the water table without a full Environmental Assessment and full understanding of the impact on all areas, near and far. 

 

  1. Prohibit aggregate extraction below the water table in drinking water source areas.

 

  1. Develop a process and guidelines for identifying and designating new Specialty Crop Areas to safeguard unique agricultural land resources.  Prohibit aggregate extraction in Specialty Crop Areas.

 

  1. Conduct a thorough study of all existing aggregate reserves in Ontario.  We cannot know what we need until we know what we have.

 

  1. Develop an “aggregate master plan” and disallow new aggregate mining licenses within the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area, Oak Ridges Moraine and Green Belt until the “aggregate master plan” has been approved by the province.

 

  1. Provide an assessment of the cumulative affects (dust, noise, air quality, traffic emissions; effects on water) of the “aggregate master plan” on Ontario residents by district.

 

  1. Require that new quarry proposals demonstrate the need for additional aggregate resource extraction in meeting the demands of the Ontario market.

 

  1. Mandate that an Environmental Assessment occur for all new or expanding aggregate operations.

 

  1. Realign the cost of virgin aggregate to reflect reality.  Economically, aggregate is a low-priced, heavy-weight commodity that takes the bulk of its cost from transportation.  Today, however, the price of virgin aggregate must include the activism necessary by residents to fight for their best interest despite the elected and public institutions designed to represent and protect the public interest.  As well, the cost must encompass the environmental cost on residents.  In other words the market cost for virgin aggregate is unrealistically cheap. Create a management system that works for residents and price the product accordingly.

 

  1. Reconcile this new aggregate application with the mega-quarry application (EBR 011-2864).  Why is this new aggregate resource required if the mega-quarry licence is approved?  What will happen to the operators of small aggregate resources when they are subjected to the monopolistic power of the goliath-like mega-quarry? 

 

Until such time as my above-noted concerns are addressed, I object to the establishment of this new aggregate resource.

 

 

* Notice that the above information has been compiled through private amateur research for the purpose of allowing the reader to make an informed and educated decision.  However, while the information is believed to be reliable, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. 

 

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