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Ontario’s environment and communities are at risk from the unnecessary expansion of gravel mining operations.
While gravel is essential for building infrastructure, Ontario already has more than enough licensed aggregate reserves to meet demand. A moratorium on new gravel mining approvals is not just a responsible step — it’s necessary to protect our environment, manage resources sustainably, and ensure provincial policies are aligned with the long-term well-being of our communities.
The State of the Aggregate Resource in Ontario Study (2010) reveals that Ontario has 3.44 billion tonnes of licensed aggregate reserves, including 317 million tonnes of high-quality limestone and dolostone within 75 kilometres of the Greater Toronto Area. These reserves are more than sufficient for the province’s needs. Yet, despite this ample supply, there is pressure to open new gravel pits and quarries, often at the expense of Ontario’s environmental and agricultural resources.
This expansion of gravel mining conflicts with the goals set out in Ontario’s Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), which is meant to guide land-use planning and development across the province. Several key areas of the PPS are at odds with current aggregate policies:
- Protection of prime agricultural land (PPS 2.3): The PPS aims to protect prime agricultural land for long-term food production. Yet, many proposed gravel mining operations encroach upon these lands, threatening their viability for farming. The State of the Aggregate Resource Study found that 93 per cent of unlicensed bedrock resources overlap with prime agricultural areas. Opening new quarries in these areas contradicts the PPS’s goal to safeguard agricultural lands, putting our food security and rural economies at risk.
- Water resource protection (PPS 2.2): Ontario’s water resources are critical, and the PPS mandates their protection, including groundwater recharge areas. However, gravel extraction, especially below the water table, poses significant risks to local water supplies. The Auditor General’s Report (2023) raised concerns about the lack of oversight in managing water impacts from aggregate operations. Expanding gravel pits into sensitive water recharge zones directly conflicts with the PPS’s commitment to water conservation.
- Environmental protection (PPS 2.1): The PPS is clear about the need to protect natural heritage features like wetlands, woodlands, and areas that support species at risk. Many aggregate operations are proposed in regions that overlap with these sensitive environments, as highlighted in the State of the Aggregate Resource Study. This leads to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss, undermining the PPS’s broader environmental protection objectives.
These conflicts between aggregate policies and the PPS reveal a fundamental misalignment in how Ontario manages its land and resources. Instead of approving more extraction sites, the province should focus on managing existing reserves more responsibly. According to the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition, Ontario already has permits to extract 13 times more gravel than it consumes annually. With such overcapacity, opening new pits is not only unnecessary but also harmful to Ontario’s long-term sustainability.
The issues don’t stop at policy conflicts. Rehabilitation of existing gravel pits is sorely lacking. Both the Auditor General’s Report and the State of the Aggregate Resource Study found that 40 per cent of licensed pits and quarries have not even begun rehabilitation. Issuing new licences without ensuring proper rehabilitation of current sites only compounds the problem, leaving communities with scarred landscapes and damaged ecosystems.
One of the most sustainable solutions is to increase the use of recycled aggregates. Ontario currently recycles about 13 million tonnes of aggregate annually, but this could be expanded. By focusing on recycling, Ontario can meet its infrastructure needs while minimizing environmental damage, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and conserving energy.
A moratorium on new gravel mining approvals would give Ontario the time to address these critical issues. It would allow for a thorough review of existing reserves, better enforcement of rehabilitation standards, and a reconsideration of how aggregate policies align with the PPS. Ontario does not need more gravel mining; what we need is smarter, more responsible resource management that prioritizes the health of our environment and communities.
On a final note, there is an application for a new licence in Brechin, where 50 per cent of the property is on prime agricultural soil. Please consider signing our petition: chng.it/gLXgtVnvQr.
Anna Bourgeois
Ramara Township
