Pits, Quarries and the Environmental Bill of Rights

This document introduces you to some of Ontario’s laws regulating aggregate operations.  In particular, it outlines your rights to take part in decisions on aggregate operations through the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) and other laws.

Background

Aggregates include sand, gravel, and crushed rock; specific types include limestone, dolostone, sandstone, marble and granite.  Aggregates are used for road building and other construction.  The two types of aggregate extraction operations are quarries and pits.  The difference between a pit and a quarry is based on the type of material being taken from a site.  Sand and gravel are called unconsolidated materials and come from a pit.  Bedrock, such as limestone and granite, is considered to be consolidated material and comes from a quarry.  Usually, blasting is required to remove aggregate from a quarry, but not from a pit.

An array of laws, regulations, policies and approvals is used in Ontario to plan, permit and manage aggregate operations.   The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is the lead agency responsible for regulating aggregate pits and quarries under the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA).  MNR has delegated to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) the authority under the ARA to issue and manage wayside permits and aggregate permits, when the aggregate is required for provincial road projects.

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