TOARC - Education & The Trust - Educating those interested in aggregates

Education & the Trust

One of the Trust’s important purposes is the education and training of those interested in the aggregate industry. TOARC is continuously working to bridge the communication gap between industry and the public as well as provide a non-biased communication forum. Funds to support research projects come in part from income earned on Trust assets and in part from a portion of the licence fees paid by aggregate producers. The Board of Directors determines the level of funding for any particular education project after carefully considering the education plan and its relevance to the aggregate industry at large. The Trust has supported small education projects requiring minimal funding as well as funding multi-year courses to educate and better expand knowledge to individuals interested in the aggregate industry.

LIFE AFTER AGGREGATES, We need your help to complete important research — (PDF – 0.34MB)
**Someone left a pamphlet in my mailbox!**

LIFE AFTER AGGREGATES, eSurrender

The rehabilitation of pits and quarries is an important step in the sustainable management of aggregate resources in the Province. Proper rehabilitation helps to transition from a land-use of aggregate extraction to other productive land-use activities, which reduces land-use conflict and addresses social, economic, and environmental concerns. While exceptional rehabilitation practices exist and are often applied, they can go unnoticed and unappreciated by the public due to a lack of transparency.

This was emphasized in the report on the 2013 Review of the Aggregate Resources Act by the Standing Committee on General Government. Developed by TOARC in response, eSurrender is an electronic database of surrendered aggregate licences and permits in the Province of Ontario providing information on the end- use of restored aggregate sites.

One of the main purposes of the Trust is education, training, publishing and dissemination of the information on aggregate management. The Surrendered Sites Reporting and Mapping Tool is bridging communication and informational gaps between the aggregate industry and the public by communicating the end-use/ rehabilitation of pits and quarries across Ontario.

Education on Aggregates

Surrender Reporting Tool

AGGREGATE RESOURCES, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

In 2015 TOARC was approached by the University of Waterloo to support a graduate course on Aggregate Resources, Planning and Development to help increase knowledge on the rapid evolution of aggregate resources for the Province’s future planners.

Students taking this course are exposed to a variety of aggregate topics including, geological basics and economics of Aggregate Resources, the Aggregate Resources and Mining Modernization Act, pit / quarry licencing process, Planning Act requirements for pit and quarries, provincial plans and the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) issues related to aggregate resources.The course also covers some media interest pieces such as recent / significant LPAT / ERT decisions related to aggregate resources, practical and innovative rehabilitation and after-use

strategies, water issues related to pits and quarries and technical reviews of applications. The classes welcome many guest lecturers and field trips to active and surrendered aggregate sites.

The course is not only for students at the University of Waterloo but is open to individuals in planning and the aggregate industry looking to expand their knowledge! Please contact TOARC or the University of Waterloo for more information on registration.

ENVIROTHON

THE STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION

OSSGA REHABILITATION TOUR

AGGREGATES TO AGRICULTURE

A need for research into rehabilitation of aggregate extraction sites to agriculture was established by the Review of the Aggregate Resources Act (Ontario 2013) and the State of the Aggregate Resources in Ontario Study (MNR 2009). Both of these documents outline that in Ontario, agricultural rehabilitation is encouraged when aggregate extraction takes place on specialty or prime crop land under the Provincial Policy Statement (OMMAH 2014). However no information was available to either the public or aggregate producers as to if this practice is occurring, and whether these rehabilitation projects are successful.

In response to this need, and in keeping with its mandate to undertake research on rehabilitation, TOARC established the Aggregates-to-Agriculture Study in 2013. The study focused on two questions: (1) to what extent has rehabilitation from aggregates to agriculture occurred in Ontario, and (2) to what degree is agricultural productivity, crop quality and soil development on rehabilitated farmland as good as that on similar land that has not been disturbed.

To answer the questions presented, a database of sites was created with the goal of gathering, organizing and evaluating broad information on rehabilitated extraction sites presently used for agriculture. Fourteen sites were then randomly selected, paired with undisturbed surrounding agricultural land and intensively sampled for a comparative analysis. Beyond determination of how extensive aggregate-to-agriculture rehabilitation has been in Ontario, a central goal of the analysis

was to evaluate patterns of success with respect to potential best rehabilitation practices previously employed on study sites, including different tillage methods, fertilizer applications and cover-cropping strategies.

The study suggests that complete recovery of prime agricultural production after aggregate extraction is possible, however, there is room for improvement and further evidence is required to determine exact methods to increase this success rate. Aggregate producers, government regulators and the general public should therefore feel confident that aggregate resource development really can be an interim land use with minimal environmental impacts, even within Ontario’s best farmlands.

View the full study (PDF - 1.5 MB)

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

GRADE 9 CURRICULUM PROGRAM

SURRENDER SITES REPORTING TOOL

EDUCATION AND THE TRUST

Education & Surrendered Sites: One of the Trust’s important purposes is the education and training of those interested in the aggregate industry. TOARC Is continuously working to bridge the communication gap between industry and the public as well as provide a non biased communication forum.

Education & the Trust

LIFE AFTER AGGREGATES, eSurrender

SHORT LINKS

THE ONTARIO AGGREGATE RESOURCES CORPORATION