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million tonnes

+167
million tonnes
production of mineral aggregates in 2023

licences

+3,550
licences
for pits and quarries on private land

aggregate permits

+2,430
aggregate permits
on Crown land and 1 wayside permit.

tonnes

+14
tonnes
of aggregate used per person in Ontario each year

WHO WE ARE

TOARC was incorporated in 1997 to act as Trustee of the Aggregate Resources Trust, a trust created under the authority of the Aggregate Resources Act and pursuant to a trust indenture between the Corporation and The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)

TOARC has assumed, in the public interest, the responsibilities provided for in an indenture between The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and the Corporation as of the 27th day of June 1997. Those responsibilities include the collection and disbursement of aggregate fees, the rehabilitation of abandoned pits and quarries, the rehabilitation of sites where licenses or permits have been revoked, the collection and publication of production statistics and other information and the education and training of those in or interested in the aggregate industry.

We hope this site will be helpful to the holders of the approximately 3,600 licenses and 2,450 permits across the Province, to the provincial and municipal governments who are the recipients of more than $30 million annually in various licence, permit and royalty fees and to all others having an interest in the management of Ontario’s aggregate resources.

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Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)

At the Provincial level, the management of Ontario’s aggregate resources is the responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources (the MNR). In 1997, in an effort to better focus resources on the delivery of core programs, the MNR took steps to build a partnership with private industry to manage certain administrative functions. Accordingly, subsections 6.1 (1) and 6.1 (3) of the Aggregate Resources Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chap. A.8, as amended (the Act), gave the Minister the power to create the Aggregate Resources Trust (the Trust) and appoint a Trustee to look after its affairs.

The Ministry of Natural Resources requested The Ontario Aggregate Resources Corporation (TOARC) to act as Trustee and in June of 1997 signed an indenture with the Corporation (the Trust Agreement) outlining the terms and conditions under which TOARC would fulfill the Trust purposes.

The Trust Purposes include:

  • 1.The rehabilitation of land for which a Licence or Permit has been revoked and for which final rehabilitation has not been completed;
  • 2.The rehabilitation of abandoned pits and quarries, including surveys and studies respecting their location and condition;
  • 3.Research on aggregate resources management, including rehabilitation;
  • 4.Payments to the Crown in right of Ontario and to regional municipalities, counties and local municipalities in accordance with regulations made pursuant to the Act;
  • 5.The management of the Abandoned Pits and Quarries Rehabilitation Fund;
  • 6.Such other purposes as may be provided for by or pursuant to Paragraph 6.1(2) 5 of the Act.
In August of 1999, Addendum 1 to the Original Trust Indenture was signed to expand the Trust Purposes to include:
  • a.The education and training of persons engaged in or interested in the management of the aggregate resources of Ontario, the operation of pits or quarries, or the rehabilitation of land from which aggregate has been excavated;
  • b.The gathering, publishing and dissemination of information relating to the management of the aggregate resources of Ontario, the control and regulation of aggregate operations and the rehabilitation of land from which aggregate has been excavated.
The Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (the OSSGA) is the sole shareholder of the Corporation. However, a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors pursuant to the Trust Indenture administers the affairs of the Corporation. The seven-member Board is composed of representatives of OSSGA, environmental groups, municipalities and a non-OSSGA aggregate producer. TOARC operates at arms-length from the OSSGA in terms of separate office facilities, management staff and reporting. TOARC, in its role as Trustee, is responsible only to fulfill the Trust purposes as outlined in Bill 52. The MNR maintains a presence on the Board with an ex officio representative.
Since its inception in 1997, TOARC has focused upon developing systems for the efficient collection and disbursement of aggregate resource charges, the auditing of production reports, the rehabilitation of abandoned pits and quarries through the MAAP program, the collection and publishing of production statistics and the general management of the Trust assets. The Trust has funded the rehabilitation of sites where licenses and permits have been revoked and TOARC maintains a current inventory of other such sites so that further rehabilitation can take place in an orderly fashion.

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