TOARC - MAAP Online Reporting Tool FAQ

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What is the purpose of MAAP Online Reporting Tool (MORT)?

MAAP Online Reporting Tool was created to provide the public with self – service access to information on legacy pits and quarries while respecting the right to privacy of the individual landowners. The MAAP program is utilizing MORT as a means of sharing the status of the legacy sites across the province, showcase the naturalization of many legacy sites and highlight excellent rehabilitation that has been completed while maintaining landowner confidentiality.

What are the features of MORT?

MORT will help interested parties to:

Examine the status of legacy pit rehabilitation across the province.
Assess the number and status of legacy sites in Ontario and in individual counties and townships.
View individual site photos of closed legacy sites in each county and township.

What are Legacy Pits?

One of the primary functions of the Trust is the rehabilitation of former pits and quarries deemed to be “abandoned”. By definition, abandoned or legacy pits and quarries include those that have never been licenced following the establishment of the Aggregate Resources Act (the ARA) in 1990. These former extraction sites remain the property of individuals, corporate entities and municipalities. Typically, they are relatively small by nature (less than 2 hectares), were created as the result of small scale operations (municipal wayside pits, private use pits or intermittent commercial operations) and were generally unregulated.

Where did the inventory of the legacy sites come from?

When the Aggregate Resources Act was created in 1990, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) undertook an inventory of site disturbances that were thought to be the result of aggregate extraction. That investigation resulted in the creation of approximately 6,600 legacy files. The inventory of sites first undertaken by the MNR has been expanded to incorporate other areas of the Province as they become designated under the ARA; most notably new areas in northern Ontario. A history of these more recently designated areas can be found under the Designated Areas section. The most recent designation of 2007 resulted in 1,300 additional properties deemed to be abandoned and therefore eligible for assistance through the MAAP program.

Where can I get more information about a specific legacy pit or quarry?

Most legacy pits and quarries occur on private lands. As a result information on individual sites can only be released to the current landowner.

What is meant by ‘Closed Files’?

Legacy files are ‘closed’ if upon a primary or re-evaluation the sites fall under one of more of the ‘closed’ classifications. Since it has now been over 20 years since sites in the original inventory were assessed and many of the legacy sites have not seen any disturbance for much longer than that (40 years and more in many cases). The reality is that many sites have reverted to other uses for a number of reasons. The extent to which older sites have reverted to other uses has been the subject of an ongoing systematic re-evaluation of the files contained in the original inventory.

What are the ‘closed classifications’ for Files?

Naturalized:

The MAAP program uses the term ‘naturalized’ for sites where ecological succession has increased in complexity until it has become stable or self – maintaining as a healthy, functioning ecosystem. Site checks must reveal that there are no safety concerns associated with the sites, that ecological niches exist, rehabilitation would do more harm than good and that the site blends in with the surrounding topography and landscapes. The MAAP program classifies naturalized sites into the following broad categories: Forest Forest Regenerating Meadow Non- Specified Water Body Wetland Complex Alvar

MAAP Project:

The MAAP program rehabilitates pits and quarries every year, after rehabilitation the files are closed. The MAAP program aims to rehabilitate sites to provide a higher level of function (usefulness) over the prevailing condition of the site, always having regard to eliminating any safety concerns. Rehabilitation objectives are set in consultation with the landowner.

MNR Project:

Between 1992 and 1996 the Ministry of Natural Resources "MNR" (now called Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry "MNR") completed the rehabilitation of legacy pits and quarries as mandated by the Aggregated Resources Act.

Rehabilitated by Landowner:

These are legacy pits and quarries that have been rehabilitated by the current or by the past landowner and no longer require the intervention of the MAAP program.

Developed:

These are legacy sites where the pit or quarry has been developed into commercial properties, residential homes or park-lands.

Crown Land:

Legacy sites located on Crown land are closed since they are not designated under the Aggregate Resources Act. Subsequently, the legacy site would not qualify for the MAAP program.

Licenced:

In some instances legacy sites will have been licence under the Aggregate Resources Act. Subsequently, the legacy site no longer qualifies for the MAAP program as rehabilitation will now be a condition of the licence. Information on the pit or quarry can be found on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Pits and Quarries Online database.

No Trace of Extraction:

Sites that fall into this classification are those where, after satellite image interpretation, ground truthing and landowner contact the location of the pit cannot be determined. The case may be that the legacy site may have been:

rehabilitated by a past landowner or;
a home or building may have been erected on the legacy pit/quarry location or;
there was not enough information in the original Ministry inventory to locate the site (ex. lot and/ or concession missing, no map provided, etc.) or;
the landowner reports that the disturbance was not caused by aggregate extraction.

What does Landowner Not Interested (LNI) mean?

Many landowners utilize the legacy site in its disturbed condition for a variety of functions (storage of farm implements, removal of gravel for personal use, and so on) and therefore are not interested in having the site rehabilitated by the MAAP program. Such sites are identified as “Landowner Not Interested” but can be revisited if, the landowners change their minds or if the ownership changes hands and the new landowner is interested in the program.

What does it mean if a file is ‘open’?

Open files are sites that potentially require intervention by the MAAP program to rehabilitate the legacy pit or quarry.

Are all open files equal?

No. The files are based on a priority ranking system of high, medium and low. Given the size of the Province and the number and variety of sites to deal with, it has been necessary to establish certain priorities for organizing the MAAP work program, or open files. Site inventories are completed for the sites and provide a record of conditions, ranked with respect to a number of parameters that when totaled provide a composite ranking for each site. Things like possible safety concerns (unstable slopes, deep water, vertical cliffs, etc.), visibility, size, lack of vegetation and susceptibility to erosion are ranked on a simple scale that collectively provides an overall rating of high, medium or low priority. Those sites with the higher priorities are approached first when organizing the annual work schedule.

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THE ONTARIO AGGREGATE RESOURCES CORPORATION