CUSTOM CONVEYORS, STACKERS & TURNKEY PLANTS Call: 888-801-4700 Visit: www.assinck.com 830 Passmore Ave, Scarborough ON WINTER 2019 AVENUES 9 COVER STORY OSSGA: In attempts to source close- to-market high-quality aggregate in the GTA, producers must navigate a lot of red tape, whether due to land use regulation, redundancy in applications, etc. Do you face similar challenges in the North? Michael: We face a lot of red tape and many of the same challenges as Southern Ontario. The time and cost now to license a property is a real burden on smaller opera- tions in Northern Ontario. We are looking to push the cutting of more red tape as it’s the only way to move forward. Shannon: No matter what area of the province, there are significant issues with red tape. In some cases, it’s a lack of inter- ministry or inter-agency collaboration; in others, it’s increasing legislative and regulatory powers being given to govern- ment. We are one of the most heavily regulated industries and continue to face increased fees, regulations, and reporting demands while at the same time facing lack of understanding or appreciation of the value of the aggregate industry to every community across Ontario. Whether we are in the South or the North, many of the same issues and challenges are present. We need to be focusing on increasing collaboration, reasonableness in application and interpreta- tion of rules and regulations, and decreasing red tape interference. Jim: Shannon is right, the issues in the South are similar. But in addition to red tape, everything that happens in the South affects us up here – things like endangered species or species at risk. For example, many species have moved from the South and are now living up in the North. So as soon as we go to do something, we have habitat issues and it’s more difficult to get a licence or permit. Northern Ontario is rich in biodiversity so this can pose a real challenge when trying to source good stone that is accessible. OSSGA: Strong community relations are an essential practice of any quarry or pit operation. How do you embrace the communities in which you operate? Shannon: Education is important. Overall, it is often shocking to non-industry folk to see what the process is actually like to make “just dirt” or “just rocks.” However, opportunities do come up to educate the public. For example, we were invited to a local high school to speak to students about aggregate, pits and quarries, and use some of OSSGA’s Gravel Facts and related mate- rials to teach them about everything that’s involved in extracting stone, sand and gravel and using it to build our communities. They were surprised at how integral our industry really is to the well-being of Ontario. Jim: For starters, it was a good thing to change the name of the association to Stone, Sand & Gravel! When we do open houses, we talk about all the different things that come from aggregate besides the obvious, like baby powder and toothpaste – all these things that people didn’t recognize as uses of aggregate. It’s an education process. Other people might just not understand the business. Before attending an open house, people may complain about a proposed operation, but once we bring them in, not a single person complains. Many people are in fact understanding, and they see the benefit. And if we need to go door-to-door to make sure everyone understands what we’re doing, showing them the plans and being transparent, we’ll do it.