b'COVER STORYS hovels are in the ground acrossand arable land. The same thing can be saidWe have a housing crisis upon us right Ontarioasworkproceedsontoday, where nearby stone, sand and gravelnow,anditstellingusthatweneedto criticalinfrastructureprojects.supplies are responsible for building Torontobuildamillion-and-a-halfnewhomesin Whether the goal is to improveand the GTHA. thenext10years,saysGregSweetnam, transportation, build healthcareexecutivevicepresidentofJamesDick capacity,orrelievethehousingcrunch,WhiletheyarenolongerbeingusedConstructionLimited.everysolutioninvolvesaggregateortocraftmudbrickhouses,aggregate sand, stone and gravel. Thatsalotofhouses,Sweetnam materials remain foundational for our builtcontinues, and reaching this goal will require Nothinggetsbuiltwithoutaggregate,environment. Today, high-quality sand, stone saysMikeMcSweeney,OSSGAsexecutivenearly190milliontonnesofaggregatea director.Thatappliestoeverythingand gravel are increasingly in high demandyear, not to mention the additional materials transportationlines,schools,hospitals,acrossallconstructionsectors,particularlyneededtobuildsupportingresidential recreational facilities, and all our public andamongresidentialbuildersworkingtoinfrastructure. When you build a residential private buildings. Stone, sand and gravel playalleviate the countrys housing crunch.development,yourenotjustbuilding a central role in developing all that.In Ontario, it is estimated that nearly 164 million tonnes of aggregate are consumed annuallytokeeppacewiththeprovinces infrastructureneeds.TheGreaterToronto andHamiltonArea(GTHA)aloneuses 73milliontonnesofthatshare,andthe provinceisprojectedtoconsumeanother four billion tonnes of aggregate by 2041 as growth continues across the province.Insurance forFederal and provincial governments areOntario Stone, inanunprecedentedtimeofinvestments intoinfrastructure,andmuchofthatSand and Gravel infrastructure will be built in municipalities,Association members McSweeney reports. We have three levels of government commitment to a number ofsince 2005projects up and down Ontario, and theyre all going to be coming to the aggregate industry for materials.Real risk management solutions forMuchofthatinfrastructureisbeingeveryday business risksbuilt to meet the needs of a large influx of immigrants to the country. Canada is aiming Exclusive member ratestowelcomehalfamillionimmigrants Specialty coverage extensionsannually in the coming years, and many of them are expected to settle in Ontario, one Expert advice from a dedicated team focused on your industryof the countrys most popular destinations. Exceptional claims administration and 24/7 claims serviceInthefirsthalfof2023,theprovince attracted 101,455 new permanent residents Other available coverages include automobile, including around 38.5 per cent of the total for Canadafleets, property, contractors equipment, builders risk, liability, (immigration.ca). The numbers are expectedumbrella liability, and pollution/environmental. tobejustashighforthesecondhalfof theyear. FOUNDATIONAL RESOURCE Contact us today to learn about ourTheresnooverstatingtheimportanceofcustomized insurance programs.aggregates in building up the provinces cities andmunicipalitiestoaccommodatethisprograms@cowangroup.ca|Toll-free: 1-866-912-6926 massinfluxofnewresidents.Aggregates,cowangroup.ca/ossgaafterall,arecrucialtothegrowthand evolutionofanygrowingsociety.Indeed, asKevinPowers,managingprincipalat Project Advocacy Inc., aptly states, BuildingWe care about what you care about.stone has been the foundation of civilized infrastructure since the time of the pharaohs, alongsideasteadysupplyofcleanwater WINTER 2024AVENUES 11'