b'AUDITOR GENERALS REPORTBalancing growth and responsibilityBy Ashlee Zelek and Carly HolmsteadUnderstanding the Auditor Generals repor t on the MNRFs management of the aggregate industr yF romhighwaysandsubwayINSPECTIONS, NON-COMPLIANCEplanner at Skelton Brumwell and Associates. tunnelstohospitals,schoolsAND ENFORCEMENT We want communities to be able to trust and houses, aggregatessuchInspections are key to ensuring aggregatethe work the industry is doing to protect our assand,gravel,stoneandoperatorsaremeetingtheirapprovedneighbours and the environment, but a lack rockare essential for buildingoperatingconditions,rehabilitatingtheirof inspections does not provide the necessary muchofOntariosinfrastructure,statessitesaccordingly,andproperlyreportingthird-party assurances. theintroductiontotheAuditorGeneralsany non-compliance issues.OSSGA is pleased that MNRF is committed comprehensive57-pageAuditoftheto hiring and training additional inspectors Management of Aggregate Resources.Thereportcorrectlyhighlightsthe shortageofexperiencedaggregateand understands the importance of this role.Released in December 2023, the report notinspectors,withthenumberincreasingThe report also found that the fees to only sheds light on the vital role aggregatefrom 22 in 2022 to 34 in 2023. Furthermore,extract aggregates are insufficient to cover plays in our economy, it also raises severalanadditional19inspectorsarecurrentlyprogram costs. On this issue, OSSGA concernsaboutthemanagementoftheundergoingtraining.Importantly,the context of this shortage is due to inspectorshas advocated for the aggregate aggregate industry and provides suggestionstransferringtoanewcentralizedbranchlevy to go directly to supporting for improvement.of the Aggregate Section. Their valuablethe Aggregates Program and experience is now directed towards handlingenforcement and staffing. WhileOSSGAsupportstheAuditornew licence applications and amendments, GeneralintheireffortstoimprovetheandreinforcingtheteamsstrengthinForyearsour managementoftheindustry,wethinkitthatspecificarea.Tobolsterpublictrust,industryhasbeen isvaluabletoprovidemoredetailaroundswifttrainingandstaffinginitiativesaresayingtheprogram some of the reports findings. Our objectiveunderway at the MNRF.isunderfundedand istocontinueworkingwiththeMinistryunderstaffed,says of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF)OSSGAanditsmembershaveraisedGuiot.Wehope and communities across Ontario to createconcerns about the lack of technical andthatsomeofthe safety knowledge among inspectors withinrecommendations and subsequent changes strongerprogramsandpoliciessothattheMNRF.Somemembershaveevenfrom this report will go into creating better thelong-termavailabilityofvaluableofferedtrainingtohelpnewaggregateimplementation of the program. aggregateresourcesisprotectedandinspectors understand the industry better. managedresponsibly.REHABILITATION The lack of inspections can negativelyUndertheAggregateResourcesAct,after Followingare the key findings of the reportimpacttheindustrysimageasawhole,extraction of a pit or quarry has ceased, the and OSSGAs corresponding comments. explainsAnneGuiot,partnerandseniorsite must be rehabilitated. While the Auditor 20 AVENUESWINTER 2024'