An Evening with Rick Smith hosted by Gravel Watch Ontario
Professor Ric Holt and Elaine La Chappelle intoduced Gravelwatch by a brief historical review and an explanation of the way Gravelwatch serves as a focal point for the aggregate surveillance industry. See www.gravelwatch.org for details.
Rick Smith is a Canadian author, environmentalist and Executive Director of Environmental Defence Canada and co-author of "Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health" a major Canadian best seller, featured by Oprah Magazine. Speaking about the Ontario Municipal Board ruling against a proposed Puslinch gravel pit, Smith stated" This is a significant win for this community and others facing aggregate operationsat the OMB, " saying, "It offers a detailed consideration of policies from the 2005 Provincial Policy Statement and makes the key finding that the aggregate policies do not override all other policies.
In Smith's presentation to some 100 attendees, he explained two examples of the toxicity of Phthalates and Bisphenal A "BPA" that are part of a new movement - Green Consumerism - The New Reality. Engaged, environmentally conscious consumers want new products and new ideas in land uses, health impacts, pollution control, toxic chemicals and energy generation. Environmental Defence Canada is leading the way in this area.
They are inititiating a new certification standard - SERA -Socially and Environmentally Responsible Aggregate which is modelled after similar standards control in the forestry industries : FSC- Forest Stewardship Council. The objective is to set a world class standard that would be unique globally. Draft standards are on www.seracanada.ca. He estimates it will take approximately two years to establish the standards and SERA is seen as a mechanism to make the pit application process more proactive between all stakeholders involved. Pit mining companies would voluntarily certify their sites in a process that is more collaborative and less expensive for miners, the OMB and citizen groups.
A panel discussion followed :
Rick Pichette of the Ministry Of Natural Resources - Ontario said 60% of gravel bought by his government. 150 million tons are produced annually and 6 million tons are recycled. Rate of growth/demand in Golden Horseshoe in next 30 years will equal the last 30 years.
Mark Dorfman F.C.I.P., R.P.P. a well known planner in Ontario and author of recent "review of aggregates planning" discussed the Town Of Caledon, Rockford Quarry case and the need to find new approaches to locating pits that are not only sensitive to construction markets but also sensitive to people and nature. Sera, Ontario Aggregate Forum, Glap and Seros are all attempts to bring about a constructive and positive transition .
Tanya Markvart, Doctoral candidate, Urban Planning, University Of Waterloo is conducting research on sustainable natural resource management. She explained how the "top down" decision process must be changed to a collaborative process where all stakeholders work on a level playing field and the OMB high court confrontational method be abandoned as inefficient, lacking in consensus outcomes and unnecessarily expensive.
Interested parties are urged to get involved with Sera to hasten the development of solid, comprehensive standards that will take the Ontario aggregate industry forward into a highly productive and environmentally sound future.
Many of the attendees including Pitsense and Bridgekeepers that are featured links on www.gravelwatch.org were in the audience
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