DEFEND YOUR COMMUNITY FROM GRAVEL MINING: AN ORIENTATION
Prepared by: Reform Gravel Mining Coalition, October 2023
Gravel mining destroys the environment and tears apart the fabric of communities. Residents who come together to oppose the many potential negative impacts of aggregate extraction face enormous challenges. Most local groups fighting a pit or quarry must start organizing from scratch, whereas companies and their consultants have years of experience, well-developed tactics, and disproportionate resources to intimidate, exhaust, and outspend communities and Councillors. The playing field is not level; in fact, it is heavily biased in favour of the gravel mining industry.
Despite these many challenges, residents continue to work together to defend their communities from unnecessary gravel mining. People join forces to persuade their municipal Councils to oppose rezoning applications; to participate at the Ontario Land Tribunal; to request provincial Environmental Assessments on controversial projects; and to demand the provincial government impose a moratorium on all new applications for gravel mining.