Ontario’s lax rules leave local taxpayers on the hook for aggregate mine cleanup

"Communities around the GTA have benefited for generations from the jobs and tax revenue generated by the $1.6-billion aggregate industry that supplies high-quality sand, gravel and stone to help build Ontario’s roads, buildings and transit infrastructure.

But as demand for aggregate across the provinces grows from new highways, homes and transit projects, many municipal leaders are questioning whether those benefits outweigh the costs of the mines. They say provincial regulations leave taxpayers burdened with damaged municipal infrastructure and scarred landscapes, the result of lax rules on operators who abandon mines — or leave them open long after the last ounce of stone has been extracted."

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