Toronto Environmental Alliance

Want to make sure we don’t dig holes in the precious countryside surrounding the GTA to get the gravel we need to renew our roads, buildings, and bridges?

Contact your local Councillor and ask them to adopt TEA’s recommendations to practice the 3Rs for gravel use and help save the countryside we and our rural neighbours depend on.

For details on the campaign click here

Dear Councillor,

I am writing you today to ask you to take action to practice the 3Rs for gravel use and help save our countryside we and our rural neighbours depend on.

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is literally made of stone, sand and gravel, collectively known as aggregate. Aggregate is in the cement we use to make sidewalks, bridges, large buildings, sewers, the foundations of our homes, and the underground tunnels for subways, cars, and pedestrian walkways.

According to a report published by the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), the gravel industry estimates that the GTA will require 1.5 billion tonnes of aggregate over the next 25 years to renew our urban infrastructure.

If we don’t change our current aggregate usage, renewing and building the GTA’s infrastructure will destroy precious agricultural land and world-renowned natural spaces in the Greenbelt.

TEA calls on all GTA municipalities to adopt the following recommendations:

1. Ensure that any new requests of proposals (RFPs) that include the use of aggregate require the successful bidder to demonstrate they will use the highest level of recycled content allowable under provincial standards.

2. Provide detailed information to the public on aggregate use within the municipality that includes:
   • How much and what type of aggregate is used for various types of urban infrastructure (eg. roads, sidewalks, bridges, sewers, etc) within the municipality annually
     
   • How much of the aggregate used is “virgin”, how much is recycled and how much comes from alternative sources
     
   • Where the aggregate comes from, including specific pits and quarries, and the quantities from each source
     
   • Projected aggregate use over the next 25 years
3. Investigate how other jurisdictions effectively reduce “virgin” aggregate use through the use of 3Rs and report out to the appropriate council committee with recommendations about how the municipality can adopt similar strategies.

4. Urge the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to ensure the 3Rs are the cornerstone of any updated aggregate policy for the Province and that it investigates and implements the production of “sustainable” aggregate.
   

I support these recommendations and am asking you to move them forward at Council.

Please write me back to let me know what you are doing to ensure these important recommendations are adopted.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Address]