Working with Our Neighbours
Public consultation is key to the smooth operation of aggregate sites situated in close proximity to communities.
Pits and quarries are an essential piece of the puzzle in the supply of aggregate products. As noted on the OSSGA website, “Our members supply the substantial majority of the approximately 164 million tonnes of aggregate consumed annually in the province to build and maintain Ontario’s infrastructure needs.”
Equally important is the image producers portray to the communities located in the vicinity of their pits and quarries. Public consultation and ongoing relationships are vital in order to reduce the negative stigma of the sites and affirm aggregate producers as members of the community, like any other business. It isn’t always easy, but it is critical to a site’s success.
“Building relationships with the local community around a pit or quarry is challenging. The best approach is to provide accurate, ongoing information and become engaged in the community as much as possible,” explains Steve May, land manager, Western region, at CBM Aggregates, a division of St Marys Cement Inc. (Canada) and a producer member of OSSGA.
Given all the negative press that is generated about pits and quarries, people often don’t realize that Ontario aggregate producers are subject to the most stringent provincial regulations and operational standards in Canada. They have to carry out rigorous technical evaluations, including assessments that look at environmental concerns such as water and atmospheric impacts on surrounding neighbours and wildlife.
The aggregate industry works extremely hard at communicating this message to a community and cultivating good working relationships. What has worked well is an open and transparent approach that provides neighbours with both initial and continuous information about the site and encourages them to bring any concerns to the producer at any time. Essentially, aggregate sites aim to maintain an ‘open door’ policy.
“Producers recognize the importance of consultation with communities during the permit/licence process and throughout the life of the aggregate site,” states Caitlin Port, associate, MHBC, a land-use planning consultancy serving the aggregate industry. “Their efforts are making a difference in the image of the industry to their neighbour communities.”
REGULATED PROCESS
The Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) regulation dictates that producers applying for a pit or quarry licence or permit engage in consultation with local residents. A number of steps are prescribed, including public notices, information sessions, circulation of site plans and technical reports, and resolution, where possible, of all comments submitted by the community members.
Traditionally, producers would hold information sessions, open houses and workshops during the application process that presented details of the application and fielded questions from concerned residents. With the advent of COVID-19, however, the consultation process under the regulation was amended to permit online or virtual sessions with communities.
Keep in mind, these consultation requirements are prescribed for the permit or licence process. In reality, most producers go beyond the ARA consultation requirements to then establish long-term relationships with their communities. “We have established semi-formal committees with the communities to inform them of what’s happening at the site and discuss issues that may arise,” states May. “Our open houses include site visits and tours to support our commitment to open communications and transparency.”
The issue of rehabilitation is also a challenge – primarily because there are legacy pit and quarry sites within Ontario that were not rehabilitated once their operations ceased. This, however, is not the situation with contemporary aggregate sites, a point that needs to be communicated strongly.
As May explains: “Property purchased by producers for a pit or quarry is an investment that is taken quite seriously [today]. It is in their interests and the interests of the community to properly rehabilitate these sites after the aggregate extraction has been completed. In other words, the producer can recoup their investment and receive a fair market value for the sale of the land when operations cease, and the community sees a rehabilitation process that hardly shows the site was there.”
GOING ONLINE
The recent COVID-19 amendment to the ARA regulations has spurred several new approaches to the consultation process. Websites have been created with interactive features that allow residents to access guided tours of the sites, site plan documents and maps and online surveys. These enhanced websites can add public access to real-time project status and interactive maps and surveys.
Multi-user platforms such as Zoom and Teams are being used to hold webinars, town halls and workshops that involve discussion, polling and data collection. These platforms and others, such as GoToWebinar, can handle well over 1,000 participants if needed and include real-time audio and instant messaging. Producers are including technical experts and other personnel in virtual meetings to respond to resident questions in real time.
“These new online options are showing the efficiency of meeting virtually and making information available in a digital format,” says Heather Melcher, principal and senior ecologist at Golder, which assists producers with aggregate licence and permit applications and monitoring. “We believe there are good communication relationships between producers and communities. More transparency is resulting in better understanding and less confrontation.”
“Producers need to engage with the community as soon as possible,” adds Melcher. “They should be open with the public, explain the project as clearly as possible, be prepared to answer questions and stress that this is an interim use of the land.”
Overall, producer companies are becoming savvier with their online activities, which is needed given what they’re up against. “Community groups challenging producers are well organized online with websites and social media platforms [so] our members have responded with websites to support their public communication strategy as well as increasing their social media presence,” states Richard Hillier, communications manager at OSSGA. He adds that other engagement initiatives include donations to local community projects, support for community activities and events, as well as hiring locally for jobs on the site.
A recent presentation by OSSGA on consultation noted that “the new [online] methods require more time and effort than the ‘old’ system but can allow thorough, controlled and documented messaging.” The presentation explained that producers should ensure the online consultation platform is “clear and simple” for residents to use, including when it comes to expressing concerns and communicating with applicants.
Melcher concedes that face-to-face meetings are sometimes the better option for consultation and believes they will return as the pandemic recedes. However, she feels a hybrid of in-person and virtual consultation will become the new norm.
The aggregate industry knows that understanding and working with neighbours is an important part of making the operations at a pit or quarry successful and ensure they are accepted in the local community. The larger the investment in building a solid relationship with neighbours and residents, the easier it will be for the producer and the community to work together.
Aggregate is a vital resource that touches every Ontarian’s life on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the public is generally unaware of its impact. Through effective and regular public consultation and by becoming a part of the communities where pits and quarries are located, the industry will continue to break down these negative impressions of their sites.
As May explains, “Public consultation is an ongoing and progressive part of our industry. We know that working with local residents and providing them with ongoing understandable information about our sites will lead to a more harmonious future for the industry and our neighbours.”
CONSULTATION MEETINGS TIPS
Know your audience and determine the expected level of participant interest
Determine the information platforms that should work with the community, e.g., mailouts, video conferences, personal phone calls, etc.
Set rules for the meetings and use a good moderator to keep things flowing
Ensure adequate time is allotted for resident questions
Have technical people available during and after the meeting
Identify ongoing ways residents can get in contact with the applicant and technical staff if they have additional questions