Leaving a Legacy
CBM Aggregates and Glenn Harrington’s Commitment to Site Rehabilitation
by: CBM Aggregates
Rehabilitation is not usually the first word that comes to mind when considering mining or material extraction. However, rehabilitation is a significant part of the requirements for aggregate extraction in Ontario.
Under the legislative and regulatory environment in Ontario, when aggregate companies identify areas for material extraction, they are required to include a detailed plan for site rehabilitation after aggregate extraction has taken place. Rehabilitation means the restoration of the site to its former use, if possible, or changing the site to another use or condition that is compatible with the surrounding land.
Though minimum standards for rehabilitation exist as part of the provincial requirements and are identified on all licensed pit and quarry site plans in Ontario, CBM Aggregates (CBM) strives to achieve higher-quality rehabilitation. Whether by encouraging biodiversity or restoring productive farmland, these efforts are geared toward promoting uses that blend with the surrounding landscape.
Aggregate companies often face community challenges when a new extraction site is identified. Residents typically are unaware of the interim nature of an aggregate operation and the benefits that will be realized when rehabilitation fully occurs. In many cases, residents don’t even understand restoration efforts are required at all. Local communities can be anxious and generally unhappy with the prospect of an extraction site in their neighborhood.
History of Cannington Pit
In 1996, Cannington Pit received a license to operate through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). Sand and gravel extraction began in the late 1990s and the pit operated intermittently, supplying material to CBM’s nearby Sunderland Pit and to Brock Township for local road projects. In 2020, the last truckload of gravel left the pit.
CBM worked with Glenn Harrington to rehabilitate the site. Under his guidance, progressive rehabilitation occurred at the pit and uniquely included a number of specific rehabilitated end uses on the property, including agriculture, open natural habitat, reforestation, and pond/wetland creation.
Glenn Harrington, was a founding partner and principal landscape architect at Harrington McAvan Ltd. For over 40 years, the firm has specialized in landscape architecture, earth sciences, and biology, with a focus on stream and wetland restoration and rehabilitation projects. Over his career, Glenn was widely known for his innovative approach to environmental landscape design and his skills as a facilitator in the public participation process.
Glenn had a knack for respectfully educating objectors about the benefits of site restoration to help companies gain approval for aggregate licenses. He treated all people—from municipal and agency staff to the public—with kindness as he represented his clients’ positions, spreading the value of soil bioengineering and landscape and rehabilitation design. By giving respect and providing science-based education, he also gained respect from these audiences, which typically are hard to win over.
Restoration work
As an expert in innovative bank stabilization and improvement to aquatic habitat, Glenn worked with CBM on many projects including the Cannington Pit, located in Brock Township, Durham Region, Ontario.
In 2013, CBM Aggregates and Glenn Harrington began restoring the Cannington Pit by establishing a wetland plant seed bank along the pond’s northern shoreline. By 2015, they stocked the pond with minnows, and in 2016, Glenn led an agricultural rehabilitation project, including land contouring, soil management, and the introduction of rainbow and brown trout. In 2017, Glenn added a spawning area and planted oak acorns and tallgrass prairie species.
In the following years, CBM and Glenn expanded their efforts, building wetland plant boxes, planting thousands of trees with Ethics Tree Creations, reshaping pond slopes, and conducting fisheries assessments, which confirmed healthy populations of minnows and trout. These projects also included erosion control and creating wildlife habitats.
The Cannington Pit was close to Glenn’s heart. In fact, Glenn loved the site so much that he purchased it in 2015, dubbing the area “Harrington Glen.” He planned to spend his retirement there, working the fields, canoeing, fishing, rambling, and sharing the bounty of his land.
Unfortunately, Glenn passed away before restoration was complete, but his commitment to rehabilitation—specifically at the Cannington Pit—will always be remembered.
The Cannington Pit, initially licensed in 1996 and operational until 2020, received a licence surrender from the MNRF in 2023, having met the approved site plans.
During its operation, CBM received multiple awards from the Ontario Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association (OSSGA) for their progressive rehabilitation efforts at the Cannington Pit.
Now surrendered, the former pit is now host to thriving agricultural areas, naturalized and wetland habitats - a lasting reminder of Glenn’s legacy.