Cornerstone Standards Council Paving the Way for Responsible

Cornerstone Standards Council Paving the Way for Responsible Aggregates in Ontario 1

How does CSC work? • CSC develops voluntary standards for the responsible siting and operation of aggregates in Ontario. • Auditors monitor to determine if aggregate sites meet the requirements of the Cornerstone Standard. • Successful sites receive the CSC certification seal. 2

What is Cornerstone? A collaboration of aggregate operators, environmental leaders, community advocates and experts in certification. 3

The Need for Change Community Perspective Industry Perspective û Expensive and time consuming û Community concerns not consistently addressed, e. g. noise, water issues, air pollution, traffic safety, blasting schedule û Environmental impacts not adequately mitigated û Complexity of Ontario’s hydrogeology inadequately addressed; concerns around monitoring û Lack of clarity around final extraction and rehabilitation û Expensive and time consuming û Uncertain licensing outcomes and inconsistent application of regulatory inspections û Poorly defined social and environmental expectations translate into difficulty obtaining public support even for the bestin-class operators û No differentiation between more and less responsible operations (‘a quarry is a quarry’ to the general public) û Lack of incentive and/or reward for more responsible operators 4

Responsible Aggregate Standard Principle 1 – Compliance with laws Principle 2 – Community notification, consultation and participation Principle 3 – Respect for Aboriginal peoples’ rights and culture Principle 4 – Benefits to host communities and employees Principle 5 – Site stewardship and impacts to environment, water, agriculture and health Principle 6 – Resource efficiency and conservation Principle 7 – Point of origin 5

CSC Status • Five pits are certified; • CSC anticipates providing 25% of the aggregate supply in the GGH by 2020; • Buyers are needed to maintain momentum and build program. 6

Benefits to Municipalities Fulfill Simcoe County’s Strategic Plan: • Vision: “Working together to build vibrant, healthy, sustainable communities” • Mission: “Providing sustainable, accessible services and infrastructure through fiscal responsibility and innovative leadership” Where aggregate extraction occurs: • Better access to studies; funding provided by the operator for municipally-requested peer review; • Some natural features are no-go areas for CSC certification; • CSC monitoring every 3 years vs. MNRF’s every 5 years; • Peace of mind that public engagement is fulsome; • Local employment and community benefits. 7

CSC Current Issues Criticism that CSC Standard doesn’t go far enough • MNRF oversight is weak, this affects people’s views of aggregate in general; • Voluntary Standard needs to set a high but achievable bar; • Standard is being reviewed to address concerns. Need buyers to maintain momentum and raise the bar for aggregate operations • Town or Erin and TRCA have preferential procurement policies to buy CSC when appropriate, available and competitive. 8

Next Steps • Recommend that staff investigate procurement options; • Identify projects (trail construction, LEED construction buildings) where pilot procurement of CSC Certified aggregates can be made. 9

Procurement Three options for preferential procurement of CSC Certified aggregates: 1. Developing a stand-alone preferential procurement policy; 2. Incorporating CSC into an existing purchasing policy; 3. Developing non-policy direction to staff. Example of #2: <<Municipality>> is committed to responsible practices and will specify preference for aggregate materials that have been extracted in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Where cost and availability are equivalent <<Municipality>> will prefer the purchase of aggregate materials certified by the Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC). 10

Contact us Claire Malcolmson, Consultant aggregates@environmentaldefence. ca 647 -267 -7572 Keith Brooks, Environmental Defence Programs Director kbrooks@environmentaldefence. ca 416 -323 -9521 x 233, Toll Free: 1 -877 -399 -2333 Nic Schulz, Executive Director, CSC nschulz@cornerstonestandards. ca 647 -883 -2719 11

CSC Board of Directors • • • • Lorne Johnson, Schad Foundation (Co-Chair) John Pontarollo, CRH Canada Group Inc (Co-Chair) Peter Kendall, Schad Foundation Xavier Guesnu, Lafarge Canada Ryan Essex, Miller Group Bill Galloway, aggregate consultant Steve Cruickshank, Cruickshank Construction Edilson Chimilovski, St Marys Cement Dick Hibma, community member Thomas Mueller, Canada Green Building Council Caroline Schultz, Ontario Nature Tim Gray, Environmental Defence Rodney Wilts, Windmill Development Paul General, Six Nations of the Grand River Wendy Franks, community member 12