Manitoba Heavy Construction Association

4 THURSDAY MARCH 23, 2017 A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS T he term 'infrastructure' always seems to be in the news these days, and appropriately so. Our economy is based on the infrastructure that previous generations have built, and our economic future will be largely dependent on our maintenance and expansion of that infrastructure. But here's a trick question. What is our infrastructure based on? Quite literally, gravel and crushed stone, mineral commodities that are jointly referred to as 'aggregates.' Millions and millions of tons of gravel and crushed stone. In 2015 alone, over 23 million tonnes of aggregate minerals were mined in Manitoba. That works out to more than 950,000 truckloads. For centuries, builders have prepared a few inches (sometimes now a few feet) of stone and sand into a base to support enormous weight. The stone particles interlock when packed, and yet allow water to drain away, creating a stable pad to support our roads and highways, train tracks and airports, sidewalks and driveways, our houses and offices. Further, aggregate minerals are used to manufacture the concrete and asphalt that comprise much of the infrastructure itself, all over Manitoba. Also, think of the basement floors and walls of our homes and offices, and the piles and beams in our super structures. Virtually everything we build requires aggregate minerals — in very large quantities. There are no known substitutes. Without it, we cannot build or maintain our infrastructure. It is safe to say that mineral aggregate – sand, gravel and crushed stone — is as important to modern society as clean water and energy. Now here is the rub: We don't find sources of mineral aggregate everywhere. Sand and gravel comes from unique geologic features created by ancient glaciers, where the fast-flowing melt waters sorted and washed the fine clay and silts out of the till material. Geologists identify these as kames, eskers or old beach ridges (along what was once a glacial lake). In many rural municipalities in Manitoba, there are no such sources of gravel. Winnipeg and the Capital Region was fortunate to have the Birds Hill kame moraine complex just east of the city, and this topographic high in the RM of Springfield has been a primary source of aggregate for the city's development since the 1800s. In the 1960s, entrepreneurs in the RM of Rockwood took advantage of another unique geologic feature to develop a second major source of aggregate. Just north of Stonewall, a dolomitic limestone bedrock formation protrudes close to the surface, and can be economically accessed by quarrying. Almost half of the Winnipeg and capital region's aggregate requirements now come from this small area, and that proportion is increasing as the gravel reserves in the Birds Hill area are depleted. JUST LIKE ANY OTHER MINERAL COMMODITY, AGGREGATE IS A NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE Just like any other mineral commodity, aggregate is a non-renewable resource. Once it has been extracted from the closest locations, we'll have to look for sources farther from construction sites. The increased hauling distance has serious economic and environmental consequences: It drives up the cost of construction projects, many of which are publicly funded. The carbon footprint of the trucking industry is also expanded, as more fuel is required. Given the broader public good, it only makes sense to make the most of the few available aggregate deposits close to our infrastructure projects. In Manitoba, this policy objective was enacted by regulation under The Planning Act in the 1980s, and implemented through municipal development rules. The Mines & Minerals Act requires that once these locations are depleted, the landscape will be rehabilitated. Aggregate producers pay an environmental levy in proportion to the tonnage produced each year. That fund pays for rehabilitation. Since 1991, over $40 million has gone to rehabilitate over 9,600 hectares. This made-in-Manitoba solution, supported by industry, guarantees timely and efficient rehabilitation of depleted pits and quarries. Now gravel pits and quarries are heavy industrial operations — noisy, dusty and involving truck traffic. As such, they are regulated provincially and municipally to hold to environmental standards. But you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, and some consequences of mining are inevitable. As Winnipeg grows, we see rural residential developments expand, too. This leads to increased conflicts with pit and quarry operations, and stronger local opposition to opening new pits and quarries. Local residents and neighbours may acknowledge the broader public benefit for infrastructure development, yet still feel they suffer the immediate consequences. Concessions are needed from all sides to reconcile conflicting interests. We must find a way to respect the needs of residents, but it makes no sense, environmentally or economically, to disallow all pit and quarry operations. Among the possible solutions, the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) has proposed a Community Enhancement Levy (CEL) in conjunction with the existing rehabilitation levy collected by industry. The funds from a CEL could be used by a local municipality to build amenities offsetting neighbours' concerns over the interim impact of mining pits and quarries. The best solution at the end of the day will come from thoughtful dialogue, a little imagination and a lot of good will at all levels. Manitobans have a pretty good track record in this regard. Brian Bailey is a retired environmental planner and landscape architect. He has worked as a consultant in Ontario and Manitoba, and helped develop Manitoba's Aggregate Pit and Quarry Rehabilitation Program within the provincial Mines Branch. MANITOBA MUST PROTECT ACCESS TO THESE FINITE, UNIQUE RESOURCES B Y B R I A N B A I L E Y PITS AND QUARRIES: 'FOUNDATIONAL' TO INFRASTRUCTURE Photos by Brian Bailey

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