June 8 | Provincial Day of Action

On June 8, 2024, communities across the province participated in the first-ever Day of Action to Protect Ontario from Gravel Mining. We mobilized residents and policymakers to defend lives and the environment by Demanding A Moratorium Now (DAMN!) on all new aggregate approvals.

See All Actions Across Ontario

Six months ago, the Auditor General concluded the Province is failing to protect the public from the threats gravel mining poses to human and environmental health. In its damning report, the Auditor General confirms our first-hand experience: that the aggregate industry is plagued by widespread violations without adequate enforcement, and without even evidence that Ontario needs more aggregates to be mined.

The Auditor General established clear actions that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) must take to protect the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the climate that sustains life. But six months later, authorities have failed to respond to these recommendations with an action plan. Instead, they continue to hand the future of our communities over to an industry dominated by multinational corporations and driven by greed. Don’t let the aggregate industry haul our future away!

On June 8 we told the Province: It’s about DAMN! time to act on the Auditor General's findings. It’s about DAMN! time to reform gravel mining.

We Demand A Moratorium Now (DAMN!) on all new gravel mining approvals, until the Province implements meaningful public policy changes starting with the Auditor General’s recommendations.

Our demands

Pull the emergency brake on the broken aggregate management system

The Auditor General concluded the Province is failing to protect the public from the significant negative impacts of gravel mining. The province must press pause on new gravel mining approvals until it implements the Auditor General’s recommendations.

Protect water, farmland, and the climate

Aggregate mining destroys farmland and threatens food security; pollutes our air and harms our health; poses a risk to drinking water; and contributes to climate chaos. No approvals for new pits and quarries until the Province implements best practices to protect human and environmental health.

Gravel mining based on need, not greed

Currently, the Province authorizes companies to extract thirteen times more aggregate than is needed to meet our average annual consumption. The government acts as if gravel were unlimited and its extraction harmless. Yet gravel is a non-renewable resource that serves the vital function of keeping our water clean. Gravel mining causes serious, often irreversible harm. No approvals for new pits and quarries until the Province requires companies to report reserves, provides accurate, independent information on supply and demand, and creates a sustainable aggregate management strategy.

Protect public interest and participation

Guarantee First Nations’ right to consent on aggregate projects and honour treaties and obligations with First Nations. Level the playing field by increasing the weight of public interest and participation in decision-making on aggregate projects. Multinational corporations with powerful lobbyists shouldn't have more say than the public on the future of Ontario.

Community participation in June 8 Provincial Day of Action