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Cornerstone releases standard

The world's first marketplace sustainability standard for aggregate pits and quarries has been developed in Ontario. The standard addresses where to build pits and quarries, how to operate them and how to rehabilitate them when they close. This standard will allow private developers and governments to buy aggregate materials with the comfort of knowing they are socially and environmentally responsible. 

The approval of CSC's Responsible Aggregate Standard (V3), which is applicable only to sites in Ontario for the time being, is a significant achievement for individuals and organizations interested in aggregate extraction and follows three years of multi-stakeholder consultation, a 75-day public consultation period and on the ground field-tests. CSC's Standard Development Panel has worked diligently to develop a standard that reconciles the diverse input received throughout this process. Building upon this hard work the Board is pleased to say it has reached consensus on a revised for Ontario that represents a new, more collaborative approach to the siting, operation and rehabilitation of pits and quarries. 

"Time and again my annual reports have emphasized the importance of improving Ontario's process to approve and regulate aggregate operations. Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC) has the power to change the conversation around aggregate extraction and the approval of its Responsible Aggregate Standard is a breakthrough between traditional adversaries," said Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 

Rather than holding a 30-day consultation period, CSC's Board of Directors has decided the Responsible Aggregate Standard will benefit from a 2-year pilot period during which CSC will host educational forums, solicit input from all stakeholders and test the Standard on the ground.  

"It is our belief that taking this more comprehensive approach will result in a better Standard," says the CSC. 

Additional details regarding this pilot period and opportunities to provide input are available at www.cornerstonestandards.ca.