This looks like a further…

This looks like a further erosion of land use powers for municipal governments.
It is critical for long term sustainability that aggregate extraction be harmonized with the local land management strategies of the municipal planning departments.
It would be best if municipal planners were required to identify aggregate source sites within their communities integrating the infrastructure and haul routes requirements much like industrial zoning is done now. The approved sites could be sold and developed as required.
Provincial requirements for aggregate tonnage are easy to forecast and existing provincial licensed capacity is well known. Proprietary considerations should not be factored. An industry player can buy the resource or site or a rival company to accumulate the resources required to service their clients.
Opening a new extraction site when surplus resources are currently licensed should not be allowed.
The current practice of aggregate industry players choosing sites solely on financial and proprietary criteria while disregarding municipal zoning and bullying municipalities through the amended LPAT process adds unnecessary costs to all parties and could easily be avoided.