We need to make sure that…

We need to make sure that aggregate companies perform thorough studies on wide spread environmental impact. Wetlands, local wildlife habitats, water tables extending well beyond the current 500m/1000m radius as that is an absurdly small impact area.
The national standard to limits of silica dust exposure, release, and monitoring need to be brought in line with those set by the Oakville township or similar. This needs to be implemented nationally!!
Aggregate companies can still gather the required aggregate from areas that will not poison the nearby residents or wildlife. But they need to be made to pay for the road and service infrastructure to these areas on their own. They make absurd profits that the townships they rape from see almost none of.
I am privy to the current rate of restitution to my township per tonne of aggregate removed and it is nowhere near adequate for reasonable repair or maintenance upkeep of the infrastructure that is abused by heavy trucks every single day. Not to mention the complete lack of consideration for excessive heavy truck traffic caused by aggregate removal in regards to road width, egress to and from the pits for the trucks and equipment causes huge disruption to traffic flow. Also the rate that drivers are compensated must be poor as they do not drive with any regard for the smaller townships they travel through.
Aggregate companies need to be held accountable to the public that they are directly affecting. Paying off officials that do not suffer the direct impact of their negligent abuse of the local environment doesn’t help the locals who’s well’s run dry as a result of their pumping or the local wildlife that disappear never to return due to their homes being destroyed. Also.... if we keep digging up agricultural land for quarries to build condos, who grows the food to feed the people in the condos.
The governments job is to think long term for prosperity of the whole, not to line their coffers.
Do the right thing.