Aggregates resources and excess soil
Changes to Peel Region's Role in Land Use Planning
On July 1, 2024, under the Planning Act, Peel Region was designated an "upper-tier municipality without planning responsibilities." Consequently, the Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and the Town of Caledon are the land use planning authorities responsible for local and regional official plans and development applications. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is the approval authority for certain official plan reviews and amendments.
A mineral aggregate resource is the technical name for sand, gravel or crushed stone used in construction.
Peel’s aggregate resource base is made up of loose sands and gravels, shale, sandstone and dolostone. We use aggregate to build roads, infrastructure and homes.
High Potential Mineral Aggregate Resource Areas (HPMARA) are areas that identify significant deposits of mineral aggregate resources.
We’re committed to:
- Identifying and protecting Peel’s HPMARA.
- Supporting the rehabilitation of extraction sites.
- Protecting Peel’s communities from the possible harmful impacts of removing aggregate.
Our Regional Official Plan recognizes mineral aggregates resources as an important part of Peel’s economy.
As part of the Peel 2051: Regional Official Plan Review, we’re reviewing aggregates resource policies and mapping to:
- Ensure Peel’s policies align with provincial policies and that address Regional and local needs and interests.
- Update HPMARA mapping to show new provincial bedrock mapping and constraints.
- Update our policies for aggregates recycling and excess soils.
We’re working with partners and stakeholders to acknowledge aggregate resources as a contributor to Peel’s economy while protecting Peel’s communities.
Excess soil is soil that has been excavated, typically during construction, that must be moved off-site because it will not be reused at the development site. The Region of Peel has areas where excess soil is produced through excavation projects and accommodated at receiving sites.
We’re committed to:
- Promoting best management practices for excess soil
- Ensuring excess soil is safely reused for beneficial purposes
- Protecting the natural environment
The land use planning and development processes provide opportunities to implement excess soil conservation and management best practices. As a part of the Peel 2051 Regional Official Plan Review, reviewing excess soil policies to:
- Require best management practices for the management of excess soil to be undertaken during the development process.
- Providing direction to identify appropriate sites for excess soil storage and processing.
Aggregate resources – Related Council and Committee reports and presentation
An update related to the Aggregate Resources and Excess Soil Focus Area has been provided to Regional Council and the Planning and Growth Management Committee (PGMC) in 2021. The report is provided for reference below:
Supporting documents
For more information, email Regional Planning or call (905) 791-7800 ext. 4350.