BUSINESS editionap.ca Peat moss fee issue grows
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GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
L’ORIGNAL | There is growing interest from around the province about whether or not peat moss harvesters should receive the same treatment as gravel extractors as far as permits and permit fees are concerned. Last November the United Counties of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR) approved Champlain Township Mayor Gary Barton proposed that the province should amend the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) to in- clude peat moss harvesting and make it subject to provincial licensing fees the same as for gravel extraction. So far the UCPR has received positive responses to its resolution frommore than a dozen small-town and ru- ral councils throughout Ontario. “It’s way too early in the process to state how this is going to work out,” said Sté- phane Parisien, UCPR chief administrative officer, during the Jan. 22 counties council session. “But we are getting tremendous support from across Ontario with respect to the resolution. Parisien noted that the provincial gov- ernment will need to respond to the UCPR resolution if support continues to grow. Mayor Barton repeated his assertion that peat moss extraction should be subject to a licensing fee payable to municipalities as is done with gravel extraction. “Peat moss is a natural resource, just like gravel or stone,” he said. “You take gravel out of the ground, or stone, you got to pay a fee.” Part of Barton’s earlier argument was that peat moss extraction from Alfred Bog resulted in heavy truck traffic on both lo- cal and county roads in Alfred-Plantagenet Township and The Nation municipality. Alfred-Plantagenet Mayor Jean-Yves Lalonde noted that his council has concerns about what kind of permit fees or licensing controls on peat moss extraction might result from an ARA amendment. Also his council wants to see more emphasis on en- forcing half-load restrictions for heavy truck traffic during the spring thaw period. The Nation Mayor François St-Amour also noted that the peat moss fee issue was a topic of discussion several years ago. “The problem is that two different minis- tries are involved,” he said. Peat moss extraction is the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs while ARA is part of the Ministry of Natural Resources policy portfolio. St-Amour noted that the agriculture ministry has shown no sign of allowing re-classification of peat moss as an aggregate. UCPR Planning Director Louis Prévost also noted that making peat moss subject to ARA licensing would require “a major change” in provincial policy.
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