TOARC’s Danielle Solondz enjoys her role in helping landowners rehabilitate their land
What is your job title and what does it encompass?
I’m the executive project coordinator for The Ontario Aggregate Resources (TOARC). TOARC, as the trustee to the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA), is responsible for the mandates set by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. I’m responsible for some of these mandates, such as the rehabilitation of sites where licences or permits have been revoked; the collection and publication of information, including the education and training of those in or interested in the aggregate industry; and the rehabilitation of abandoned pits and quarries across the province.
Most of my time is spent managing TOARC’s Management of Abandoned Aggregate Properties (MAAP) program. When the ARA was put into effect, the aggregate industry represented by OSSGA agreed that $0.005 per tonne of licence fees payable would be dedicated to a program with the purpose of rehabilitating former extraction sites. An approximate amount of $400,000 to $600,000 is made available on an annual basis to rehabilitate the 8,000 legacy sites located across the province. It’s my job to ensure that qualifying sites are inventoried to determine the Trust’s responsibility, and for those sites that require rehabilitation I work with my MAAP team to ensure that the sites are rehabilitated to a higher level of function.
What is it about your job that other people wish they got to do?
I get to help landowners across the province who may otherwise be unable to rehabilitate their land due to the cost. When you hear landowner’s stories about them having plowed around the legacy site for the past 40 years and then seeing them put that same field into crop the following year it is incredibly rewarding. I also get to see safety concerns such as steep eroding banks be turned back into habitat, create wildlife corridors, extend forests, and create wetlands. A lot of people working in environmental reclamation positions may only return one or two sites a year, I get to work with the MAAP team to return to over 30 sites a year!
What do you find most challenging in your work?
Usefulness of a site is quite subjective. One of the difficulties is making sure that our staff as well as a landowner communicates what’s possible for the rehabilitation of a site and how it relates to what is wanted. For example, returning a site to agricultural use may not be practical if there is no topsoil or organic materials remaining on site that could be utilized for such purposes. Other solutions may have to be considered. Which leads me to the next most challenging aspect of our job, lack of organics on site. Many legacy sites have had their topsoil stripped and removed off-site. Consequently, we always struggle to reintroduce organics to these sites. The good news is that it can be done! Through the rehabilitation of these legacy sites we’re learning how to ensure that our modern-day practices of stripping sites sets up the conditions we need for successful final rehabilitation.
Describe your typical day on the job and how your work contributes to your company.
My days vary quite a bit depending on what time of the year it is. In the winter months I spend a lot of my time updating our databases and reporting on the previous years’ rehabilitation and research project. We review that we have enough legacy sites lined up to rehabilitate the following year, and if we think we need more we review our databases to target more sites. As soon as spring hits we’re in full project tendering mode until the end of the fall and need to ensure that site plans are completed, contracts are written, permits are in order and contractors are hired. Summer months bring more site visits. I spend this time visiting newly revoked licences or permits, completed legacy project sites or meeting with landowners to discuss rehabilitation options. We’re also scouting for the next year’s projects and prepping to have sites GPS’d with a drone or by our rehabilitation supervisor in the fall. I’m also responsible for presenting MAAP’s rehabilitation projects to municipalities and the public.
How did you get interested in this field?
I always enjoyed science and earth processes. When I was completing my master’s degree I spent a lot of time in northern Alberta working with the forestry and oil industries to examine their industries’ effect on the environment. It was rewarding to help measure the impact extraction of natural resources has on the environment as well as contribute to research that helps to minimize the effects extraction has. I am aware of the industries’ practices for extraction and am able to contribute to it being completed in a responsible way through research as well as rehabilitating old aggregate sites that were intrinsic to building Ontario. I was actually working on a research project funded by TOARC for better rehabilitation of wetland systems, which led me to my career here.
What sort of education or experience do you have that is relevant to your job?
I have an undergraduate degree in biology and physical geography and a master’s degree in biogeochemistry. I was also fortunate to have worked with a variety of other extractive industries before working in aggregates, which gave me some insight into the challenges industries face and how important cooperation between industry, research and the public is. When I came into the aggregates scene I had little experience with this industry and its operations. I’m quite lucky that I have mentors at TOARC and in the industry who continue to help me increase my knowledge.
What advice would you give to others looking for a possible career in aggregates?
The aggregate industry has so many different avenues. The longer I am in my position the more I see the possibilities. There are so many careers for people, from engineers, to planners, to environmental scientists, to machine operators. Just about any interest you have will likely have a spot in aggregates.
In terms of advice, the industry is always evolving so be sure you are ready to change with the environment and be aware of the different opportunities that this industry has. Also be well aware that you will be explaining what aggregates are repeatedly to friends and family!! And I’d suggest learning the difference between a pit and a quarry before going to a job interview!