Heading in the right direction
Avenues talks to Manager of Planning and Environment at R.W. Tomlinson Ltd., Domenic Idone, P.Eng. Idone shares his views on the strengths of today’s aggregate industry, as well as its future prospects.
Q: What sort of exposure did you have to aggregates growing up, if any?
A: Next to none, other than having to shovel it for projects around our house! As the son of a plumber, I was more exposed to building construction and construction trades.
Q: What was your initial work experience?
A: After I finished school, I started my career in construction working on heavy civil infrastructure projects, such as bridges, tunnels, roads, etc. I was even fortunate enough to have worked on the ‘Big Dig’ in Boston, Massachusetts. Aggregates obviously played an essential part in all those projects but I never gave them a second thought – neither in terms of how they were produced nor what it took to produce them.
Q: Why did you eventually choose a career in aggregates, or did it choose you?
A: When the opportunity to work in the aggregate industry came along, I was more than a little apprehensive leaving an industry I was familiar and comfortable with, and going into one that I had little knowledge about. After the transition, having worked with good people here at R.W Tomlinson, such as my mentor and predecessor, Dale MacGregor, and with many other good people in the industry, I really started enjoying working in the aggregate industry. I also began to appreciate how important aggregates are to our society and their importance to our economy. The aggregate industry made it easy for me to want to stay. In essence, it chose me.
Q: What impresses you most about the culture of the industry with respect to the workplace?
A: Even though we work in an industry that involves many potential hazards, I find that safety is regarded with the utmost importance and is diligently practised by our workforce. Controlled site access, blasting procedures, site-specific safety precautions, equipment safeguards and lockout and maintenance are some of the many aspects at our aggregate operations that are taken very seriously. Safety training also plays an important role and is done regularly on an on-going basis. I also find that our workforce is very conscientious about the work they do and the potential impacts they can have if (a job) is not done right, especially when it pertains to quality and mitigating any potential environmental impacts, such as dust and blasting.
Q: Where do you see the industry going in the next decade?
A: Aggregates are a non-renewable resource; however, society’s demand for aggregates is growing as our communities continue to grow, both horizontally and vertically. New infrastructure is required while ensuring that existing infrastructure is repaired and/or replaced. Although need will continue to grow, there will be pressure from the public and politicians for our industry to become more sustainable.It’s already started. I believe the use of recycled aggregates will continue to increase as a consequence.
Q: As recycling increases, what should industry professionals be aware of ?
A: Although we all encourage recycling, as an industry we should be mindful and continue to remind people of a couple of issues as we move in that direction. First, aggregate recycling, unless it can be done properly on a specific project, should proceed through licensed aggregate operations to ensure a high-quality product is produced safely in locations that have existing environmental controls. Secondly, we need to educate the public that this is only part of the solution. Recycling will not eliminate the need for existing or new licensed aggregate properties.
Q: Are there any additional challenges?
A: Our industry will also continue to be challenged from others who perceive our industry as not clean and not environmentally friendly, which is absolutely not true. This will also continue to fan the flames when operators encounter NIMBY (Not-In-My-Backyard) or special interest groups. We are a clean and innovative industry when it comes to dealing with environmental issues. The regulatory standards set in the Province of Ontario to obtain and operate an aggregate licence are extremely high and there is a good regulatory system in place through the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)’s aggregate resources program to oversee the industry as well.
Q: How can we get this message across?
A: As an industry, we need to continue to educate the public and politicians on how high these standards are and how seriously human health and the environment are considered with (respect) to our operations. We should also be encouraging the province to direct more resources to the MNR to strengthen the oversight program. Although we may never completely eliminate opposition to our industry, increased education and an increased level of confidence in the people who monitor aggregate operations would go a long way in reducing opposition and misconceptions about our industry.
Q: Can you comment on the importance and significance of aggregate production in your specific region, i.e., Eastern Ontario?
A: Aggregates are as important in Eastern Ontario as they are in any other part of the province – very important. They are essential to our economy and health and they are essential building blocks for our construction industry. Ottawa, as the largest aggregate-producing municipality in Ontario, requires and will continue to require a stable, close-to-market and affordable source of aggregate as its population continues to grow, and as new housing, schools, hospitals, roads, transit systems, water distribution systems, sewers, bridges and all manners of infrastructure will be required to be built or rehabilitated. Projects such as the new Ottawa Light Rail System and the revitalization of Lansdowne Park alone will require vast amounts of aggregate to complete over the next few years. As I said before, aggregates are essential for Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and all of Ontario, and that will not change any time soon.