1. The Dirt on Dirt in Ontario
Nov. 28, 2018
Al Durand
Project Manager, SOiiL
Canadian Urban Institute Excess Soil Symposium
Ajax , Ontario

2. Remember these signs?

4. An Online Soil Database
What is SOiiL?
An Online Soil Database
provides a forum to facilitate the matching of excess construction soil from donor sites with those sites requiring soil
Benefits include:
lower transport and disposal costs
preservation of landfill capacity
less truck traffic

5. Current Developments in Ontario
Excess construction soil disposal primarily to landfill or “other” sites
► “Dig & Dump” not environmentally sustainable
in the long term
RCCAO hosted workshops, roundtables to seek solutions
In 2014, Ministry of the Environment (in conjunction with stakeholders) released “Management of Excess Soil – A Guide for Best Management Practices”
Minister of the Environment accepted an EBR application for review in 2014 which resulted in a more detailed policy review

6. What we can learn from other jurisdictions
CL:AIRE in the U.K. created a very successful Excess Soil Reuse Model
More than 70,000,000 m3 soils reused in 10 years (clean & contaminated)
Province has previously expressed interest in CL:AIRE approach, including:
► Definition of Waste – Code of Practice (DoW CoP)
► Smart regulation approach – focus resources on the bad guys!
► Management and governance model – joint approach (regulator & industry)
► Emphasis on outreach, training, QP certification, professional standards
► Soil matching registry and hub system
► Overseas interest in CL:AIRE
(e.g., U.S., China, Australia)

7. Since launch in Sept. 2008 to end of Aug. 2018
Declarations =
4,213
DoW CoP Adoption
# Qualified Persons =
235
Materials =
70,747,584 m3
Since launch in Sept to end of Aug. 2018

8. Where We Are – New Regulations
Province has had 2 EBR postings with significant stakeholder input
Most recently (April 16, 2018): EBR Posting
► New regulation “harmonized” with waste, brownfield regulations
► Excess soil management plans (ESMP) requirements
► Beneficial reuse assessment tool (BRAT) – Risk-based approach
Industry continues to promote the adoption of BMP approaches:
► Studies on benefits of BMPs (OSPE, GTSWCA, RCCAO)
► Promotion of pilot testing – digital management solutions, include truck tracking (e.g., SoilFlo)

9. Actions to Take
Implement soil by-laws and permitting processes to support new regulatory changes
Focus on beneficial soil reuse
Create a soil bank for temporary storage
Prepare new registry and management systems
Adopt new tender documents which encourage upfront planning and reuse