Grey County councillors are being asked to begin a major review of the county's aggregate policies and support temporary pauses on new gravel pit approvals while updated rules are developed.
Judi Smelko of the Saugeen Preservation Society will appear before Grey County's Committee of the Whole on Thursday, September 10, 2026 to call for an Aggregate Resource Inventory and Policy Study to begin ahead of the county's next Official Plan update.
The county's agenda describes the purpose of the delegation as a request to "initiate a study to replace the 2004 Aggregate Inventory Master Plan to prepare for the 2027 Official Plan Update."
The preservation society argues the existing study is now more than two decades old and no longer provides an adequate foundation for decisions involving new or expanded aggregate operations.
Material included with the delegation says Grey County contains about 60 per cent of Southern Ontario's aggregate resource and currently has 139 active aggregate licences.
The group says another seven applications are active for either new licences or expansions of existing operations.
It also says existing licensed operations have approval to extract more than 25 million tonnes of aggregate annually, arguing the amount of approved capacity raises questions about the need for additional operations and about how the county plans for their cumulative effects.
The group is asking Grey County to begin the aggregate study now rather than waiting until work begins on the broader Official Plan update next year.
It is also seeking county support for the use of interim control bylaws by municipalities while aggregate policies are being reviewed.
An interim control bylaw is a temporary planning tool that can restrict certain development while a municipality studies a land-use issue and considers changes to its planning policies.
The issue has already been debated extensively in West Grey, where several proposed aggregate operations near the Saugeen River have generated opposition from residents and environmental groups.
West Grey council considered whether to use an interim control bylaw in 2025 as it looked at its options for dealing with aggregate development.
Council ultimately stopped short of putting the temporary controls in place and instead formally asked Grey County to review its aggregate policies.
The resolution approved by West Grey council directed staff to send correspondence to the county "requesting that the Grey County aggregate policies be reviewed."
The Saugeen Preservation Society has argued that updating the broader county policies is important because West Grey relies heavily on Grey County's planning framework to regulate aggregate extraction outside settlement areas.
The group has been particularly active in opposing proposed gravel operations around Allan Park Road and Concession 4 NDR near the Saugeen River.
It has raised concerns about the combined effects of multiple operations on groundwater, the river, fisheries, truck traffic, noise and nearby businesses.
Grey County's existing Official Plan sets land-use policy for mineral and aggregate resources across the county, while individual extraction proposals can also require municipal zoning approvals and provincial licences.
The county says its Official Plan is used to determine where development and infrastructure should be located and how important natural areas and resources should be protected.
Thursday's delegation does not come with a staff recommendation to approve a new study or impose a moratorium. Councillors will instead hear the presentation and decide whether to give staff further direction.
The Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled to follow Thursday morning's Grey County Council meeting.
