OFA supports updating the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) policies but emphasizes that protecting farmland and water must remain top priorities. OFA insists that aggregate extraction should be prohibited on prime agricultural land (classes 1-4) and on specialty crop lands. Where extraction is permitted, sites must be fully rehabilitated back to former use for sustainable agricultural production in a timely manner. Farms should be recognized as “sensitive receptors,” with licensing decisions accounting for noise, dust, truck traffic, and overall impacts on agricultural systems.

OFA also calls for mandatory Water Reports for all applications, with studies extending beyond site boundaries to assess both water quality and quantity, surface and groundwater use, and potential impacts on neighbouring landowners. OFA stresses that agriculture should never be unduly burdened by aggregate operations, and that negative effects on farms, water, or rural communities must be deemed unacceptable.