Pits to Parks Restoration Project

Aggregate sites are locations where material used in construction, such as sand, gravel and crushed stone (aggregates) are mined.

Both sites are former aggregate pits that are now owned by CVC. They were acquired for both restoration and recreation purposes.

• Pinchin Pit (61 hectares) operated as an aggregate pit for 15 years before it came into CVC’s ownership. A condition of Pinchin Pit’s Aggregate Resource Act license was that it be transferred to a public body after extraction was complete. The management intent post extraction has always been for enhanced restoration and recreation.
• CVC purchased the Flaherty West pit (18 hectares) from the landowner after a robust fundraising campaign. Flaherty West Pit also contains significant portions of the Credit River, access to Charleston Sideroad, and abuts CVC’s Charles Sauriol Conservation Area.

The Pits to Parks Restoration Project is a unique opportunity to ecologically restore two former aggregate pits using clean excess soil, eventually opening them as publicly accessible parks.

• Beneficial reuse of clean excess soil: Much of clean excess soil required for the Pits to Parks Restoration Project will come from capital works projects in Peel Region. We treat this material as a valued resource that can be used to improve the natural environment. This will keep thousands of trucks from driving long distances to northern municipalities to dispose of soil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Ecological restoration of former aggregate sites: the placement of clean excess soil provides a real opportunity to restore areas that were previously extracted through aggregate operations. It will allow us to recreate the natural topography of the area and facilitate reforestation, the creation of native grasslands and improve wetland habitat. Once complete, these sites will contribute to the watershed’s natural heritage system, support biodiversity and promote carbon sequestration.
• Two new Credit Valley Parks: CVC is seeking to grow the amount of publicly accessible greenspace in the watershed. Once restoration is complete, these two sites will provide opportunities for people to spend time in nature and participate in nature-based recreation opportunities. We’re looking for public feedback on the type of recreational opportunities and visitor amenities the community wants to see.

The idea for the project came about from the success of the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area (JTLCA project. The JTLCA project, a partnership between CVC, the Region of Peel and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, used approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of clean excess soil to create 26 hectares of new greenspace on Mississauga’s lakeshore. Read more about the JTLCA project.

This is a long-term project and we are still in the study phase. We expect the restoration feasibility study and subsequent development of an integrated soils management plan to take place over the next two years (2024 and 2025). We anticipate operations to begin in 2026, with clean excess soil being imported for 5 to 7 years. Progressive restoration will take place as clean excess soil is brought in. Visitor and recreation amenities will be developed after that. We’re looking for public feedback on the type of visitor amenities and recreational opportunities the community would like to see.

The project is being designed with a cost-recovery model. The revenue generated from importing clean excess soil (tipping fees) needs to cover the cost of site restoration, as well as recreation and visitor amenity construction. An economic analysis will take place in 2024 and it will provide more information on the economic aspects of this project.