It is admirable that “red…

It is admirable that “red tape” and redundancy are being reduced. However, such effort is usually at the request of someone that will benefit directly. In this case I believe it is the aggregate industry. This is okay if the public is protected. I fear that this is not the case when it comes to quarrying below the top of the water table.
I have been told that a quarry operator can apply for a licence to quarry above the water table with all the public consultation requirements in place. Once the permit is granted, the same quarry can apply to have the permit expanded to include quarrying below the water table and it requires review by the MNR personnel only. The person(s) doing the review, although having the public interest at heart, maybe a junior when it comes to knowing the issues and how to protect the public interest.
For example, the rehabilitation of a pit should be done progressively, in stages, as the quarrying progresses. Ideally this is done with overburden material that is stored on site from the site.
Operators have been known to deplete the pit and then apply to the MNR for a permit to import fill for rehabilitation. This practice is an additional source of revenue for the operator and a potential source of contamination to the water table and the surrounding wells. Sampling as a strategy to insure the integrity of the fill material is flawed. Testing is a human element and that introduces risk of testing for the wrong contaminants, sampling in the wrong places, and in the extreme case incentivizing the testers to produce a desired outcome.
All of the protection of the public’s interests are based on having adequate inspectors to monitor activity at the quarries. This can change at the whim of the government in power.
Please study your planned actions from the perspective that the implied benefit does not risk potential harm to the public.