“British Columbia has doubled its provincial association membership over the past three years, increasing from 150 to 300 members. They have many small, independent company members and have taken a somewhat different approach by offering membership price tiers, from small producers to large.
“While I’m living and working in the US, it’s great when I have people from APAC provincial association members saying, ‘Hey, thanks for doing a great job in bringing people together.’ I think keeping APAC informal has, if you like, created an industry buddies’ club, which has been key to its success.”
“Overall, we’re still 400 million tons [of annual demand], which is around 10 tons per capita. Much of the demand is driven by [extreme weather] seasonality, as our roads don’t last as long, creating a need to resurface and refurbish. It’s the same with bridges. It’s also based on a strong economy and significant investment in construction. There’s also been an increase in large American producers investing in coastal quarries in both eastern and western Canada. We expect [aggregate] exports to the United States from the maritime provinces and British Columbia to increase over the next decade. Tariffs do not currently impact those exports. There is definitely some optimism around [Prime Minister] Mark Carney’s Infrastructure Bill, but when will that transpire on the ground?”
Morrey adds that some Canadian infrastructure megaprojects, spanning several years and creating great aggregate demand and large numbers of jobs, are now complete. They include the Site C Dam, a hydroelectric dam on the Peace River, 14 kilometres southwest of Fort St. John in northeastern British Columbia. Completed in 2025, it is the fourth-largest hydroelectric producer in British Columbia, with an expected capacity of 1,230MW and an annual output of 4,600 GWh. Other megaprojects that have also reached completion in British Columbia include the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, LNG Canada, and the Coastal GasLink.
“The recent slight decline in Canada’s aggregate demand is not very different to what is going on in the United States,” notes Morrey. “There’s a lot of talk about Alberta, a province very big in oil and gas, getting federal government support to create a Trans-Canada pipeline. It has been discussed for decades, with talks started, halted, and restarted. There is a rare collaboration underway between the conservative province of Alberta and the Federal Liberal government to invest in natural gas. There’s some buzz around [what that could mean for the aggregates industry]. However, there are hurdles to overcome to ensure the project passes consultation and the pipeline opposition. For Alberta, it’s important to have clients beyond the Americans. Managing the [US] tariff situation has created a little bit more unity among Canadian provinces, which are now exporting more to other countries. That’s good for Canada long term.”
Canada has seen its immigration numbers reach record highs in recent years, with over 500,000 people entering the country for three consecutive years. Morrey notes that this has significantly increased housing demand and placed significant pressure on the broader national infrastructure.
“Housing demand went way up, with affordable housing becoming a major topic for politicians to debate during the last general election. Urbanisation is certainly apparent in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and even Edmonton. Those cities are growing, with immigration a key driver. Five years ago, we had three cities with populations over one million; now we have five. Canada has become more affluent, with more wealthy people wanting detached homes, but they are having smaller families. This means that cities are growing out [in scale]. At the same time, more high-rise buildings are being built, as many people want to live in cities. New housing starts are definitely not as high as they need to be.”
Asked by Aggregates Business what one thing he would urge Canadian PM Mark Carney to do to improve the health of the country’s aggregates industry, Morrey replies: “The complexity of getting an operating permit or extension is a real headache for the industry. If things do not improve, it will be disastrous. We are going to run out [of aggregates]. There is less replenishment than there is depletion.
“In British Columbia, we learned something interesting at the last APAC meeting, in that it has one governing body that issues permits with its Ministry of Mines. In most other provinces, you’re dealing with two or three, including your environment ministry and your municipality.”
Morrey also notes that the Canadian aggregates industry, like its New Zealand counterpart, needs to consult with Indigenous communities to mitigate potential disruptions from industry operations. “No one is opposed to doing this, but the rules of the game are not clear. Many permits remain abandoned because companies can’t afford to invest and wait for someone to step in. Clarity around this, and a stronger aggregate producer confidence that they can obtain a permit in a timely fashion by following all the rules and assessments. This is a bigger problem for small- to medium-sized producers [who feel they can’t afford to gamble on a potential financial return after their likely prolonged permit application process]. This means aggregates are coming from farther away, more trucks are on the road, and costs for taxpayers are increasing. It is the same issue worldwide.
“Making local resources available for extraction is a big thing. If Mother Nature puts rocks near cities, they should be accessible. We need to ensure that aggregate demand can be met to deliver national growth plans, especially in and around cities. I’ve seen that some cities in the US, like Los Angeles, have very strong plans around that.”
Morrey says that while the Canadian aggregates industry does a lot to encourage biodiversity and restore former extraction sites to natural habitat, national demand for recycled aggregates is very low. “We have so much wildlife and space, it’s part of any [operating] permit to do your environmental impact assessments and environmental monitoring. For the most part, aggregate producers are becoming better stewards and more of a partner in this area.
“When it comes to recycling, Canada is definitely behind Europe and other parts of the world. It is 5%, if that, of total aggregate production. It is only really apparent in major cities where they accept it. Some major cities, like Winnipeg, are still struggling to get crushed concrete accepted as a road base product. With the exception of private work here and there, recycled aggregates are basically irrelevant. Even RAP [reclaimed asphalt pavement] use is at a much lower percentage than in many other major countries. Producers are making efforts to demonstrate the technical standard for recycled aggregate, but it’s been a hard sell. The one that indirectly promotes it is a financial incentive. Every province except British Columbia has a tax on aggregates. For natural resources out of the ground, for gravel and crushed stone, you can be paying from 25 cents a ton to as much as 75 cents a ton. For recycled aggregates, you don’t pay anything, and it’s closer to the market, representing a multi-financial gain.”
Morrey says the proceeds from some provincial aggregates levies are being used to restore former extraction sites that have “become an eyesore”, with some tax money also going to enhance roads and other infrastructure in local communities.
What does APAC’s president think about the growing role of automation in the aggregates industry, and the industry’s early utilisation of AI (artificial intelligence) technology?
“From an automation and technology standpoint, COVID expedited a lot of things – like remote ticketing and doing away with cash at a lot of sites,” he says. “Instead of submitting tenders in an envelope and racing to get to the office to hand it in, it is now done electronically, which was long overdue. Regarding automation, it’s far more prevalent in fixed [aggregate] plants. In Canada, most production is done with portable facilities that move from site to site. We don’t have many fully automated sites.
“With AI, producers are generally still learning what it can do, and it has been a growing topic for speakers at our provincial conferences. Our industry is still a little old-fashioned, and people in it want to talk to someone. They don’t want automated agents answering calls.”
How best to encourage younger and more diverse people into careers in the aggregates sector is another big global industry talking point.
“It’s a big topic, but not the biggest in Canada. APAC has surveyed its provincial association members, asking them to identify the biggest issue their producers face. In 2022, the biggest problem was the labour shortage. We conducted a similar survey a few months ago, and the biggest challenges were overwhelmingly gaining access to resources and environmental compliance. I think the labour shortage is not as big as it was, partly because [aggregate] demand is down. Some provinces have looked at bringing military veterans into the industry. Meanwhile, ‘new Canadians’, immigrants coming into the country, are a big demographic when it comes to [aggregate] truck drivers, which can be as high as 50% in some provinces. There’s a lot of talk about attracting young talent to our industry, but that’s only one piece of the demographic puzzle. We still haven’t improved the balance of men and women, and do we always only need to look at the young, many of whom won’t stay in the industry?”
Morrey says some provinces and construction and aggregate sector companies, such as Dexter Construction in Nova Scotia, have created their own institute that can enrol high school students and train them on-site with equipment, enabling them to earn certification and secure guaranteed employment upon completion of their education.
“In Alberta, there’s also a lot going on around offering free training to indigenous communities, particularly women, to bring them into the [construction and aggregate] workforce.
“I think [in Canada] we’ve been going about career development in the wrong way. We’ve been saying that you need to go to college or university to earn a degree and secure a good job. There are many good-paying jobs and careers available in a quarry and across the wider aggregates industry, and they don’t require you to have a university degree.”
Morrey is impressed by efforts in Ontario and other Canadian provinces to encourage younger schoolchildren to view the aggregate and construction industries more positively.
“There’s a very good programme in Ontario schools for Grade 4 students, where it’s part of the curriculum to learn about the aggregates industry. There’s a female mascot named Sandy Stone who is part of the programme. It’s introducing kids earlier, so when it comes to deciding what they want to do with their lives, they see our industry as necessary and essential for society.”
Morrey has been keen to share expertise and news from the global aggregates industry with APAC provincial association members through his prominent role in GAIN (Global Aggregates Information Network), an informal worldwide network of national aggregate associations that share best practices to promote sustainability in the aggregates industry.
He delivered a Canadian aggregates market overview at the well-attended 8th GAIN Meeting in Córdoba, Spain, held 19-21 October 2025. Morrey also attended Áridos 2025, the VII National [Spanish] Aggregates Congress (in Córdoba, 22-23 October), where he participated in an international industry expert panel discussion titled The Aggregates Industry Worldwide, its Weaknesses, Threats, Strengths and Opportunities.
“I’ve been to four GAIN meetings now. The first time I was there, I thought we [Canadians] were operating at a very high level. I quickly realised that we’re somewhere in the middle: ahead of the game on some things, but definitely behind on others, where we have a lot to learn. In many aspects, Europe is leading, and it’s exciting to see what China is doing with automation and AI. Some countries in other parts of the world are facing corruption, with illegal extraction and other challenges, but they may also have industry practices we can all learn from. That’s the beauty of GAIN. I think it’s very important that Canada is represented at its events, and the provinces really appreciate the knowledge and resources I bring back.”
How will Morrey, who grew up in Brantford, a small city in southwestern Ontario, ultimately define his work as APAC president as a success? “I’d say it’s a success that APAC is continuing and not fading away. I arrange meetings that are entirely voluntary to attend, and the engagement is very high. It means a lot to me personally. I have relocated to the United States for work, but I am Canadian, and very true to my roots. Eventually, I do intend to move back to Canada. I’ve lived on both sides of the country, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity for Canada to be pioneers of more positive global aggregate industry change.”
