Rural Municipalities in Saskatchewan are allowed to issue a Gravel Extraction Licence and collect Gravel Extraction Fees for privately owned gravel pits within their Municipality. These capacities are provided through “The Municipalities Act” and “The Municipalities Regulation” where it is defined what fees an RM can charge for movement of commodities on RM roadways plus the maximum fee for the extraction of gravel. Roadata Services Ltd.
What is the Gravel & Road Infrastructure Protection program (GRIP)?
Roadata Services (RDS) currently coordinates the issuance of a Gravel & Road Infrastructure Protection program with some of our partners. This program combines the collection of Gravel Extraction fees and Road Maintenance Agreement fees together to simplify the application and fee collection process. RDS will issue a gravel extraction licence to the Gravel Pit Owners/Operators and answer any related questions. The Gravel Pit Owner/Operation will then identify their projected volume of extraction for the year and when the project commences RDS will work with them to define the total project scope. Upon completion of the project, RDS will create a Schedule “A” Addendum which will be used to determine the fees that are due under the program. Many R.M.’s will choose to invest in an audit of the extraction, often completed by a third-party drone measurement, to validate the totals reported.
What is the value of issuing a gravel extraction licence?
The gravel extraction licence is a tool the R.M. can use to ensure that the Pit Owner/Operator is aware of the responsibilities and policies the R.M. has for extraction and for movement on roads under their control. It provides the R.M. with the ability to suspend or revoke the licence if a Pit Owner/Operator is not operating within the terms of the Gravel Extraction Bylaw – or even issue fines for infractions committed. It also allows for the R.M.’s to recoup some of the added costs for maintaining the road due to the increase in commercial activity on the road.
How are the gravel extraction and road maintenance agreement fees determined?
Extraction and RMA fees are regulated through “The Municipalities Regulation”. Extraction fees are set in advance for a two year period and then have an automatic biennial update for the following years. This increase is based on the Consumer Price Index for Saskatchewan. The fees established for RMA’s are defined under Section 12 and Section 13 of the regulation. Section 12 specifically relates to fees being paid to the Municipality for “Maintenance and Restoration of roads by the hauler”, while Section 13 is for “Payment for shortening of lifetime of municipal roads”.
What commodities are covered under the program?
Gravel, sand, crushed stone, concrete and any other aggregate goods and/or materials.
How is the program delivered?
Roadata Services Ltd. (RDS) delivers a program that works with RM’s and Gravel Pit Owners and/or Operators to track commodities that move out of gravel pits and onto RM roadways. Our program provides a method to calculate fees based on actual roadway exposure rather than setting a universal flat fee. RDS will coordinate completion of all the required documents and will invoice for each location with a detailed breakdown of fees that will be distributed to each R.M. The use of RDS as the single point of contact and administration will provide greater availability to Industry and minimize potential disruption to Industry.
What if we are interested in becoming a participant in GRIP?
Before RDS can assist you with the Gravel & Road Infrastructure Protection program we must be working with the R.M. for the issuance of Overweight Permits. Establishing a relationship for a permit partnership is a relatively quick process and can be setup in as little as 30 days. We can then work with the R.M. to create a timeline to have you become an active participant in GRIP.
