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New bylaw regulating dust clears Council

November 6, 2026   ·   0 Comments

A new bylaw regulating dust emitted into the air from construction and renovation projects was given the green light at Council’s last regular meeting of the 2022-2026 Council term.

“Respirable dust generated through residential construction activities, including the cutting of concrete, stone, masonry products and similar building materials may negatively impact neighbourhood properties, workers, and nearby residents,” said the Town of Aurora in a statement. “A standalone dust bylaw provides clear and enforceable regulatory framework and reflects municipal best practices.”

The new dust bylaw followed a motion passed by Council last year after being introduced by Ward 6 Councillor Harold Kim.

While the bylaw received wide Council support when it was reviewed at the Committee level on September 8, the intervening weeks brought forward some concerns from residents, said Councillor Kim.

“This isn’t a token gesture. It’s a framework with teeth that we don’t have today,” said Councillor Kim at the September meeting. “I’ve also heard from residents, parents especially, with honest concerns about dust and air quality near our schools. I take those seriously and they’re a part of why I brought this [issue] forward. Their main point is about the section covering what a contractor must do to control dust.

“Some have suggested we scrap it and simply say no dust may leave a property, period, but almost any time you cut stone or concrete, some dust travels. A rule that strict would put every homeowner installing a driveway or interlock walkway offside, and our officers couldn’t realistically enforce it. As well-intentioned as it is, it doesn’t hold up. There’s a fair point in there, though. A tarp shouldn’t be enough if dust is still blowing into a neighbour’s yard. There may be room to tighten that language so the measures actually have to work, not just be present. But we shouldn’t rewrite that on the floor tonight. When we impose a requirement, we need to show we did our homework on it, and that’s a proper staff review.”

Ward 1 Councillor Ron Weese said he had had resident feedback as well since Council’s first sweep of the matter in the first half of the month, many of which were outlined by Councillor Kim.

Councillor Weese asked the Bylaw department about mitigation strategies that can be put in place to keep dust to a minimum.

“Wet cutting is part of those suggested measures,” said Bylaw Manager Alexander Wray on some of the best practices. “The added step of going further to HEPA filters generally falls under provisions that the Ministry of Labour would enforce and those are related to employees and workplace safety matters. To impose that standard would be something we would look at, but I would suggest even with the way the Bylaw is written right now, it would not necessarily be the be-all and end-all solution. We just need to be mindful that imposing that additional standard, we’re also asking our residents and business owners, because the bylaw is applicable to both homeowners and businesses to potentially incur additional costs.”

Weese said he was less concerned about the additional costs than the health and safety of residents “as construction is going on next door.”

“This allows us to look at other methods to try to respond to the complaints that we have,” he said. “I’m in favour of the bylaw as well.”

Support also came from Ward 3 Councillor Wendy Gaertner, Ward 5 Councillor John Gallo, who said he recently saw construction work generating considerable dust at Thomas Coates Park, and Mayor Tom Mrakas, who highlighted the importance of Bylaw responding to these concerns in a timely fashion.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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