BAKER, Douglas <br/><br/>
An envolving policy network in action :  the case of construction aggregate policy in Ontario 

 -  2001 
<br/><br/> The history of legislation to control aggregate mining reflects a power struggle between provincial and municipal interests. A content analysis of 140 Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings was assessed for a twenty-five-year period to evaluate the conflict between provincial and municipal goverments and to document eh  role of legislation and policy in the resolution of the disputes. This article discusses the trend of successive Ontario governments to move the municipalities out of the  core of the policy network dedicated to aggregate extraction. This is a result of the  province`s need to assure its greater autnomy in the industry in order to guarantee adequate stocks for future development. The province`s autonomy allows a greater consideration to the industry and somewhat less consideration to be environmental impacts of aggregate mining. The article shows that there hs been an evolution in the policy netwrok from a "captured network"to a more"pluralist network". Pushing the municipalities to the periphery through strong legislation has allowed the province to undermine the strength of the municipality to protect local interests primarily concerned with reducing the amount and impact of mining taking place near residential developments