NEWS RELEASES
ONTARIO STONE, SAND & GRAVEL ASSOCIATION
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Orillia Pits, operated by Walker Aggregates Inc., in the Village of Hawkestone, has received the 2018 Community Relations Award from the Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.
Walker Aggregates Inc. is committed to keeping its Orillia Pits safe, clean, and in good standing with its neighbours.
The Pits’ employee safety training program, Start Up, as well as traffic signage and vehicle beacons, help prevent incidents on its roads. At the same time, dust and noise control measures plus a robust neighbour complaint system ensure the impacts of its operations are regularly monitored and addressed.
Community members are always kept updated on all activities at the site thanks to the pits’ Skipping Stones newsletter. They are also invited to share their feedback and concerns during the summer barbecues, Holiday Wine and Cheese receptions, and ongoing online and in-person interactions.
Outside of its gates, Orillia Pits supports the growth of its community through material donations; recipients of those donations in 2018 included the local Rugby Community Centre and Oro-Medonte's Warminster Park.
Severn Quarry, operated by Walker Aggregates Inc., in the City of Orillia, has received the 2018 Community Relations Award from the Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.
A variety of initiatives make Severn Quarry a welcome and respected member of its local community in the City of Orillia.
These initiatives include the purchase and maintenance of critical on-site equipment and procedures that greatly reduce the impact that blasting has on nearby residents.
They also include visible traffic signage, accident prevention equipment, and strictly enforced safety protocols that greatly improve traffic safety in and around the site.
On top of that, quarry staff are in regular contact with nearby neighbours regarding blasting schedules, keeping community members up-to-date on site activities and other news.
Communication channels include the Walker Aggregates website, its Cornerstone newsletter, and get-togethers organized by the quarry’s Public Liaison Committee. Also important are the quarry’s community contributions: most recently it made substantial stone donations to the Washago & District Lions Club.
About the Community Relations Award
Presented at OSSGA’s 2019 Annual Conference & AGM at Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, the Community Relations Award recognizes those who have demonstrated leadership in promoting good neighbour relations, community involvement, education, and industry awareness.
“Achieving the gold bar standards of the Property Enhancement award at Ridgemount Quarries, as well as being recognized for our community relations efforts at so many of our other locations is a great accomplishment. We are proud of our employees' commitment to integrity, which is visible across all of our sites.” - Ken Lucyshyn, Executive Vice President Aggregates & Construction
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Hewitt Pit, operated by CBM Aggregates – A Division of Votorantim Cimentos, in the Township of Severn, has received the 2018 Progressive Rehabilitation Award from the Ontario, Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.
Phase 1 rehabilitation work at CBM Aggregates’ Hewitt Quarry took place over 2.5 hectares of the 85-hectare site. Active work began in November 2013 with crews backfilling the east, west and south slopes and placing 187,000 cubic metres of blasted oversize rock on the site to create a rough 2:1 slope. Once the grade was established, different pieces of equipment were used to transfer and spread nearly 3,000 cubic metres of topsoil to a thickness of six to eight inches.
The next and final step in this project included seeding the slopes with a 350kg grass/legume mix at a rate of 125 kg per hectare. CBM staff then planted a total of 400 seedlings – 200 White Pine and 200 White Cedar – on the side slopes. While there was not enough topsoil or overburden to work on the pit floor during this phase, CBM created habitat islands along the area using stumps, logs and waste rock capped with topsoil until the material became available.
Progressive Rehabilitation Award
Presented at OSSGA’s 2019 Annual Conference and AGM at Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, the Progressive Rehabilitation Award recognizes ongoing efforts of individual operators in progressively rehabilitating their sites in accordance with their site plans.
“The OSSGA Industry Recognition Awards highlight the commitment of companies to raise the bar in the industry. CBM Aggregates receipt of 6 awards for Progressive Rehabilitation and Property Enhancement is a manifestation of the hard work of the employees of our company. We are very proud of them and our company’s record in keeping the bar high.” - David Hanratty, North American Director of Land & Resource, VCNA Aggregates.
OSSGA Industry Recognition Awards Program
The OSSGA Industry Recognition Awards Program recognizes a wide range of activities that contribute to a progressive image of our member aggregate producers and the aggregate industry as a whole. A key goal is to raise the bar in the industry by highlighting operations that go above and beyond what is required by legislation.
“We encourage our members to be sound stewards of the lands on which they operate, and to be engaged and valued members of their community,” said Norm Cheesman, Executive Director of OSSGA. “All of the award winners this year have met and exceeded those expectations.”
Submissions for OSSGA’s Industry Recognition Awards are due in November or at any time of year for the Bronze Plaque. Members are invited to download a copy of OSSGA Industry Recognition Awards Program Guide for full details of submission requirements.
Need some inspiration? Look no further than the 2018 OSSGA Industry Recognition and Student Design Award winners!
About OSSGA
The Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (OSSGA) is a non-profit industry association representing over 280 sand, gravel and crushed stone producers and suppliers of valuable industry products and services.
Collectively, our members produce a large majority of the approximately 164 million tonnes of aggregate consumed annually on average in the province to build and maintain Ontario’s infrastructure needs. OSSGA works in partnership with government and the public to promote a safe and competitive aggregate industry contributing to the creation of strong communities in the province.
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