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Lafarge Canada’s Woodstock Quarry receives OSSGA Award of Excellence

March 23, 2018 – Woodstock Quarry, operated by Lafarge Canada Inc. in the Town of Zorra, Ont. has received the 2017 Award of Excellence from the Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (OSSGA).

Lafarge’s Woodstock Quarry has demonstrated leadership in community relations, property enhancements, and site rehabilitation.

The quarry participates in tree planting events, contributes to local groups, conducts tours for students and community members, and volunteers and raises funds for Woodstock’s Domestic Abuse Centre. Its on-site achievements include a traffic light crosswalk for pedestrians, an upgraded entrance, and a daylight traffic triangle, which keep the site safe and attractive.

Preventative maintenance and noise and dust control measures keep its operations from having a negative impact on neighbours.

Lastly, Woodstock Quarry has been recognized by OSSGA’s Awards Program for the progressive rehabilitation of the 550-hectare site, which recently began focusing on the final extraction faces.

Award of Excellence
Presented at OSSGA’s 2018 Annual Conference & AGM at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont., the Award of Excellence is the highest honour an active site can achieve in the OSSGA Industry Recognition Awards Program. The award signifies outstanding and continued achievement in all aspects of an aggregate operation. It is given to an aggregate pit or quarry that has already earned the Progressive Rehabilitation Award, the Community Relations Award and the Property Enhancement Award (including all seven “gold” bars). The recipients of this award are producers that go above and beyond industry standards in all these areas of consideration.

“Lafarge is committed to providing construction solutions using sustainable manufacturing practices and improving the environment in and around its operations,” said Xavier Guesnu, vice-president of aggregates for Eastern Canada. “We continually strive to ensure that we are integrating ourselves well into the local community, enhancing our properties, and putting significant efforts for rehabilitation and sustainable operations at our sites. We are extremely proud of our team which has led to the Award of Excellence recognition from OSSGA at our Woodstock Quarry.“

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 have demonstrated a pursuit of excellence in the aggregate industry.”

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. For more information on the Industry Recognition Awards Program, please contact Ashlee Zelek at 905.507.0711 ext. 205.