{"id":440434,"date":"2025-03-11T06:05:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T10:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/?p=440434"},"modified":"2025-03-10T11:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:52:11","slug":"ossga-award-winners-honoured-for-community-leadership-rehabilitation-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/dcn\/news\/associations\/2025\/03\/ossga-award-winners-honoured-for-community-leadership-rehabilitation-efforts","title":{"rendered":"OSSGA award winners honoured for community leadership, rehabilitation efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"
MISSISSAUGA, ONT. \u2014 The Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (OSSGA) recently handed out several awards in two distinct areas, one for community relations and the other progressive rehabilitation efforts.<\/p>\n
The community relations awards recognize leadership in promoting good neighbour relations, community involvement, education and industry awareness.<\/p>\n
This year there were six winners, which were all committed to noise and dust mitigation initiatives, representing good neighbour efforts.<\/p>\n
Those awarded are as follows:<\/p>\n
The Progressive Rehabilitation Award recognizes the ongoing e\ufb00orts of individual operators to progressively rehabilitate their sites per their site plans.<\/p>\n
This year, the OSSGA recognized 11 winners, and one judge\u2019s choice, honouring each site with a plaque at a recent awards dinner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nThe 2024 Judges\u2019 Choice Award Winner:<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n<\/strong>Covering approximately 6.26 hectares, the project successfully transformed former extraction sites into stable, vegetated landscapes, integrating seamlessly into natural habitats, states the OSSGA. By May 2024, the rehabilitation was completed, creating an ecologically sustainable environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe other 2024 winners are:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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\n<\/strong>The project rehabilitated 3.4 hectares, shaping slopes and restoring the pit \ufb02oor using sustainable methods. Hydroseeding with specialized grass and legume mixes promoted long-term stabilization and ecological restoration.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Progressive rehabilitation at GIP\u2019s Armitage Pit has focused on pond restoration, sloping pit sidewalls, and planting rye and clover after covering with topsoil. By 2016, 580 trees and shrubs, including Red Osier Dogwood, white spruce and white pine were planted to improve wildlife and \ufb01sh habitats.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>The \ufb01nal rehabilitation plans for the Riddell Pit involve sloping pit faces, seeding with grass and legumes and planting trees like maples, white pine and white spruce. Phase three will be converted into a large lake, with sloped sides above and below the water table, covered with topsoil, seeded and planted with nursery stock. To date, 5.5 ha of pit faces have been sloped, seeded and planted.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Progressive rehabilitation at the Torbolton Pit covers 50 hectares, including pond rehabilitation\u00a0 and tree\/shrub planting. E\ufb00orts around the northern pond area include creating perpendicular shorelines, sloping pit faces, and planting species like Red Osier Dogwood, High Bush Cranberry, White Pine, Red Pine and White Spruce to prevent erosion. Final plans include a self-contained pond, sloped shorelines covered with topsoil, seeded, and planted with Willows and Silver Maple, along with stumps and rocks placed to enhance \ufb01sh spawning and wildlife habitats.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>The Brantford Pit rehabilitation aimed to stabilize former extraction areas with shallow shorelines and natural features. The project involved sloping and seeding the southern shoreline and side-slope areas using 14,000 cubic metres of overburden and topsoil. A native grass\/legume mixture was seeded in May 2024 across 12,500 square metres to encourage natural re-vegetation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>The Clark Pit aimed to restore former extraction areas to their original grade for future industrial use in Ottawa. Over 22 years, 2.5 million tonnes of soil were imported to \ufb01ll, slope and grade the land, with the western side sloped to a 3:1 ratio and overburden used to meet topsoil requirements.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>Through a combination of grading, topsoil placement and seeding with crops like corn and soybeans, Miller Paving has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring productive land use after extraction activities. While the site still remains an active extraction site, about 50 per cent of the land has now been rehabilitated back to agriculture production.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>By implementing soil fertility improvements and long-term sustainability measures, the project highlights a commitment to both environmental conservation and productive land use. Last year, a total of 6.44 hectares were rehabilitated and the site was fully transformed into pastureland with plans to return to its original orchard conditions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>The Laurentian Pit completed progressive rehabilitation on its 15.6-hectare pit focusing on slope stabilization, drainage improvements, and native vegetation planting.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>The Middleton Pit, a former farmland used for aggregate extraction from 2019 to 2022, was rehabilitated in 2024 with a plan to restore it as open grassland, cropland and a small pond for wildlife habitat. Overburden material was used to back\ufb01ll the site, restoring its original rolling hills landscape across three hectares, with a wheat crop planted in the \ufb01rst year to stabilize soils.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/strong>The Gowanlock pit underwent a 15-year rehabilitation process to restore it for agricultural use, with the \ufb01nal phase completed in 2024 on 5.8 hectares of land. The pit \ufb02oor was levelled and topsoil and fertilizer were spread, preparing the site for future farming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n