Sechelt's Lehigh Cement is receiving a tip of the hard-hat from the province for its mine reclamation, innovation and work in the community.
The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources announced last week at the 34th annual Reclamation Awards that Lehigh had beat out nine other candidates for the Jake McDonald Annual Mine Reclamation Award.
Mine manager Mike Latimer said the award is significant to the company for two reasons: it's the first time a sand and gravel mine has received the award, and it's the first time the province has looked to variables outside the mine, like how the company fits in with and contributes to its community.
"It's not just a one-off 'we've planted some trees and aren't we wonderful, now give us an award' kind of thing. We're taking all the other community aspects into account as well," Latimer said.
He said the panel of judges who decide which mining companies will be recognized were likely impressed by Lehigh's open houses at the mine, school tours, contributions to projects like the Dolphin Street supportive housing project, as well as for its working relationship with the Sechelt Indian Band whereby the company employs and trains Band members and hires Band member-owned companies for work on the site.
To bolster the environmental aspect of its nomination, Lehigh pointed to the dozens of hectares of land that were stripped for the mine and that are now covered with 15,000 poplar trees.
The program, started in 2002, uses effluent from the District of Sechelt, Town of Gibsons and City of Powell River for a bio-solid soil-builder for areas disturbed by mining. Those areas have since been planted with the poplars that "grow like crazy" and trap carbon from the atmosphere. Lehigh has already worked out a deal for the poplars to be harvested in about 20 years for use in toilet paper.
Latimer said, in a sense, everyone on the Coast can feel they have contributed to the project.
"Every time they flush the toilet, they can pat themselves on the back," Latimer said with a laugh. "We joke about that in our tours. We talk about having a poplar plantation that will be turned into toilet paper someday, and it becomes the ultimate recycling program."
Latimer said credit for Lehigh's award is an honour to be shared by everyone connected with the mine.
