The Town of Erin adopted a procurement policy including Cornerstone Standards Council (CSC) certification as part of the procurement evaluation criteria at its July 11 meeting.
CSC’s voluntary certification system verifies operations have conducted enhanced public consultation, progressive and efficient rehabilitation, protection and enhancement of environmentally significant areas and improved operational practices.
To obtain CSC certification, a site must first undergo in-depth assessments to prove it meets CSC’s high standards.
To date only two aggregate operations in the province have passed CSC’s rigorous auditing process and been awarded CSC Certification.
CRH Canada’s Acton Quarry received certification in January 2015 and Lafarge Canada’s Oro Pit received certification in June.
Tim Gray, executive director of environmental defence, said in a press release, “CSC offers assurance that a pit or quarry has met a higher standard of operation, raising the bar on operational practices as well as engaging with the community to address concerns early.”
First municipality
Erin is the first municipality in Ontario to include certified responsible aggregate materials in their evaluation criteria.
While regulatory requirements are extremely important for setting minimum legal requirements for aggregate operations, including CSC Certified aggregates as part of their evaluation criteria shows an appetite for a parallel system that encourages operations to continually strive for more responsible practices, officials say.
