Highway16

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

For BURNCO, good community relations starts with corporate support of the local community. Our community relations objectives are to:

• Establish and maintain good relations with our neighbours
• Maintain open communications with all stakeholders
• Minimize the impacts of operations on neighbours and the community
• Contribute to community well-being – be a good corporate citizen
• Provide mechanisms to deal with concerns raised by residents and other stakeholders
• Support the volunteer efforts of our employees and contract drivers who live and work in the community

Our business has been built on openness and honesty since the very start. After all, you don’t build a business that has lasted four generations without doing something right.

• Smithfield Community Advisory Group
• Truck Safety
• Water
• Dust
• Noise
• Natural Environment
• Awards
• Important Links

Smithfield Community Advisory Group

The Smithfield Community Advisory Group is a group of local residents organized by BURNCO who meet periodically with company representatives to receive project updates and discuss the project and any related issues. The Advisory Group was started in July 2003 as a way to consult with area residents for the original Highway 16 North Project. The group was revived in 2008 to engage the community in the next process of required applications. The Advisory Group has had input into the Highway 16 North Project for a number of years and BURNCO has committed to the following performance measures:

• To consider all performance measures recommended by the advisory group;
• To implement all measures that are technically and economically feasible;
• To provide a thorough explanation for declining measures that are not feasible; and
• When a measure is declined, to work with the community on alternative solutions to address the underlying concern.

The Smithfield Community Advisory Group and the performance measures process will be a permanent feature of BURNCO’s operations in Parkland County. After BURNCO receives approvals for its operation, the Advisory Group will continue to meet and monitor BURNCO’s performance, suggest improvements and make recommendations on community investments through a fund generated from the operation.

Truck Safety

Safe, courteous driving – that’s the bottom line at BURNCO, because in all we do, we strive to establish and maintain good relations with our neighbours, customers and the general public. Our drivers are required to follow our policy to ensure our safety standards as well as the public’s expectations are met. They must always practice responsible driving habits, and maintain a good driving record. As with all BURNCO operations, company employees and subcontractors involved in the hauling of aggregate must meet three criteria:

1. Safety – only the highest standard of safety is appropriate to safeguard the public, the driver’s peers and the driver himself.
2. Legality – all federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations must be followed as well as BURNCO’s own regulations.
3. Efficiency – the least time-consuming, safe and legal hauling route must be taken.

Each spring, independent truckers wishing to work for BURNCO must register themselves and their vehicles by providing, among other things, proof of proper insurance, registration, vehicle inspection, and coverage by the Workers Compensation Board.

Alberta Sand and Gravel Association Registry

BURNCO supports the Alberta Sand and Gravel Association’s Registry program and encourages any resident who witnesses a gravel truck driving unsafely to call the ASGA Registry toll-free line at 1-866-901-ASGA to report the truck.

Water

BURNCO prides itself on meeting or exceeding Alberta Environment’s regulations for water use. We are working with HCL, a respected environmental consulting agency, to ensure the Highway 16 North Project uses this precious resource responsibly. A study by HCL completed in January 2003 indicated the quantity of groundwater would not be adversely affected by BURNCO’s proposed operations.

Dust

To minimize any potential effect on our neighbours, we developed and implemented a dust management plan: Truck transport To address the concerns regarding dust emissions from truck traffic, BURNCO will:

• Follow municipal guidelines for all loads leaving our operations regarding tarps
• Enforce a strict 30-kilometre speed limit within the operating pit to minimize traffic dust
• Surface coat internal access roads with an effective and approved treatment to minimize vehicle dust from the pit
• Reconstruct and upgrade the haul route leaving the pit to a standard that will handle truck traffic

Operations Although dust emissions from operations were not identified as a concern, BURNCO will further minimize them by:

• Using a water truck to suppress dust in the active pit and stockpile areas
• Returning excavated and mined areas to grassland through a progressive reclamation program

Crushing To minimize dust from the crusher, BURNCO will:

• Enclose each component of the crusher with a blanket system that confines dust to the enclosure, where it settles at the base of each component
• Clear fine particles from around the crusher daily

To track the effectiveness of our dust management plan, a dust monitoring station near the site will collect continuous data.

Noise

BURNCO recognizes the importance of minimizing noise in the communities where we operate. We have developed a comprehensive noise management plan that demonstrates to our neighbours, employees and customers that we value good relations. BURNCO’s noise management plan includes policies and procedures to ensure that our noise reduction targets are met in both our operations and truck transportation. Truck transport

• Access roads are surface-coated and maintained to minimize truck noise.
• A 30-kilometre speed limit in the pit area is enforced and it is prohibited to use engine retarder brakes at our operations.

Operations

• Back-up alarms on heavy equipment are operated at the minimum noise levels allowed by Alberta Occupational Health guidelines.
• We use strobe light warning systems as an alternative to the back-up sounding devices during the evening hours.

Reducing noise for the crusher operations

• Each separate component of the crusher is enclosed in a sound- and dust-control blanket to reduce sound levels.
• Sound-absorbing baffles are being installed on electrical generating sets.
• Rubber liners will be installed at various transfer points to reduce noise, as required.
• All equipment follows a regular maintenance program.

Two permanent noise monitoring stations have been erected to ensure all operations meet the standards of our noise management plan. BURNCO Hours of Operation

Natural Environment

BURNCO and our employees set high standards for environmental stewardship for our gravel operations. We value working with and consulting the community on our operations to protect the environment and reclaim the site when operations cease.

• Performance measures 2.5 & 10.1

Awards

BURNCO prides itself on its operations and its operations have been recognized by the Alberta Sand and Gravel Association. 1997 – Award for Honourable Mention for High Quality Conservation and Reclamation Plans 2001 – Best Operated Sand and Gravel Pit (BURMA Pit – Calgary Metropolitan Area)

Important Links

Regulators

• Alberta Environment
• Alberta Transportation
• Alberta Municipal Affairs
• Alberta Aboriginal Relations
• Parkland County
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Canadian Coast Guard
• Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
• Environment Canada

Agencies and Organizations

• Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre
• Farmer’s Advocate
• Alberta Sand and Gravel Association
• Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association
• Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties
• Alberta Urban Municipalities Association
• Alberta Chamber of Resources