Lafarge Canada Inc. celebrates 40 years of building better cities and communities around the Great Lakes

Hundreds of Ontarians to join the Lafarge Canada Bath cement plant for special celebrations

BATH, ON, Oct. 5, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Lafarge Canada cement plant at Bath celebrates today 40 years of building better cities and communities around the Great Lakes. To commemorate this important milestone, Lafarge employees have opened up the plant's doors and invited everyone in the Great Lakes region to join the celebrations which include special appearances by HGTV host Bryan Baeumler and Earth Rangers' Animal Ambassadors.

Built in 1973, the Lafarge Canada Bath cement plant is home for more than a hundred employees and located on Lake Ontario just west of the Village of Bath. The plant is capable of producing 1.1 million tones of cement annually and ships cement throughout Ontario and the US.

"Lafarge is committed to building better cities and communities. For the last 40 years, our team in Bath has been an active partner in this community where they live, work and raise their families because it's an important part of our values," said Bob Cartmel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Canada Inc. (Eastern Canada). "Today's event is Lafarge Canada's way to say "thank you" to Bath, Kingston, and the surrounding community for their support over the years."

Earlier this year, Lafarge Canada announced a multi-partner investment of $8 million to develop a low carbon fuel solution by using local supplies such as construction and demolition site debris (wood based), railway ties, and other energy containing materials that aren't presently recycled. The construction of the new complex is well on its way and visitors will have a chance to learn more about this new process added to the Lafarge Canada Bath cement plan.

"We are delighted to welcome everybody today and to share with them our passion for building better cities and communities," said Richard Sebastianelli, Plant manager, Lafarge Canada Bath cement plant. "Being a responsible neighbor, our team members at the Bath plant have worked hard over the years to lower the impact of our activities on the community. We've made many changes to the plant, the most recent being the new complex designed for our low carbon fuel solution that visitors can learn more about today."

The Loyalist region of eastern Ontario has a long history of cement making, taking advantage of the limestone reserves associated with the area. At one time, two cement companies were operating at Point Anne south of Belleville. Canada Cement merged these operations together and ran a cement operation there from 1909 to 1973.  In 1970 Canada Cement was merged with Lafarge and the Bath Cement plant was built and started up in 1973. The Bath plant continues to employ descendants of the Point Anne plant today.

ABOUT LAFARGE CANADA INC.

Lafarge Canada Inc. is Canada's largest provider of solutions to the construction and development industry. With more than 6000 employees across Canada, our mission is to provide construction solutions that build better cities and communities. The cities where Canadians live, work, and raise their families along with the infrastructure that supports their communities such as roads, bridges, transportation links, water, and waste management benefit from the solutions provided by Lafarge.

Through our Sustainability Ambitions for 2020, Lafarge is committed to providing solutions using sustainable manufacturing practices and improving the environment in and around its operations. At locations across Canada, we have worked to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, restore wetlands for native plants and animals, and identify waste materials that can be recycled and used in our operations. More information is available on Lafarge Canada's website: www.lafarge-na.com

SOURCE: Lafarge Canada Inc.

Robert Cumming
Manager, Environment and Public Affairs
Lafarge Canada Inc.
613.352.7711, ext. 214
[email protected]

Regan Watts
Director, Communications and Public Affairs
Lafarge Canada Inc.
416.528.2901 or [email protected]