Public Consultation

Lehigh Cement has always valued community consultation. Public consultation builds bridges with, and educates the community and Lehigh.

Over the last decade Lehigh has consulted with the public through the Tilbury Delta Advisory Committee (TDAC), the Pollution Prevention Process (P2) and Lehigh Cement - Delta Plant Advisory Committee (L-DAC). Should significant issues arise, Lehigh will call together people from L-DAC and other community groups for one or more meetings of discussion and advice.

Lehigh Cement - Delta Plant Advisory Committee (L-DAC)

In March 2001 the Lehigh Cement, Delta Plant Advisory Committee (L-DAC) was formed. This committee was intended to facilitate communication and better understanding as well as to identify and resolve issues between the Lehigh Cement, Delta Plant and the residents of Delta and the surrounding area regarding local issues of mutual importance and concern. The committee provides an ongoing mechanism for the public to convey its concerns to Lehigh and for Lehigh to communicate directly with the community through regular discussion.

While the quarterly meetings involved interesting discussions, the lack of high profile issues involving Lehigh indicated in late 2002 that further quarterly meetings were considered unnecessary. In the place of quarterly L-DAC meetings, an annual reception will be held with both current L-DAC members and others from the community invited.

Pollution Prevention Planning Process (P2)

In March 1996 Lehigh Cement (then Tilbury Cement) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Provincial Government to be one of seven companies participating in a demonstration a pollution prevention plan (P2 plan). A Coordinating Committee and a Public Advisory Committee were formed to guide the P2 planning process. The two committees were vehicles for ensuring that broad regulatory and local interest perspectives were reflected in the planning process. While it was a long, and at times difficult process, P2 generated many useful ideas. And a number of opportunities were implemented as a result. The public nature of committee information and discussion helped to bring a transparency to the process and to Tilbury's environmental management approach.

Tilbury Community Advisory Committee (TCAC)

The TCAC was, a group of about two dozen citizen volunteers who met frequently to consider the proposals of the Lehigh Delta Cement Plant (then Tilbury Cement) for the use of alternate fuels and raw materials in their cement plant. From the fall of 1994 to the spring of 1995 the TCAC probed the potential impact that use of these substances would have on the health and infrastructure of the community. The TCAC sponsored a public information session and engaged in vigorous debate over the potential impacts and risks inherent in Tilbury's proposal. In June 1995, the list of materials was refined and the committee focused on operating plans for use of landfill gas and waste oil. The committee finished it's work with a final report in January 1996.

Between May 1994 and January 1996, the TCAC and it's subcommittees met 57 times.