b'MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAVENUESAvenues is published for Putting our best foot The Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association 5720 Timberlea Blvd., Suite 103 Mississauga, ON L4W 4W2forwardTel: 905-507-0711 www.theholestory.caPublisher Robert Thompson S ufficeittosaythatthelastfewmonthshavebeen OSSGA Editorunprecedented in the lifetime of anyone who is reading this Richard Hillier magazine! As a friend of mine said recently, This crisis is Editorripping everythingapart. Please return undeliverable items to: The Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, 5720 Timberlea Blvd., Suite 103, Mississauga, ON L4W 4W2Roma IhnatowyczSales ExecutivesAnd yet our industry did not stay locked down for very Dawn Stokes, Derek de Weerdt, long, as aggregates were in the first wave of industries declared essential Brenda Ezinicki, Bill Biber, April Hawkes by the provincial government in late March. While the spring start-up Senior Design Specialistwas slower than usual, the pace of work since the early days of the James T. Mitchell pandemic seems to have resumed its usual torrid speed, as producers and contractors play catch-up with work that had already been in the Design Specialistfunnel, as the expression goes.Marisa GiesbrechtAVENUES is published for the Buttheramp-uptofullthrottlehadsomeuniquechallengesthis Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association by:year. I am both proud and amazed at how quickly our industry moved to identify the problems we would face as a result of COVID, and to develop and implement new health and safety protocols for all aspects of our operations, where few guidelines existed before. P u b l i s h i n g33 South Station StreetTo keep our employees and customers safe, our OSSGA Health & Safety Toronto, ON M9N 2B2Committee produced guidelines, posters, videos and other resources to 1-866-480-4717help all operators deliver aggregate materials, while conforming with Email: robertt@mediaedge.ca Canadas health protocols. We launched an aggressive social media and 531 Marion Streetcommunications program to boost that awareness with our members Winnipeg, MB R2J 0J9and other stakeholders, including government. 1-866-201-3096 Fax: (204) 480-4420If we were only vaguely aware of what public health meant at the www.mediaedgepublishing.com beginning of this year, most of us now have the lingo down pat and have Presidentfirsthand knowledge of what it takes to make a workplace safe.Kevin Brown While this is a good story so far, its what we dont know about COVID Senior Vice-Presidentthat needs to keep us on our toes.How long will this go on? When will Robert Thompson things return to normal? Can people be re-infected? Will municipalities havethesamefiscalcapacitytoinvestinmaintainingandbuilding Director, Business Developmentinfrastructure projects that theyve traditionally had in the past? Is this Michael Bell virus going to boomerang with a second wave, and when will we have Branch Managera vaccine that is effective, safe and available to allow for a full economic Nancie Priv recovery? Its this uncertainty that means we cant bet on 2021 being a normal year.All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part,Meanwhile, the industry will continue to confront the same challenges, without the prior written consent of the association. withwater,rehabandenvironmentalissuesrequiringevenmore Published October 2020attention and time to be managed effectively than in previous years. Just PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40787580 as we have with COVID, we need to always be ready to put our best foot forward, because thats what good leadership is all about, and thats also Avenues is printed on 10% post-consumer FSC certified paper usingwhat builds sustainable communities.soya based inks. When necessary to mail an issue in an enclosure,we use an environmentally-friendly, 100% oxo-degradable poly-wrap.Norman Cheesman, Executive Director, OSSGAFALL 2020AVENUES 5'