b'NEIGHBOUR RELATIONSThe annual community barbecue held at Walker Aggregates Duntroon QuarryGIVING BACKThe company gives As with any businessbut particularly in an aggregate operationevery employee thatmightexperiencemorecommunityresistancecommunitytwo paid days off a involvement is of paramount importance, and both Miller and Walkeryear to volunteer try to lead in that arena. They financially support community activities,in the community, sports leagues and charities, and they get their boots on the ground inin whatever way the community whenever possible.appeals to them. Giving them this Miller sponsors a local soccer team every year with the Miller nameflexibility lets every on the players uniform, and it is front and centre at an event theWalker employee league holds each season for sponsors. One of the ladies here at theconsider how best they office made up a table, details McCarthy, took some of our productscan help and interact there to show, had a few little contests and a few little activities, and wewith the people livingMillerjust made sure we were there.in region. They can doAggregates pretty much whateverregularly sponsors Prior to the pandemic, the local historical society would hold athey want. Thats goodlocal sports teamsbig annual event; Miller was present there as well. Wed bring thebecause it gets the ball old Miller truck and have a couple of people there to talk about it torolling, gets people focused, gets people thinking about where they show it off, says McCarthy. Its that next step-up to engagement, aswant to do their volunteerism, and many of the employees then end opposed to just financially supporting these things. up offering more of their own time to that organization, Breen says. McCarthy points to a recent tree planting day as another exampleBy engaging in all of these efforts, stresses Breen, these folks become of Millers efforts in the community. I think we did about 300 [trees]our best advocates. Nothing says that were doing a good job with what that day, she recalls. These opportunities show that we are doing thewere doing like a happy neighbour. We can say what we want, as much right thing for the environment. Bringing out the community to helpas we want, but when a happy neighbour is expressing that, its a really and be with us made it a good day. good indication for us that were doing the rightthing.Walker Aggregates too is heavily involved in community initiativesPerhaps trumping the desire to be a good neighbour and responsible and charities. Habitat for Humanity is a big one for us, so we donatecorporate citizen is the fact that the people who work at the quarries both employee time and building materials, notes Breen. I think weare often community members themselves. Were neighbours. Were worked on six different builds in Niagara, Grey and Bruce counties inpeople whove been born and raised here, too, says McCarthy. Were 2023, and that was done by allowing employees time to go and actuallyjust trying to make a living and do it in the most professional, most other related materials to the projects. stuff too, just like they do.do the construction, and also through donations of aggregate andenvironmentally friendly way that we can, because we care about this WINTER 2024AVENUES 27'