Lafarge Canada has teamed with BGC Ottawa (formerly the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa) to build the new Taggart Parkes Family Clubhouse, donating upward of 500 cubic meters of ECOPact low-carbon ready mixed concrete for the 15,000-square-foot facility. The recent grand opening ceremony marked a special milestone for the thousands of children and youth in underserved neighborhoods in the south end of Ottawa.
“Acting on our purpose of Building Progress for People and the Planet, we understand it is our responsibility to not only develop sustainable and innovative solutions, such as ECOPact, to reduce our carbon footprint, but also to support the development of our communities and future generations,” says Lafarge Canada (East) CEO David Redfern. “During the pandemic children have been particularly hard hit and will be extremely excited to rejoin interactive community education and leadership programs.”
“Over the last 15 years, Lafarge Canada has been a proud supporter of the BGC Ottawa. Partnering up with the Club is both a privilege and an opportunity to continuously advance our purpose and values,” adds Vice President, Ready-Mix John McCabe. “We are especially excited to have been part of the construction of their first low-carbon concrete facility using ECOPact, which saved overall more than 55,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions compared to the use of standard concrete.”
According to BGC Ottawa, as many as 5,000 young people living in Ottawa’s south end stand to benefit from the opportunities and programming now available at the new Taggart Parkes Family Clubhouse.
“The mission of the BGC Ottawa is to provide a safe, supportive place where children and youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop confidence and skills for life,” notes Chief Advancement Officer Jonelle Istead. “We are grateful for Lafarge’s collaboration in this project and we proudly named one of our programming areas ‘Lafarge Canada Inspiration and Creativity Center.’ We look forward to continuing this successful partnership for many years.”
