Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
National in Noranda, Quebec; the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Rail Service in North
Bay, Ontario; and the Canadian National in Hearst, Ontario – both of which service all of Canada,
US, and CPR services Mexico.
Clay deposits are found throughout Northeastern Ontario, with widespread deposits found along
the Abitibi River in the Cochrane District.154 Quarries for c lay brick operations operate under
License granted by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), in accordance with the Aggregate
Resources Act. The License requires an approved Site Plan that typically contains operational,
water, progressive and final rehabilitation plans, which are prepared in consultation with
interested parties including the MNR, Conservation Authorities and local levels of government.
Additional targets including control of dust and effluent discharge are set by the Ministry of
Environment (MOE). Once mining operations at a quarry are complete, the land is carefully
backfilled and returned to a state as close as possible to the original, to ensure the land continues
to offer future generation’s equivalent potential for use and development.155
Clay masonry materials are usually considered a sustainable product. The environmental impact of
the production process is mostly due to the consumption of energy for the firing of the bricks and
quarrying of raw materials.156 For this reason, it may also be possible to tap into funding sources
that promote so-called “green industries”. This section reviews the Brick Manufacturing Industry in
Canada. It relies on information from the Government of Canada North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS) Canada 2012, and other relevant industry sources.
Clay Brick Manufacturing in Canada
The following companies manufacture 99+% of Canadian made clay brick. They are associated
through the Clay Brick Association of Canada.157
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•
154
Brampton Brick: Founded in 1871, Brampton Brick is Canada's second largest
manufacturer of clay brick, serving markets in Ontario, Québec and the Northeast and
Midwestern United States from its brick manufacturing plants located in Brampton, Ontario
and near Terre Haute, Indiana.
Hanson: Hanson Brick is North America's largest brick manufacturer with a total capacity
of more than 1.7 billion bricks. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, they employ
approximately 1,200 people and have facilities throughout the US and Canada, including
Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, Ontario and
Québec. Hanson Brick is part of the Lehigh Group, one of the leading manufacturers in
G.R. Guillet. (1977) “Clay and Shale Deposits of Ontario.” Ontario Geological Survey. Available at:
http://tinyurl.com/mwr6bus
155
Patrick Kelly. Masonry Works. “The Sustainability of Masonry in Construction Today.” Available at:
http://masonryworx.com/home/the-sustainability-of-masonry-in-construction-today/
156
Fritz Moedinger. “Sustainable Clay Brick Production.” 2005. Available at: http://www.tbeeuro.com/downloads/SustainableBuildingConference-Italy.pdf
157
Clay Brick Association of Canada. Available at: http://www.claybrick.ca/
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