Posts

Supporting Epilepsy Toronto at Nights of Lights

Epilepsy_Toronto_Logo

Epilepsy Toronto partnered with Nights of Lights, a 2.25 km drive through holiday experience featuring more than 1,000,000 LED Christmas lights. The fundraising event was held at Revel Park in Vaughan from November 20th to December 25th, 2020, with part of the proceeds going to Toronto Epilepsy.

Dufferin Concrete was proud to support Epilepsy Toronto with a concrete donation used to reinforce the Christmas lighting structures.

Epilepsy Toronto is an agency that helps the 1 in 100 Canadians living with epilepsy learn more about their condition, offering support and helping to build awareness. To learn more and offer your support visit Epilepsy Toronto online.

Nights_of_Lights

Pemberton Group U Condo

Located in downtown Toronto in the heart of Canada’s financial district, the Pemberton Group’s U Condo project consisted of two condominium buildings, 45 and 55 stories, encompassed by 28 townhomes. Though there are hundreds of similar condominium projects across the city, this one presented some unique challenges that the Dufferin Concrete (DC) team was eager to tackle.

“For starters, with a location in the heart of the city surrounded by residential and commercial buildings, a major university and various other schools, churches and a surplus of one-way streets, the site was a logistical dilemma. We had to work closely with the developer and the city to ensure we could get the job done safely and efficiently,” said Karl Rammler, District Manager, Dufferin Concrete.

One Day, One Pour
Beyond the complexities of the development’s location, the project required a very strict pour schedule and concrete mix. The strict time frame due to traffic closures and the technical requirements of the slab meant the 2200 cubic meters of concrete for the foundation of the first building had to be poured in one day. The design included a mass “raft” or foundation slab, requiring a very strict pouring timeline to control the temperature of the concrete core.

“Dufferin Concrete was chosen because of the level of expertise they bring to the table. This was a challenging project logistically on a busy street in downtown Toronto with a tight time constraint and very specific concrete mix. We knew we could count on Dufferin to get the job done right, doing it in a professional manner and ensuring minimal disruption to the local community,” said Eliot Muzzo, President, The Pemberton Group.

A Memorable Project
On a chilly spring Saturday in Toronto, Dufferin Concrete crews across the city were in action before dawn for the pour. With road closure permits in place, police on site to direct traffic and keep the public safe, and over 120 DC employees scheduled to work, the team was ready to deliver a flawless pour.

Concrete was provided from three separate mixing plants in the city to ensure a continuous supply with a fourth plant on standby in case any unforeseen circumstances halted production at any of the primary plants.

“The energy on site was really great. The drivers were excited to be a part of such a memorable project, and the team came together to ensure that safety was top of mind for everyone and the job was being done right. I’m incredibly proud of everyone for their hard work,” said Peter Moylan, General Manager, Dufferin Concrete.

A few months later, it happened all over again when the foundation for the second building was poured, this time requiring 2700 cubic meters of concrete, once again in a memorable one-day pour.

Solid ground at Ontario Regiment Museum

CRH Canada and Dufferin Concrete (DC) are committed to giving back to communities we live and work in to help them grow and prosper. By aiming to make meaningful contributions, DC donated concrete for a concrete pad at the Ontario Regiment Museum which boasts the country’s largest collection of operational military vehicles.

The concrete pad is used to not only provide “parking” for tanks allowing them to stay clear of mud which erodes the tracks and causes rust and damage, but it also provides easy access to the site for the thousands of visitors it receives each year, in particular those with accessibility needs.

“The addition of this outdoor vehicle compound to our Museum not only helps preserve these unique vehicles for future generations, but more than doubles our vehicle display area. We are now able to present to the public twice as many vehicles from our collection on display at any given time. Our community partners are not only helping to preserve and present history, but are literally helping us build a world class facility for our visitors to enjoy.” Jeremy Neal Blowers, Executive Director, The Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum.

The museum initially began operating in the 1980’s and over the past three decades, its collection has grown to include a number of fully restored vehicles including several tanks and tracked vehicles used by the Royal Canadian Armored Corps, the Canadian Forces, and allied forces. The members felt there was no more historically appropriate location to have the official museum than the Oshawa Municipal Airport, home to the Commonwealth Air Training Plan for allied pilots during the Second World War. The airport also served as the drop-off point for candidates to the then top-secret spy school Camp ‘X’. James Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, trained there along with numerous other agents who played a vital part in the winning of World War II.

We are proud to have contributed to such a meaningful part of our country’s history and hope that the concrete pad will keep the tanks safe and accessible to visitors for many years to come.

To learn more about the museum and plan your visit, click here.