180 people come to work at the Becancour Plant every day. Olin spends more than $11 million with local businesses, purchasing goods and services that support some 300 local jobs. Olin also pays $400,000 in annual taxes that go to schools, community services and development and to those in need.

As a corporate neighbor, it’s important that we add value to life in Becancour. Adding value means giving of ourselves to charitable and worthwhile efforts in the community, whether it’s creating them or contributing to them. One of our most important efforts is our strong support of Community Radio. The station is involved in a number of worthy causes, from helping people to helping the environment. In addition to our charitable contributions, a number of our people volunteer their time and efforts to Community Radio. Besides our involvement with Community Radio, Olin Becancour has also been busy working with charitable organizations like United Way.

Becancour, Quebec, is home to more than 11,000 residents and is located at the joining of the Becancour and St. Lawrence rivers. The result of the merger of 11 rural municipalities, it covers a vast expanse of territory noted for its incredible natural beauty. Quebec’s fresh water network of more than 108,000 miles and more than 35 parks and nature preserves allows endless possibilities for adventure and exploration.

The town is only minutes or a few hours from sea kayaking, white water rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking and skiing. There are also numerous festivals for film, jazz and comedy nearby. Montreal is host to the Canadian Grand Prix, and Quebec City holds the third-largest carnival in the world (after Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans), which includes spending a night in the ever-popular ice hotel.

Our main goal at the Olin Becancour plant is a safe working and living environment for our people and their families and our neighbors. Olin takes precautions to ensure that no employee or community resident is ever put at risk. In 1997, more than $30 million was invested in Becancour’s operations. We added new FM-1500 cells that contain state-of-the-art advanced membrane electrolyzes. The new cells greatly improved our energy efficiency while significantly reducing emissions. The installation of a new hydrochloric acid burner and a new membrane evaporator in 2001 and 2003 made significant improvements and reduced our impact on the local environment. The Becancour plant has reduced waste by 80 percent in the past seven years.

Our performance has led to many safety and environmental awards like the Conrail Diamond Drop Award, which the plant received for seven consecutive years of flawless rail shipment. We’ve also been honored with the Canadian National Railways Safe Handling Award, presented for our accident-free, safe shipping of regulated goods. Olin Becancour has one of the best safety records in the industry.