No one understands the needs of a community better than the people who live in it. In 2022 we acted on that simple but important truth by establishing Community Engagement Teams at each mill.

Larger corporate donations to organizations with broad geographic mandates continue to be managed out of head office. However, our locally focused donation programs are now designed by mill employees who typically have long-term if not life-long connections to those communities.

The three members of the Meadow Lake Community Engagement Team, for example, each drew on their distinct interests, backgrounds and networks in assessing asks and proactively identifying needs in 2022. They elected to make education and youth development, along with training and trades support, important focal points for community donations.

One significant donation went to a welding shop upgrade at the local Northwest College – which links well to mill human resource requirements. Other dollars were directed to various local non-profits, service groups and local community events.