One of Canfor’s priorities is to work collaboratively with the First Nations communities as part of our planning and operations, including education and employment.
We believe that strong relationships with First Nations communities in whose traditional territories we operate are critical to our success. This is why we were so proud to be recognized with the inaugural Spirit of Unity Award from the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA).
Canfor is the first recipient of PGNAETA’s Spirit of Unity Award and demonstrates our keen interest in partnering to build capacity and skill for aboriginal citizens seeking to enter the workforce in forestry related and sustainable operations.
We truly see value in increasing the First Nations participation in the forestry industry’s workforce and to help advance this, some of our work has included presentations to First Nations’ students to share information on Canfor’s HR requirements and providing work experiences to PGNAETA’s Youth Skills Link projects. Also, together with PGNAETA, we have built a strong and meaningful ongoing dialogue on best practices and lessons learned.
To solidify our business relationship with PGNAETA, we will be signing a collaboration agreement later this year, which will encourage and support job matching for First Nations job seekers interested in a career opportunity with Canfor.
Thanks go to PGNAETA for honouring Canfor with this award. I am very proud of all that we have accomplished together and I look forward to many more years of successful collaboration and employment success with the aboriginal community.