Canfor Donates to the Heart of the Fraser
At the heart of the Fraser River, between Mission and Hope lies one of the most productive stretches of river anywhere in the world. Supporting the protection of the ecologically diverse waterway Canfor donated a 22 hectare (54 acre) section of property to the Nature Trust of BC in support of the Heart of the Fraser Initiative.
“Canfor’s proud history began along the banks of the Fraser River with one veneer plant in New Westminster. Our growth to become British Columbia’s largest forest products company has always included a firm belief in responsible environmental stewardship. As such, we are delighted to contribute this ecologically and culturally significant property and hope that this will encourage others to join in this very worthwhile initiative,” said Ken Higginbotham, Vice President of Forestry and Environment at Canfor.
The Heart of the Fraser initiative is supported by The Nature Trust of BC as well as BCIT, the North Growth Foundation and the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council and it seeks to boost public awareness of this area’s outstanding ecological, cultural and recreational attributes while promoting the need to set aside key properties for conservation purposes.
The Nature Trust is a leader in protecting BC’s natural diversity of plants and animals through the acquisition and management of critical habitats and other areas of ecological significance. The Nature Trust and our partners have invested $65 million to secure over 61,000 hectares (150,000 acres) throughout British Columbia.
A Campaign for the Record Books
This year Canfor's United Way campaign broke all the records with over $452,000 donated by employees throughout BC, Alberta and South Carolina. An additional contribution of $147,000 from the corporate division brought the total donation to over $599,000 in support of the health of our operating communities.
“The generosity displayed by employees was overwhelming,” said Ted Perry, General Manager Community Relations “In my opinion they are “STARS” who are committed to the cause of making a positive impact on the communities where we live”.
The United Way works to improve lives and build community by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action. Through our donations to the United Way we see the return on our investment in many ways: successful kids, empowered families, engaged seniors and healthy citizens.
Canfor Sponsors the 2007 Northern BC Winter Games
In support of BC’s northern communities and its amateur athletes, Canfor and its northern operations teamed up to donate $15,000 to the 2007 Northern BC Winter Games. Funds donated by the operations were used to light the games torch and support participating athletes.
Canfor employees also made another significant donation to the games. Employees in the North Peace area opened their homes to athletes, volunteered as directors, security personnel, sport officials, first aid attendants, and worked to set up and staged the games.
Since the very first Northern BC Winter Games were held in Fort St. John in 1975, they have continued as the longest-running annual Games in the Province of British Columbia. Communities across northern BC have embraced the purpose of the Northern BC Winter Games Society "to provide an opportunity for all northern residents to compete in organized sports" and have hosted their neighbors in the spirit of friendship and competition.
Award Winning Partnership
Canfor’s Wood Products Marketing team partnered with BCIT’s School of Construction and the Environment in 2005 to communicate the advances in construction made possible by innovative, engineered wood products. Students at BCIT followed the direction Donald Yen, Chief Instructor – Architectural Drafting & Design, to produce initial design ideas, ensure their design met building code requirements and reflected Canfor’s commitment to forest certification, and constructed a scale model of a modern single family home using engineered would products.
The project recently was awarded The Global Best Award in Enterprise and Education. The award recognizes business education partnerships that demonstrate innovation in the business community and outstanding achievement in teaching young people marketable work place skills. It is awarded biennially through an international competition.