Alberta Newsprint Company achieves milestone

On April 4, 2020, Alberta Newsprint Company (ANC) hit a milestone that has never been reached before. The company officially recorded no medical incidents in the past 365 days. As per Occupational Health & Safety and the Workers Compensation Board, all medical incidents requiring treatment such as injuries, illnesses, fatalities, and lost time accidents must be reported. It’s a huge accomplishment to sit at zero. It fits in well with their mission statement, “We will consistently provide our customers with the best newsprint and other products and services by working together as an efficient, safe, and publicly responsible team.” The company employs about 200 people and, coincidentally, 2020 also marks the company’s 30-year anniversary in Whitecourt.

ANC General Manager Mike Putzke addressed the employees with the following statement, “ANC achieved a major milestone of 365 days without a medical incident. Thank you to everyone for the hard work that went into this by working safely. This milestone is not only a reflection on how we work safely but, also, how we look after each other.”

As part of its safety celebration, ANC and employees went above and beyond. The company opted to donate $10,000 to the Whitecourt Food Bank instead of having an internal celebration. The decision to give to the food bank was an easy one to make. “The talk here at the mill is that we feel very fortunate that we’re able to continue operating and working, and we recognize that’s not the case for everybody. The donation is just a perfect way to help support people who don’t have the luck we do to come to work every day,” Putzke added.

Whitecourt Food Bank Co-ordinator Lori Coffey said the generous donation from ANC truly couldn’t have come at a better time. “I’ve just been sick to my stomach since the pandemic started. We started this year $17,000 short of filling the budgetary needs for the year. Having to start a new year already in the hole on top of having a record-breaking number of fills in January, I didn’t know how we would be able to continue functioning for the rest of the year. Then the pandemic hit. It’s the first time in 15 years of operating the food bank where I was at a loss of what to do.” Coffey was left speechless over ANC’s generosity. “The donation will allow us to feed the community’s needy when I initially didn’t think we’d be able to.”

Food Banks Alberta and Food Banks Canada also took a hit due to not being able to order in mass quantity due to the shortages. As far as the food banks are concerned, Coffey predicts this is just the calm before the storm. The longer people are unemployed, the faster their money will run out, and the food banks will be overwhelmed. “It is with company donations like ANC that we will get through this together,” added Coffey.