Commerce with a conscience. - Atlantic Business Magazine

2012
Presented by Atlantic Business Magazine in partnership
with Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Management
Commerce with a conscience.
Ethically-engaged executives. Principals with
principles. However you define it, corporate
social responsibility is about businesses that
are determined to have a positive impact on the
world in which they operate – particularly with
regards to their employees, their community
and their physical environment.
The Atlantic Canada CSR awards, now in
their second year, were created to recognize
and celebrate regional companies and
organizations making exceptional efforts to
improve their CSR outcomes.
Entries for the 2012 awards were submitted
electronically following a public call for
nominations. Print, online and social media
were utilized to boost nominations. Nominees
were invited to complete a brief questionnaire
and provide supporting documentation where
applicable. These questionnaires were then
reviewed by a three-person judging panel (see
page 78 for list of judges), and winners
announced for three categories: human
resources; sustainability; and,
philanthropy/community outreach.
2012 ATLANTIC CANADA
CSR AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
•
Newfoundland and Labrador Credit
Union is the only organization on this
year’s list with two first-place finishes
(Human Resources and
Philanthropy/Community Outreach).
•
RBC is the only organization
recognized in all three CSR categories:
Human Resources, Sustainability and
Philanthropy/Community Outreach.
•
AbbyShot is the only company with less
than 25 employees to win a CSR award
this year.
•
There were no winners for companies
in the 26 to 100 employee range. The
judges noted that they were surprised
there weren’t more entries from
smaller companies/organizations (100
or less employees) because they were
personally aware of numerous
examples of CSR initiatives among
companies/organizations of this size.
It was suggested that staff and time
constraints, combined with a
perception that their efforts weren’t
worthy of recognition, were to blame
for the scarcity of these entries.
The following pages highlight just a few of the creative CSR initiatives being undertaken by each of the winning organizations.
For more information on any of the following, see our online extras at www.atlanticbusinessmagazine.com. While there, click on
the CSR tab and submit a nomination for the 2013 CSR awards.
Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 77
2nd annual
CSR Awards judged by:
Professor James
Barker, Rowe School of
Business, Dalhousie
University. Professor
Barker researches
strategic behaviour
in sustainable knowledge, innovation and
change initiatives and
the consequences of these initiatives
on governance systems, markets
and practices. His work focuses on
managing the value creation process
across organization and market
levels and emphasizes strategic
leadership, stakeholder relationship
management, sustainable enterprise
management and strategic change
and innovation. He is the editor
of Management Communication
Quarterly.
Dr. Sheila A. Brown,
executive director,
Canadian Centre
for Ethics in Public
Affairs (CCEPA), a
joint initiative of Saint
Mary’s University and
the Atlantic School
of Theology. Dr. Brown’s career in
educational leadership culminated
in 10 years as president of Mount
Saint Vincent University. She was on
the Board of Nova Scotia Business
Inc. for six years and serves on the
Board of the Canadian Business
Ethics Research Network.
Dr. Peggy
Cunningham,
dean, Faculty of
Management,
Dalhousie University
and the R.A. Jodrey
Chair. In addition
to her administrative
responsibilities, she
researches and teaches in the areas
of corporate social responsibility
and marketing. Before joining
Dalhousie, she was a professor at
Queen’s School of Business. She
has considerable international
experience, and she was in industry
before becoming an academic.
She is a member of the Board of
Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., as well
as a number of non-profit boards.
CATEGORY HUMAN RESOURCES
Recognizing significant initiatives to improve the working lives, safety,
diversity and/or general well-being of employees.
The AbbyShot team, including Eon (centre, back). This mysterious individual reportedly lurks about the shop at
opportune (for him) times and reports to customers via various social media platforms about what’s happening
with new or potential products.
1
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Abbyshot Clothiers
Who are they: A privately-held corporation
in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland that makes
garments styled after clothing worn in
movies, anime series, TV shows and
computer games. With only six employees,
AbbyShot exports to over 45 countries.
What’s their story: We have somewhat
flexible hours which will accommodate
problems with sitters, kids being ill, family
visiting, personal meetings, etc... If we
need to miss work for something out of
the ordinary, we simply work outside of
the regular hours, paying back time we
missed. …It has been recognized that we
do our best work when we can focus on
what is in front of us with a clear head and
conscience.
AbbyShot has an open-door policy. Our
culture is such that we all realize that
we need to work as a team. We are all
responsible for bringing to work with us
a high energy and problem-solving skills.
We work well together within a company
which has no secrets. We are all aware of
where the company stands financially, in
terms of HR, and ethics.
Bonnie Cook, the owner of AbbyShot,
guides us all by setting the tone and
standards of our working environment.
She is a strong proponent of equality
within the workplace. There is virtually
no hierarchy at AbbyShot. We work in a
no-blame environment in which we seek
to solve any problem which might come
up, and we put into practice the writing of
the process which will stop the error from
being duplicated.
Besides formal skills training which we
take advantage of whenever possible, we
have also received training in updating our
Strategic Objectives for the company. We
have attended various seminars, such as
Lean Training, which has cut down on a lot
of potential for accidents.
The culture of our company is such that
our employer looks at the development of
each of her staff as a whole individual. We
have had various Lunch and Learn sessions
which have taught us about the energy we
not only bring into the building, but also
the energy we can generate as a group. We
have learned about ergonomics within the
workplace and healthy eating and living
practices. We no longer have coffee breaks,
but instead have smoothie breaks, with a
different staff member being responsible for
the smoothies a particular day. In our new
kitchen plan we created a smoothie station.
At lunch and breaks we watch videos on our
large screen tv which make us laugh and/or
teach us something about nature or food,
for example. We also have an x-box game,
should we decide we want to just kick back
and play. Every now and again we will go
on a field trip. We have learned to become
less egocentric through programs such as
transformational training. Every afternoon
we have a 10-minute water break in which
each person must come to the table with
water and drink it in order to rejuvenate.
While we don’t have the formal structure
of some larger companies, we do indeed
live and breathe the goal of improving the
working lives, safety, diversity and general
well-being of all our employees.
make these
make sense
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C ATEGORY HUMAN RE SO UR CE S
Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union has been recognized as a “best company”
or an “employer of distinction” many times over the last number of years by local
organizations like the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council. It has also
received national recognition in MediaCorp’s Top 25 Employers in Atlantic Canada.
1
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Newfoundland and Labrador
Credit Union
Who are they: Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union
(NLCU) is a full-service financial institution with 142 employees,
over 21,700 owners and over $488 million in assets. As the
largest credit union in Atlantic Canada, NLCU has 13 locations
province-wide.
What’s their story: Our Human Resource’s Pillar of Wellness
states “We recognize that people deserve a safe and healthy
workplace that includes a harassment-free atmosphere and
1
a strong work-life balance. This is accomplished by policy
development as well as education, awareness and practical health
programs. These include: Employee assistance program (NLCU
pays for up to six counseling sessions per employee); on-site
company-sponsored f lu immunization; fitness incentive of up to
$100 for eligible programs; a scent and smoke-free environment;
active occupational health and safety committee and return
to work policy; functional assessment tool to help employees
return to work sooner; NLCU-sponsored group insurance plan
for all full and part-time employees (minimum 10 hours per
week) that covers health, dental, life and accidental death and
dismemberment.
NLCU offers flex time for employees as well as a compressed
work week program where employees can work an extra one-half
hour each day for a three-week period with a full day off in the
third week. NLCU also offers Family Responsibility Leave that
provides employees with three days each calendar year, which
can accumulate for 10 years to a maximum of 30 days to attend to
family matters such as illness, medical and school appointments,
and other household emergencies.
A diversity in the workplace philosophy is inherently ingrained
in the organization’s culture. This is reflected in our workforce,
which employs over 90 per cent women. In addition, two of three
executive management employees are women, including the
chief executive officer. In terms of supporting individuals who
have disabilities, all of our locations are wheelchair accessible and
all branch counter lines offer sit-down service for both employee
and customer comfort.
We have an Incentive Pay Program where profits may be shared
annually with employees based on overall NLCU performance,
team performance and individual performance. Included in the
criteria are financial and internal/external service benchmarks
that must be achieved for profits to be shared with employees.
st 5 0 0 - P LUS EMP LOY EE S
RBC
Who are they: A diversified financial services companies
providing banking, wealth management, insurance and capital
markets services. In Atlantic Canada, RBC has more than 2,500
employees throughout 114 branches and commercial banking
centres. Their total annual payout for salaries in the region is
almost $107.5 million.
What’s their story: RBC in Atlantic Canada has developed a
brand in the marketplace for our deep commitment to diversity
and creating an inclusive environment for all employees to grow
and develop.
One of the ways in which RBC encourages diversity is
through Employee Resource Groups. These are self-coordinating
employee groups formally recognized by RBC and formed for the
express purpose of supporting an inclusive environment for their
particular group. Employee Resources Groups active in Atlantic
Canada include: Royal Eagles (aboriginal employees); PRIDE
(Proud RBC Individuals for Diversity and Equality); REACH
(employees with disabilities); and MOSAIC (visible minorities
and newcomers to Canada).
80 | Atlantic Business Magazine | November/December 2012
Results from RBC’s 2012 Employee Opinion Survey indicate that its HR approaches are
having a positive impact across the region: 86 per cent of employees feel management
is interested in the well-being of its employees and 91 per cent of employees feel
managers allow them sufficient flexibility to meet their personal/family needs.
Advancement of women as leaders and clients is one area we
are extremely proud of:
• In November 2010, Kim Mason was appointed regional
president of RBC in Atlantic Canada making her Atlantic’s
first female head.
• We have increased the representation of women in our
senior management roles. For example, 29 per cent of our
VPs were women in 2010; now 40 per cent of them are
women.
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C ATEGORY HUMAN RE SO UR CE S
•
•
•
•
Kim has received positive and
unsolicited feedback from female
RBC employees across Atlantic
Canada who tell her that having a
woman in this role has motivated
them to take steps to qualify for
leadership positions themselves.
Kim also acts as an advocate for
women externally. She is regularly
approached to represent “women
executives/leaders” at events hosted
by other organizations.
RBC supports and sponsors events
aimed at women entrepreneurs.
This has included local leveraging of
the national RBC Canadian Women
Entrepreneur Awards, and local
sponsorship of events like Mom café.
RBC has appointed a “Women’s
Market Champion” for Atlantic.
This person actively works to
enhance dialogue amongst female
leaders in Atlantic. RBC Atlantic
also places tremendous focus on
International Women’s Day. In
addition to featuring a message from
our (female) regional president, we
highlight female employees from
across the district on our Atlantic
website.
82 | Atlantic Business Magazine | November/December 2012
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nd
Bell Aliant
Who are they: One of North America’s largest regional communications providers and the
first company in Canada to cover an entire city with fibre-to-the-home technology. Bell Aliant
has 7,000 employees in Atlantic Canada.
What’s their story: Faced with the possibility of losing one third of their Atlantic union
workforce to retirement in a five-year period, Bell Aliant initiated a three-year plan to
rejuvenate its frontline staff. This plan, which was based on creating job opportunities for
youth, new graduates and new Canadians, included a phased/controlled retirement process
to ensure effective skills transfer. A second element of the plan was the creation of a consumer
service technician resource pool to manage increased demand due to the company’s
aggressive FibreOP (fibre-to-the-home) expansion. This resource pool was supplemented by
a robust recruitment drive targeting new graduates, young workers and new Canadians. The
company also expanded its co-op and internship programs with aboriginal groups.
3
rd
Coleman’s
Who are they: A family-owned independent company based in Corner Brook, N.L. The
company has 756 employees working in four divisions: Focenco (food division); Colemans
BrandSource (furniture division); Arthur James (clothing division); and Coleman
Management Services (providing support services to the other companies).
What’s their story: Newfoundland, historically, has been a province defined by high
unemployment. This changed in 2006 with the boom in Alberta and the unprecedented
number of Newfoundlanders who moved west for work—creating a labour shortage at home.
Colemans responded by aggressively marketing its flexible work schedules, thus becoming
an employer of choice for students, part-time workers and parents who can only work while
their children are in school.
CATEGORY SUSTAINABILITY
Recognizing significant improvements in operations, production processes, resource requirements, recycling, product design, buildings and
other infrastructure that demonstrably improve sustainability. Examples include but are not limited to: less impact on threatened species, lower
carbon footprint and increased use of renewable materials.
1
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101 TO 5 0 0 EMP LOY EE S
City of Summerside
Who are they: the second largest city in Prince Edward Island
and the principal municipality in the western part of the province.
Approximate population: 14,000.
What’s their story: What sets Summerside apart is the fact that
half our power comes from wind. Rather than looking at things
on a small scale, such as increasing the use of renewables in any
given building by a small percentage, Summerside has tackled
the bigger picture with the result that all of its customers, both
residential and commercial, are consuming electricity supplied
by Summerside Electric, approximately half of which comes from
local wind.
We also operate the only BNR (Biological Nutrient Removal)
Tertiary Water Treatment facility in Atlantic Canada. The plant
is able to remove 95 per cent of the solids that are coming into
the wastewater system, along with other products such as
phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia. Summerside built a system
that recovers the liquid stream and takes the solids out of it.
Those solids are put through a process of alkaline stabilization
and pasteurization, so we end up with a product that is available
to be land-applied as a good additive to soil.
Since December 2009, the City of Summerside has operated a 12MW generation facility.
The scope of the project is to displace fossil fuel generated energy with renewable
resource energy; it is expected to displace, annually, 30 GWHs of electricity.
The treated water that leaves the plant (effluent) is of exceptional
quality, with levels of suspended solids, nitrates, ammonia and
phosphorus well below the levels allowed by the government. Our
effluent numbers are second to none to protect the harbour and
shell fishery of Summerside – in fact, we have a fish tank in our
facility where our fish live in the same effluent we release.
In 2011, the biosolids processing/handling facility produced
4,257 tonnes of class A fertilizer which was sold to Agromart.
The Summerside facility continues to handle all of the hauled
septage from the western half of Prince Edward Island and has
www.medavie.bluecross.ca
Philanthropy/Community Outreach
CSR Award Winner
Our employees
make a difference
Thanks to our employees who share
our commitment to caring for people
and our communities.
Proud to support the
Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 83
C ATEGORY SUS TAINAB ILIT Y
received in 2011 a total of 930,925 gallons.
The Treatment Plant operations were
modified slightly to practically eliminate
landfill tonnage of sludge products from
the plant.
We are also undertaking one of the most
innovative energy efficiency initiatives to
date in Canada. Summerside is working
with Tantalus on Smart Grid technology
that ties together the municipality’s fibreto-the-meter network, wind generated
power, and in-home energy storage
devices. Together, these enable the
city to optimize the performance of its
distribution network and significantly
reduce its carbon footprint by providing
consumers with a reliable, low cost source
of renewable energy.
This system allows Summerside to
precisely measure, monitor and control
devices connected to its distribution
network including special furnaces that
can be charged with power generated
by our wind turbines. The ability to
automatically turn energy storage devices
on and off when wind is on the grid
using two-way technology will enable
Summerside to quickly shift to stored
power whenever peak load conditions
arise, while using the less expensive
energy to heat homes at night. Command
and control functionality can also be used
to regulate consumption on direct load
appliances such as hot water heaters and
air conditioners that are enrolled in load
control programs. Time-stamped records
verify that the action has taken place and
indicate whether a customer opted out of
an event - important for accurate billing
and determining how much power was
actually saved.
We realize that building a Smart Grid is
not a single step or a single technology, but
a series of projects that must operate as a
unified system. We’re very excited about
this groundbreaking project, bent on
creating a clean, green and economically
robust community.
We are extremely proud of our
commitment to being sustainable; in
the services we provide and develop, but
above all we are proud of our people who
are committed to living and working the
principles we believe are right for our
city and Prince Edward Island. Our staff
brings ideas, suggestions, strong work
ethics and pride to our organization
and community each day. We are proud
of our “Small City with Big Ambition”
and our dedication to grow responsibly
with care for the environment and the
preservation of our island and the ocean
that sustains us.
84 | Atlantic Business Magazine | November/December 2012
Clearwater employees taking part in the 2012 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Initiated in 1994, it is today one of the
largest direct action conservation programs in the country, with more than 56,000 volunteers nationwide.
1
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Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership
Who are they: Clearwater is a vertically integrated seafood company with fishing operations,
land-based process and retail and sales operations. Approximately 1,400 people work for
Clearwater worldwide.
What’s their story: We have been committed to sustainable use of our ocean resources
since the company’s inception in 1976. This commitment motivates our involvement
in many Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) science and management initiatives. We
contribute financially and in-kind with research vessels for DFO scientists to carry out
important fisheries research. The international third-party certification body, the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC) has recognized our commitment to sustainable fisheries. The
MSC evaluates fisheries against three principles of sustainability—the sustainability of the
target fish species, the maintenance of the ecosystem and the efficacy of the management
system. With the recent certification of Clearwater’s Arctic surf clam and Nova Scotia snow
crab products the company has the widest selection of MSC-certified species of any seafood
harvester worldwide.
We have done packaging reviews that have resulted in redesigns that use fewer resources.
We are currently involved in a partnership to commercialize new technology that will
recover waste heat energy from fishing vessels’ engines to use for on-board freezing. We are
constantly re-assessing our land-based processes to make efficiency improvements. Ocean–
bottom mapping and satellite technologies to direct our vessels have allowed us to harvest
our resource when it is mature and preserve the juvenile resource for future years. This also
allows us to realize fuel efficiency when operating our vessels.
The following is a direct quote from our chairman, Colin MacDonald: “We believe that
sustainability is not just good business, it is our corporate and personal responsibility.
Healthy oceans are fundamental to the success of our business. We know that understanding,
protecting, and promoting the long-term productivity of our fisheries resources translates
into sustainable economic performance of our company, benefits the environment, provides
social benefits for our employees and communities and ensures our children have the
ocean’s bounty to pass to their children.
“The assurance of stable access to resources through our rights-based fisheries
management system rewards responsibility and promotes reinvestment of economic returns
back into the science and management systems that foster sustainability. Clearwater believes
that as a user of a natural renewable resource we have a responsibility to be stewards of that
resource and make decisions based on the best available science and long term sustainability
rather than short term market convenience. We are mindful of the potential impact of our
operations and we make significant investments in science and technology to ensure we
understand and manage those impacts appropriately. We work both through our corporate
initiatives and through collaborative
projects with government agencies
to advance solutions to challenges we
face in the fishery.
“We face many more environmental
challenges in today’s world. These
are far broader than fisheries
sustainability and reach far beyond
our small place on the planet. We
must all do our part at both home
and at work to be mindful of our
impact on the environment. At
Clearwater, we are working hard to
constantly review our supply chain
and put in place initiatives to address
our impacts on our environment.
We have always strived to be a
leader in the fishing industry and
continuously improve our operations.
In today’s world of environmental
uncertainty, we have redoubled our
efforts to be leaders in sustainable
and responsible fishing practices as
well as in all our interactions with
our environment. We are dedicated
to providing our customers with safe,
healthy, sustainable seafood products
that we are proud to serve to our own
families and you can be proud to
serve yours.”
2
nd
RBC
Who are they: A leading diversified financial services company that published its first corporate
policy on the environment in 1991. Their priority environmental issues are climate change,
biodiversity (forests, indigenous peoples) and water.
What’s their story: Since launching the RBC Blue Water Project in 2007, RBC has committed
over $1.8 million in funding to 25 different environmental organizations and initiatives in Atlantic
Canada. In June 2012, a $90,000 grant was awarded to the Clean Annapolis River Project and a
$60,000 grant was awarded to the Clean Nova Scotia Foundation. In addition, Atlantic Canada,
and in particular the Saint John River, will be the direct beneficiary of a $500,000 grant to the
World Wildlife Fund’s Living Rivers Initiative. New Brunswick’s Saint John River was selected
as one of the first rivers in the country to benefit from the Living Rivers initiative. As well, RBC
sponsors and participates in water-related events throughout the region.
3
rd
Nalcor Energy
Who are they: A diverse energy company dedicated to maintaining a high standard of environmental
responsibility and performance through the implementation of a comprehensive environmental
management system. Its guiding principles are pollution prevention, improve continually, and
relentless compliance of legislation/regulations.
What’s their story: Nalcor Energy built one of the world’s first Wind-Hydrogen-Diesel- Energy
Projects. It incorporates renewable wind and hydrogen energy sources to supplement the diesel
generation requirements in an isolated electrical system. This innovative project has attracted
attention world-wide due to its one-of-a-kind Energy Management System (EMS), developed
in-house. This software will automatically control the integration of diesel generation, wind
generation, and hydrogen production, storage and generation. Upon commercialization it can
help isolated communities world-wide to reduce, and potentially replace their reliance on diesel
fuel.
BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION TO AWARD
OVER $250,000 IN INVESTMENTS & PRIZES!
It’s time to Breakthru with the New Brunswick
Innovation Foundation’s fourth bi-annual
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submissions is December 20th, 2012.
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For all of the rules, and to apply, visit our website.
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2012_BT_Ad_ABM.indd 1
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| 85
12-10-01 1:41 PM
CATEGORY PHILANTHROPY & COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Recognizing corporate support of social initiatives within the local community, and/or on a national or international basis.
Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union supports numerous charities and community
causes, such as Dr. T.A. Loeffler’s quest to climb the highest peaks on each of the seven
continents.
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Newfoundland and Labrador
Credit Union
Who are they: a full-service financial institution and the largest credit
union in Atlantic Canada. In 2002, they established the NLCU
Charitable Foundation Corporation (NLCU CFC) as a registered
charity. To date, the Foundation has fundraised over $638,000.
What’s their story: The Foundation’s vision is to be a visible leader
in support of registered charities primarily in Newfoundland and
Labrador that work to improve social programs and services in the
areas of youth, education, health, arts, culture, and the environment.
The NLCU CFC is 100 per cent volunteer led and run, and NLCU
employees are its driving force, raising funds on behalf of the
Foundation for distribution to other charities.
Apart from the tremendous community contributions made
annually by the Foundation, NLCU also supports a range of charitable
1
st
and non-profit organizations, from music festivals and food banks
to healthcare and education. In fact, NLCU participates in over 100
community sponsorship programs annually through sponsorships
and in-kind donations.
The donations distributed by the Foundation and the sponsorships
provided by NLCU together equal approximately $250,000 a year.
Giving back to the communities in which we live and work is one
of the core values of NLCU. In fact, every employee’s job description
includes a commitment to volunteerism. NLCU’s commitment to
the community and to charitable organizations that form the fabric
of many of the province’s social programs is a powerful means for
our owners, Board of Directors, employees and the general public to
give back to those individuals in need.
CEO Allison Chaytor-Loveys, who was inducted into Atlantic
Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame, says, “We believe that
engaging employees in volunteer efforts and initiatives that positively
influence where we live and work helps them in turn, to build solid
relationships with our owners and within our communities.”
2
nd
Community Education Network
Who are they: a not-for-profit community-based organization
located in southwestern Newfoundland which seeks to foster a
community-wide interest in learning.
What’s their story: According to the Community Education Network
handbook, it operates as an umbrella organization bringing together
a wide range of community and government agencies representing
education, health promotion, social services, human resource and
economic development to initiate partnerships and collaborative
projects in order to address community needs in an integrated,
holistic manner. As a staff person stated, “CEN gets people working
together who would not otherwise do so. Everyone is brought to the
table to solve problems and to take action.”
5 0 0 - PLUS EMPLOY EE S
Medavie Blue Cross
Who are they: a regional provider of health, dental, travel, life and
disability insurance products, based in Moncton, New Brunswick.
In 2011, the company established the Medavie Health Foundation,
a not-for-profit registered charity.
What’s their story: Medavie Blue Cross has committed to support
the Medavie Health Foundation through an annual social dividend
of 10 per cent of net income.
In addition, Medavie Blue Cross contributes an additional
three per cent of annual net income to the Building Healthy
Communities™ program. Through this community involvement
program, Medavie Blue Cross and its employees donate time and
money to support healthy outcomes in communities across the six
provinces where we operate.
To date, the Medavie Health Foundation has committed more
than $1.2 million to single-and multi-year grant and partnership
programs. In 2011, the Building Healthy Communities program,
together with employees, gave more than $882,000 to charitable
and non-profit organizations in the community. Since 2005, the
86 | Atlantic Business Magazine | November/December 2012
Medavie employees create fundraising teams, volunteer in the local community and
support each other in their community efforts. The company credits these efforts with
helping to create a caring corporate culture.
Building Healthy Communities program, including employee
fundraising, has contributed almost $5 million to community
initiatives in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario.
We contribute to a variety of health and wellness-related causes
each year. Through our community involvement program, we
support positive outcomes in the health and social welfare of
people in the regions where our employees and clients live and
“Cancer Research
work. The program supports events and
initiatives that fall under the categories
of health support, social welfare, medical
care and employee causes. This program is
an outstanding example of one of our core
values: “We engage in the well-being of our
Please Give Today CancerResearchSavesLives.ca
communities.”
We support a number of Canadian
James Reid (survivor) and his little
brother Martin, Shippagan, NB
registered charities with a primary
focus on health, including significant
contributions and sponsorships towards:
Alzheimer’s Society, The Arthritis Society,
Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke
Foundation and MS Society.
We are a strong United Way supporter
across our locations. Employees participate
in
annual
workplace
fundraising
campaigns and payroll deduction, and we
make contributions as an organization
based on the success of employee
campaigns. We also participate in the
Loaned Representative program and
provide paid time-off for employees who
wish to participate in the annual United
Way Day of Caring. In 2011, employee and
corporate donations to United Way totaled
more than $181,000.
Our Time Equals Money program
supports employees who give back to
their communities through volunteer
time commitments. Qualified non-profit
organizations receive a $500 donation
from Medavie Blue Cross when an
Atlantic Business Magazine 1/3 page horizontal.indd 2
employee volunteers at least 50 hours in
one calendar year. In 2011, employees
recorded more than 6,300 volunteer
hours for organizations in six provinces
through Time Equals Money. With our
Team Matching program, we match team
fundraising efforts up to $3,000 when two
or more employees participate in charitable
Some styles are
health-related team events. Employees
participate in various events throughout
the year, including the Relay for Life, MS
Walk and Bike Tour, Big Bike for Heart and
Stroke, Movember and many others.
Many of our employee groups leverage
opportunities to support local charitable
causes as a team-building activity, further
reinforcing community engagement as
one of our core values and recognizing
the camaraderie that comes from giving
back together. Many employees specify
community involvement activity as a
performance objective, which reflects on
their annual review.
We know we are in a position to make a
positive difference in the health and social
welfare of people across our regions. In
fact, we feel so strongly about engaging in
167 Water St. St. John's NL Canada
the well-being of our communities that it is
(709) 722-9432 • [email protected]
one of our core values, and a cornerstone of
alwaysinvogue.ca
our organization.
Saved My Big Brother.”
12-06-08 2:16 PM
LEGENDARY.
Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 87
2
nd
RBC
Who are they: a leading diversified financial
services company which has been recognized
as an Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist
in Atlantic Canada.
Your small or medium-sized business is big business to us.
Yours may be a small or medium-sized business, but we know it’s the
biggest business in the world to you. That’s why we tailor financial solutions
to fit your needs. No matter how your business evolves. That’s the kind of
adaptability that comes with being a part of a financial institution where
you’re an owner and a client. So call us and let’s get down to your business.
Proud to place first in both Human Resources
and Philanthropy/Community Outreach
categories in Atlantic Business's CSR Awards.
1.800.563.3300
| www.nlcu.com
What’s their story: RBC feels a responsibility
to do its part to ensure the communities in
which we operate are as successful as they
can be. One of the ways we contribute to
this success is to ensure that every one of
the 114 communities in which we operate
across Atlantic benefits from our donations
program.
With one of our main pillars of support
being education, RBC in Atlantic Canada
has developed a unique program to reward
and recognize students who are preparing for
post-secondary education. The RBC Award
Program provides a $1,000 scholarship to at
least one high school student in each of the
114 communities in which we operate across
Atlantic. Given the bilingual nature of N.B.,
we give both a French and English award to
communities in that province.
RBC is also a significant sponsor of
numerous community events and causes
including The East Coast Music Awards,
Festival of Trees, Hockey N.S., N.S.
Conference for Persons with Disabilities,
Rennie’s River Duck Race, and Entrepreneur’s
Forum.
ZZegna 3
rd
McInnes Cooper
Who are they: an Atlantic Canadian law
firm with a formal CSR program. It has
two goals: to undertake projects that make a
deep and lasting difference in society; and to
build a sense of community and engagement
within the firm.
Byron’s
Exclusively at:
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in bond technical wool.
88 | Atlantic Business Magazine | November/December 2012
191 Water Street, St. John’s NL
(709) 753-5555
What’s their story: For us, it’s not enough
to provide financial assistance. Rather, we
are committed to making a meaningful
difference by offering support in various
capacities.
We sponsored the Early Education Centre
at Hazen-White/St. Francis School in Saint
John after the school identified challenges
faced by students who were entering the
school system without the basic skills needed
to learn and thrive.
St. George’s YouthNet is an organization
that provides educational and experiential
programming for underprivileged youth in
north end Halifax. In addition to monetary
donations, we offer ongoing volunteer
assistance and fundraising support.
We’re not simply providing support.
Rather, our members are genuinely invested
in empowering the lives of children in their
communities. | ABM