Building Meaningful Relationships

Aligned with the Leadership Actions pillar of PAR certification, West Fraser’s leadership is embedding the company’s approach to positive and progressive Indigenous Relations across the organization. This includes clear policies and commitments and developing a company culture through awareness and training.  
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West Fraser is committed to achieving equitable representation of Indigenous peoples in the workplace. This involves recruiting and retaining Indigenous talent; providing scholarships and workforce readiness programs; promoting the mobility of Indigenous employees; providing cross-cultural awareness and/or cultural sensitivity training to employees at all levels of the organization, and more. 
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West Fraser is committed to increasing the participation of Indigenous Peoples in our business through direct employment, the procurement of services and other forms of partnership.

We have mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous-owned businesses. Through our procurement practices, including target setting and tracking, we examine opportunities to expand the scope of our business activities. Capacity building and mentorship also directly relate to sustaining, enhancing and fostering future business development.

West Fraser seeks to advance our Indigenous relationships to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes to strengthen the generational value of the resources we manage. We regularly consult with more than 80 Indigenous communities on an ongoing basis, and we currently have 39 mutually agreed upon Indigenous community engagement processes in place. 

Our approach to Community Relations is based on ensuring we have the resources and skills needed to develop and sustain positive and progressive relationships with Indigenous communities, groups and stakeholders. We aim to listen, engage in dialogue and incorporate traditional knowledge into our practices. We have embedded the perspectives and rights of Indigenous Nations and community members within our Indigenous Peoples’ Policy and have established clear expectations to uphold these values.