THE GREEN RIDE TAKES A DETOUR TO WHITECOURT ALBERTA

June 14, 2019

Zac and Nick Wagman met with Millar Western staff, community leaders and school officials while visiting the company’s woodlands, pulp mill and sawmill operations in Whitecourt, Alberta. Pictured are sawmill safety coordinator Stephanie Milburn, Zac, David Quick of Northern Gateway Public Schools, Nick, sawmill superintendent Todd Vader, communications director Janet Millar, and woodlands interns Cole Efird and Gareth Carey.

Looking for ways to add extra kilometres to an 8,750 km cross-Canada trip might not seem like a great idea but Green Riders Zac and Nick Wagman were excited to go out of their way to visit Whitecourt, Alberta.

“When Millar Western invited us to take a detour to Whitecourt to meet some amazing youth working in Green Jobs we couldn’t say no. Millar Western and the town of Whitecourt are a showcase for how providing local opportunities for skills development in Green Jobs is a great way to maintain healthy, sustainable communities,” said Zac, Project Learning Tree Canada’s (PLT Canada) Green Jobs Manager.

So far, he and his brother have travelled through more than two dozen communities in British Columbia and Alberta and covered over 2,000 km. By the time they’re finished, they will have visited 50 Green Jobs employers across nine provinces.

Zac and Nick toured the forest with Millar Western student interns working in forest planning, silviculture and forest protection roles, then stopped for photos with the Green Ride bikes. Pictured are Zac, Kamille Mendoza, Ashley Bertram, Jon Manderson, Adewumi Adeyefa, Nick, Cole Efird and Gareth Carey.

As a Green Jobs employer and Green Ride sponsor, Millar Western arranged to have Zac and Nick break their journey across Alberta to make a special trip to Whitecourt. The Green Riders met post-secondary students working for the summer in the company’s woodlands, pulp and lumber operations. They visited the Huestis Demonstration Forest, met over lunch with community leaders, school officials and Millar Western staff, then toured the company’s pulp mill and sawmill.

Zac chats with Alby Parokkaron, a student intern working in Millar Western’s Whitecourt sawmill. Alby told Zac, “It’s a really good job – what I like best are the people here.”

Throughout the day, student interns showcased their work in woodlands management and pulp and lumber production and shared their education experiences and career goals.

“Millar Western is a big supporter of the Green Jobs program and all the great things it represents. They are really focused on promoting diversity in their workplaces and on creating opportunities for all young people to gain valuable career skills, find rewarding employment, and develop their full potential,” Zac said.

Zac left Victoria on May 13 and will arrive in St. John’s on September 24. He and Nick are riding on  wooden bikes from Montreal’s Piccolo Velo. Kenauk Canada, an SFI Program Participant, is donating ash lumber, which is certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), to Piccolo Velo — helping Piccolo Velo’s efforts to gain SFI Chain-of-Custody certification for its innovative and environmentally friendly bicycles.

PLT Canada’s Green Jobs in Green Spaces program is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy.

Millar Western is certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Follow #MyGreenJob on Twitter (@PLT_Canada), Facebook (facebook.com/PLTCanada) and Instagram (@PLTCanada.Official) for updates on the Green Ride for Green Jobs!