Wharfside
January 2018
In this issue East coast expansion continues. . . . . . . . . . . 2 Surrey Processing Plant celebrates winter solstice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hardy plant says farewell to a hard worker who had a magical remedy. . . . . . . . 3 Children’s charities close to our hearts and homes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Too much turkey?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Well boat freshwater treatment trialed at Monday Rock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 North Island salmon enhancement hatcheries receive MHC help. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 15 years of Christmas cheer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sayward Scouts start up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did You Know? ACDC’s Angus Young first wore his school uniform on stage because his sister told him to.
Trivia time! How many times has Canada won world junior hockey? Answer on page 4
Comments about this Newsletter? Please email comments, articles and ideas to Ian Roberts, Director of Public Affairs, at ian.roberts@marineharvest.com
Looking back, looking forward As we enter a new year, I want to briefly reflect on what occurred for Marine Harvest Canada last year, and what we can look forward to in 2018.
fish and workplace. We were glad to see the B.C. Supreme Court on December 22nd agree that this concerning behaviour is unacceptable, and award our company an injunction that will help protect the safety of our employees and fish. This event aside, we will continue to meaningfully engage with all neighbours, stakeholders and governments.
In 2017, high market prices, especially in the first nine months of the year, were the major contributor to the company’s strong By Vincent Erenst margins and excellent Managing Director bottom line. At the same Marine Harvest Canada time, we have witnessed Several key investments operational costs slowly but steadily announced last year will lay a solid path increase. Going forward we will have to for our continued sustainability: for our implement measures to gain efficiencies and fish and environment, for the communities reduce costs. where we operate, and for our financial returns. We can look forward to realizing I am very proud to note a safety milestone the benefits of many major improvements achieved near the end of the year. In made to our recirculating aquaculture November we surpassed one year without a systems, marine farms, boats, and staff lost time incident. This is a very significant accommodations in 2018. achievement for a company of our size and with our busy work environment. While Finally, with our value-added processing this safety record is to be celebrated, I plant now open in Surrey, we can look would like to remind us all to do our 50% forward to providing our customers and ensure that our attention to safety additional products. The plant began continues at work and at home. production on December 1, and will soon employ 75 people to produce delicious, During the last half of 2017, our company fresh, and healthy salmon in easy-to-prepare was challenged with protests in one region meal formats. where we operate. While our staff remained patient and professional throughout this I look forward to updating you on these time – allowing a small group of people the developments, and more, in 2018. right to voice their opinions – we eventually Happy New Year! sought recourse for the blatant disregard of Canadian law and disrespect for our staff,
ATLANTIC CANADA
East coast expansion continues Marine Harvest has announced its intention to purchase Northern Harvest, a fully integrated salmon farming company on Canada’s Atlantic coast. Northern Harvest has its own broodstock, hatchery, farming sites and processing operations. It expects to harvest 19 thousand tonnes of salmon next year. Northern Harvest has 45 farming licences in Newfoundland and New Brunswick and 13
farming licences in application mode. The potential acquisition supports Marine Harvest’s long term strategy of being a world leading and integrated producer of seafood proteins. It is subject to approval by relevant competition authorities and customary closing conditions. For more information read the press release at marineharvest.ca
Surrey Processing Plant celebrates winter solstice
Marine Harvest’s new value-added processing plant in Surrey, BC, is processing between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds of salmon per day as it enters its second month of operation. Plant Manager Jason Swanson says the team is making D and E trim fillets into 30 pound bulk packages. “We’ve just had our skin pack machine commissioned and the labelling machine is in the works,” Jason says. 2
“The new equipment is working really well. The fillet machine is the Lamborghini of fillet machines.” The plant has had plenty of visitors in its first month of operation, including most department managers at Marine Harvest. However, couriers have not had such an easy time visiting. “It feels good to say that our address is the only problem we’ve had since starting up,”
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Jason says. “We’ve got a small entrance which is difficult to find.” For example, the plant ordered a knife sharpener from a manufacturer in Ontario who also supplies skating equipment. It was delivered to the ice rink next door, before finding its way to the plant. The Surrey team celebrated their first Solstice celebration on December 21.
Hardy plant says farewell to a hard worker who had a magical remedy Real Lapointe retired in December after 15 years as a fish processor. The 65-year-old did not miss a day of work for five straight years. He attributes his good health to a flu-busting blend of citrus juice and paprika (recipe below). He says his work ethic is from being part of a generation where if you didn’t work, you were fired. “You just learn to work. You have work to do, and you pay someone to do a job. As long as you remember this, it is easy to work hard,” Real says.
Real Lapointe cuts his retirement cake alongside Primary Processing Manager Kathy Baker.
He has had a long and varied working life. He was born in Baie-Comeau in Quebec and worked at a papermill, a sawmill, and a hydroelectricity project before buying a milk delivery truck. For a decade he ran his own business serving 400 customers in Baie-Comeau. About 2001 he saw a downturn in demand for milk deliveries so he sold his truck and business. Meanwhile he had met a woman from Port McNeill playing cribbage online, and this prompted his move to British Columbia. “I didn’t like the weather at first, and I went back. Then I asked her: if I come back, will you keep me? She said yes. We’re still together.”
It took him a year to get a job at the Englewood Processing Plant. He credits his coworkers for their patience with his poor English, as they worked on afternoon shifts that ran late into the night. He was working in the value-added processing unit when the Englewood plant closed and its workers transferred to Port Hardy. When value-added processing stopped, he joined the grading team. “My knees are telling me that I have to stop,” Real says. “I am happy enough to be alive at 65, and I don’t need to work anymore.” In his retirement, Real plans to restrict his efforts to woodwork, fishing and some yardwork for neighbours. He will travel MarineHarvest.ca
back to Quebec in the summer to visit his three children and four grandchildren. “I will miss my friends at the plant, but I won’t miss the commute from Port McNeill,” he says.
Real’s miracle cure for colds: — 3 oz orange juice — 1 oz lemon juice — 1/4 teaspoon paprika Mix and drink one shot in the morning, one shot in the evening. Do not drink for more than three days in a row. 3
Children’s charities close to our hearts and homes We have a young workforce, many of whom are working parents. Occasionally, health issues occur with children that require Marine Harvest employees to travel to the larger cities for diagnosis and treatment, and this places an enormous strain on working families. It is a stressful time emotionally and financially. As individuals we often pull together to support our colleagues who are suffering with child health problems.
Too much turkey? Get active after Christmas with a little help from MHC. SWIM at the Port Hardy Multiplex for free January 3rd and 5th, 11am-12pm SKATE at Port McNeill’s Chilton Regional Arena January 3rd from 5:15-6:45pm (13+)
On December 22nd, a British Columbian Supreme Court granted Marine Harvest Canada an injunction against the actions of several named and unnamed protesters at its salmon farm located east of Port McNeill. The Honourable Mr. Justice Voith’s reasons for judgement can be read at MarineHarvest.ca. 4
To help our families at times of need, Marine Harvest is pleased to make two new significant donations to children’s health charities. We have made a large donation to the Children’s Health Society of Vancouver Island who operate Jeneece Place at Victoria General Hospital. Jeneece Place provides accommodation for all families with children under 19 needing medical treatment. A second donation has been made to Cameryn’s Cause, a local society which
raises money to support travel, and associated expenses for families with sick children in Campbell River. For more information on how these two groups can help families, please use the links below and share them with anyone within or outside Marine Harvest who is suffering from childhood illnesses. https://childrenshealthvi.org/jeneeceplace http://www.camerynscause.com/
Well boat freshwater treatment trialed at Monday Rock A trial of freshwater bathing of fish using the M/V Viktoria Viking took place at Monday Rock in December. Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) has been using freshwater baths as a treatment for broodstock for some years and is slowly introducing the treatment for production fish. The M/V Viktoria Viking, on lease from Norway, carried out the treatment by loading with fresh water and containing the fish in its hold for a minimum of three hours. A permanent new well boat, now under construction, will be delivered to MHC in 2018. It will have the ability to generate freshwater by desalination. The treatment at Monday Rock was done to improve gill health. Pen 2 containing
approximately 55,000 salmon were treated. The fish were about 3.4kg and they responded very well to the freshwater bath. “Mortality was low and remains low after treatment,” says Monday Rock Manager Michelle Bluhm. There were some logistical challenges for the site: there is no treatment pen at Monday Rock, so the fish in Pen 1 were divided into Pens 3 and 4, creating an empty pen to receive the freshly bathed fish. There was also some difficulty bringing alongside a large vessel with a mid-ship intake. With a new vessel soon to arrive, freshwater baths will begin to be a routine part of fish health management at MHC: to provide gill therapy and naturally remove sea lice.
MarineHarvest.ca Answer: 15 (soon to be 16?!)
By Dean Dobrinsky, Human Resources Director
North Island salmon enhancement hatcheries receive MHC help Kokish and Marble River salmon enhancement hatcheries near Port McNeill have welcomed a helping hand from Marine Harvest. The hatcheries are staffed by volunteers and funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to enhance wild salmon populations on northern Vancouver Island. Kokish Hatchery is near MHC’s Englewood facility and Tsulton Broodstock facility. In 2017, the volunteers at Kokish requested funding for a new alarm system to be installed. The old system had a critical failure which resulted in the loss of 50,000 baby fish. Marine Harvest and one of its contractors K&K Electric replaced the system. Read the story in the North Island Gazette here. On the Marble River, which feeds into Quatsino Sound, volunteer organizers Grant and Deb Anderson were on a push to find
new funding when the hatchery’s main pump broke in December. Marine Harvest, who assists the Marble volunteers with equipment or advice on plankton whenever called upon, was happy to cover the cost of the pump repairs.
Another year, another shop for the Alert Bay House of Prayer Christmas party. Maurice “Moe” Isaac and Dean Nelson took care of buying the turkeys and trimmings from a local store and delivering them to the church.
There’s a great video that sums up previous collaboration with local salmon conservation groups on YouTube called “Conserving Salmon on Vancouver Island”
What’s not better with bacon? These Rebel Fish salmon burgers caught our eye.
2017
2007
In the January 2008 edition of Wharfside we published this photo of baby Aiden Guhl. Ten years later David Guhl is still managing a farm in Quatsino Sound, and look who travelled out there again to spend Christmas with his proud Dad! MarineHarvest.ca
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15 years of Christmas cheer Marine Harvest has made Christmas donations to four Vancouver Island charities every December for the past 15 years. We support Knights of Columbus Christmas Hamper Fund in Campbell River, first with the donation and then with the volunteer hours from employees. In Port Hardy, we donate to the North Island Gazette Hamper Fund which distributes hampers to the tri-port area. Dougie Hunter, Bill and Bonnie Humphreys from Foodbank, Ann and Kevin Gearey from Knights of Columbus, Stephaney VanAcken and Stephen Budgeon.
The Campbell River Foodbank and the Campbell River Women’s Resource Centre, charities that are under added pressure at this time of year, also receive annual cash donations.
made throughout the year by MHC, the predictability of the Christmas donations makes them special.
Director of Public Affairs Ian Roberts says that while many larger donations may be
“It allows the charities to bank on our support. But more than that, because of the
consistency over fifteen years, the people on both sides get to know each other well,” Ian says. “We respect the work that they do for the long term, and our employees are proud to support these charities.”
Sayward Scouts start up It has been a successful fall for the start up of the 1st Sayward Scouts. They had their first camp over in the Heritage Hall and are busy planning a visit to Marine Harvest’s Dalrymple Hatchery. Well done to Andi Cragg and her volunteer group: pictured here is Beaver Scouter Stephanie Wong with some seed funding from MHC.
Scholarships for Vancouver Island University student: MHC Director of Public Affairs Ian Roberts presented the $1500 Marine Harvest Salmon Aquaculture Scholarship to Aaron Burkell. Aaron is a second year diploma student who worked for Marine Harvest in the Broughton.
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