Our Commitment to the EnvironmentTotem has grown to become one of the province's largest retailers of forest products. We recognize our responsibility to create a positive difference in our natural environment and we proudly commit to plant one million trees in Alberta's boreal region.
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Dave Carr, Vice President - General Manager, Totem Building Supplies
Bruce Mayer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development and Bertie Beaver
Brady Whittaker, President & CEO, AFPA (Alberta Forest Products Association)
Ken Vanderwell, General Manager, Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd.
Christy Ruhr, Purchasing Manager, Totem Building Supplies
MC and speakers.
Get your Clean Air Tree Kit.
First Clean Air Tree Kit sold.
Clean Air Tree Kit display.
Dave Mackenzie, Director of Merchandising, Totem Building Supplies with Bertie Beaver.
Big hugs for Bertie Beaver.
Dave Carr, Vice President - General Manager, Totem Building Supplies with Bertie Beaver.
Totem in conjunction with the Slave Lake Rotary Club is pleased to announce that the donation of $46,750 raised between Totem and Stanley Black & Decker will be used to aid the Animal Rescue Committee of Slave Lake in their quest to build an animal shelter for the community of Slave Lake.
Many of these volunteers helped search homes for lost or frightened pets before leaving when the fire first broke out. Many pets were displaced and relocated because of the catastrophe. The goal of the Animal Rescue Committee is to build a 1200 square foot site.
Animal Rescue Committee of Slave Lake
On Tuesday, October 11, 2011, Totem Operations Manager, Terry, and South Edmonton Store Manager, Paul along with representatives from Stanley Black & Decker, presented a donation of $46,750 towards the Slave Lake and Area Fire Relief Fund to the Slave Lake Rotary Club. The donation was a result of a portion of sales of all DEWALT, Black & Decker, Porter Cable, Stanley and Bostich tools, equipment and accessories from Totem’s seventeen Alberta stores between August 17th and September 19th of 2011.
The Totem team was able to meet with the Rotary Club and hear the many stories that affected the people of Slave Lake and how they have responded to the hardships they have faced. As of October 11 there was only one house completed and ready to move into. There were 70 permits taken out for homes since the fire with an expected 350 more to follow in the upcoming years. This only accounts for half of the more than 700 families that have been displaced. For many of these people they have been sharing a home with family or friends, living in a camper or hotel. In some cases people have had to leave Slave Lake to find a place to live for the next two or three years.
The Totem team was able to view the areas, where homes and families once were, that are now bare. Paul says the area looks more like new developments now than the war zone he saw earlier when he toured the area in the summer. Things are slowly getting back to normal in Slave Lake and many are appreciative that companies such as Totem and Stanley Black & Decker have not forgotten about them. It was truly a pleasure for the Totem team to present them with Totem gift cards in the amount of $46,750 to help their community get back on their feet. The president of the Rotary club, Gloria, had told Terry that they were only expecting a donation of a few thousand dollars. You can imagine the look on the Rotary Club’s faces when they were told it would be more than 10 times that amount!
Gloria’s family was one of those who lost everything. She is one of the many who have a heartbreaking story. As the Manager of the Sawridge Hotel in Slave Lake, she was one of the last families to evacuate as it was her responsibility to ensure that the hotel was evacuated and locked down before leaving. Upon arrival in Edmonton at 3am the next morning, she was contacted by the CEO of the company that owned the hotel and requested that she return to the Sawridge Hotel immediately. The hotel was about to become the center hub of communications while evacuations and fire fighting were ongoing. Firefighters and emergency crews were also going to stay there while battling the fires. The hotel ended up serving anywhere from 1300 – 1800 meals per day during this time period. This is a lot to ask of a person who has just lost everything, but Gloria went to task and made things happen. It might not have been always smoothly, but it did happen.
There are many more stories from the Rotary Club of heroes in Slave Lake. It was very rewarding for the Totem team to be part of an initiative that was able to pitch in and help out. Totem helped out because we are very much Albertan at Totem. Someone recently commented to Paul about Alberta. "I can’t believe how Albertans do everything to the extreme. Everything you do here in Alberta you do big!" That’s the Totem Real Deal! Doing It Right, Doing It Now, Doing It Everyday ... and Doing It Big! Only at Totem and only in Alberta!
