Wapawekka Lumber Limited Partnership is a modern technology sawmill located north of Prince Albert. The sawmill produces high quality lumber from small-diameter softwood logs that were previously fit only for wood chips that were processed into pulp. Started in 1999, the business brings Kitsaki together with Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Montreal Lake Cree Nation, and Weyerhaeuser Canada. The partners pooled their resources and expertise to build a $22.5 million small-log sawmill. Its focus: excellent business results and sustainable aboriginal employment and growth.
Offering Opportunity
The business has already established itself as an extremely safe, world class sawmill based on a unique partnership and a diverse, talented work force. Wapawekka Lumber provides employees with ongoing growth and career opportunities. The highly skilled, predominately Aboriginal work force, have been trained in a variety of areas including, computers, fire and safety, work systems, cultural awareness, principles of teamwork, W.H.M.I.S., and occupational health and safety. Employees work in a high involvement, multi-task, multicultural, team-based environment. They are members of the Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada (IWA). Representatives form the IWA had a hand in designing the mill's work system. At the very core of Wapawekka Lumber's structure and philosophy is the First Nations concept of consensus-based decision making. Incorporating it at Wapawekka Lumber was a bit of a departure for a commercial site work system, but it works well and has helped the mill develop its own identity based on its business practices and cultural considerations.
Safety Skills
A major part of the employee orientation focuses on safety skills, as does the training component. Wapawekka Lumber realizes that a safety-conscious workplace gives employees more confidence when doing their jobs. With the focus on teams, everyone watches out for everyone else and people are empowered to correct situations that pose a safety hazard.
Wapawekka Lumber is a multiple skills workplace, so each person does a variety of jobs. This is an advantage in terms of safety because the work isn't monotonous.
Product
Wapawekka Lumber has the capacity to produce 70 million board feet of lumber annually. It presently makes 2 x 4s and 2 x 6s and eventually 2 x 3s.
What is different about this sawmill is that its equipment follows the curve of the logs unlike conventional sawmills. This new sawing technology allows Wapawekka to maximize logs to full fiber potential, thus decreasing waste.
Full Utilization
Wapawekka Lumber gets trees from the vast boreal forests of Saskatchewan. Like Weyerhaeurser throughout Saskatchewan, Wapawekka strives to utilize as much of the harvested trees as possible. Trimmed off wood, short pieces and rejects emerge as the logs go through the process are funneled off and put elsewhere. Some are cut into chips and sent to Weyerhaeuser's Prince Albert Pulp & Paper facility to make pulp. Some is chopped up for fuel. Waste is minimized. Because of the nature of this mill, with its advanced technology and curved saw process, Wapawekka Lumber utilizes small trees that other mills might not be able to accommodate, and uses as much of each tree as possible. It also offers aboriginal and non-aboriginal people the opportunity to develop broader skill sets, assume increased responsibilities and enhance their career development.
CONTACT US
Wapawekka Lumber Limited Partnership
P.O. Box 1536
Prince Albert, SK
Canada, S6V 5T1
Tel: (306) 953-4753
Fax: (306) 953-4754
Email: normand.riopel@wapawekka.com
