By Corey Fischer

Tolko Puts Focus On Women

May 24, 2018 | 3:33 PM

An employee at Tolko Industries in Vernon has received the Women in Forestry Award of Excellence.

Tanya Wick, Tolko’s vice president of People and Services, was given the honour by the Forest Products Association of Canada for her leadership and contribution to women in the forest products sector.

Pictured: Tanya Wick, award winner from Tolko Industries

Wick initiated a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for the company last year that included a leadership development program specifically for women, unconscious bias training for managers, Indigenous and youth strategies, collaborative oversight committee to make recommendations for change, and a comprehensive focus on an inclusive culture built on Tolko’s values.

Wick says in the BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan forest industry, women make up only 16 per cent of the workforce, meaning the industry is missing out on the ideas and innovation that a diverse workforce can deliver.

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“Creating a diverse workforce is in the best interests of Tolko as we face the future,” says Wick. “An engaged and dynamic workforce will help us reach and exceed our goals as a company, draw the best and brightest to our workforce to meet our demographic challenge, and foster innovative ideas to move the industry forward.
Increasing the number of women in our workplace is critical to our shared success.”

“Forestry is a great and iconic Canadian industry,” says Brad Thorlakson, Tolko President and CEO. “We do it better than anywhere else in the world. We work outdoors and in some spectacular places. Industry innovation is impressive and we market to global customers. There is a lot for anyone to like about a forestry career and we appreciate Tanya’s innovative thinking to help us do things differently.”

Tolko Industries Ltd. is a private, Canadian-owned forest products company based in Vernon, with approximately 3,000 employees in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

by Corey Fischer