TORONTO, Oct. 27, 2020 /CNW/ -- Waste Connections, Inc.
(TSX/NYSE: WCN) ("Waste Connections" or the "Company") announced
the release today of its 2020 Sustainability Report, which
illustrates the Company's commitment to environmental stewardship,
the health, welfare and development of its employees, and the
support of its local communities. In conjunction with the
report, Waste Connections introduced long-term, aspirational
targets that reflect the Company's sustainability priorities and
its commitment of over $500 million
for investments to meet or exceed such targets.
"Our values and safety-focused, Servant Leadership-driven
culture have guided Waste Connections' response to this year's
unprecedented health, economic and social challenges, allowing us
to execute at a high level while continuing to pursue
sustainability initiatives, which are integral to and consistent
with our strategy and focus on long-term value creation for our
shareholders," said Worthing F.
Jackman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Highlights of the 2020 Sustainability Report include:
- Addressing Unprecedented Challenges: As an essential services
provider during uncertain times, Waste Connections recognized that
reducing employee concerns regarding income, healthcare and family
obligations would enable the Company to meet customer commitments,
reduce voluntary turnover and further improve safety performance.
To provide that support, Waste Connections committed more than
$35 million in incremental costs
primarily directed to discretionary supplemental pay for frontline
employees, and, among other initiatives, increased its minimum wage
target to $15/hour, expanded benefits
and provided scheduling flexibility to accommodate employee
needs.
The Company also recognized the challenges faced by the communities
it serves, increasing the level of charitable contributions to
assist food banks, families at risk, and organizations with a focus
on addressing racial inequities at a local or national level.
- Establishing Sustainability Targets: Waste Connections
specified long-term, aspirational sustainability targets and
committed over $500 million for
investments to meet or exceed such targets. These investments
primarily focus on reducing emissions, increasing resource recovery
of both recyclable commodities and biogas, reducing reliance on
off-site disposal for landfill leachate, increasing employee
engagement, and further improving our industry-leading safety
performance.
- Advancing Diversity and Inclusion: Waste Connections is a
signatory to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion,
the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and
inclusion within the workplace, and maintains a formal Diversity
Policy for the Board of Directors and Senior Management. In 2020,
in keeping with its efforts to advance diversity and inclusion, the
Company focused its leadership summit on understanding and
mitigating unintended biases, incorporated diversity and inclusion
into both Servant Leadership training and assessments of managers
by employees, enhanced recruiting practices to ensure the broadest
candidate pools, and supported the development of employee resource
groups including the Waste Connections Women's Network and
Veterans' S.E.R.V.E. Network.
The Waste Connections 2020 Sustainability Report is available
at www.wasteconnections.com/sustainability.
About Waste Connections
Waste Connections is an integrated solid waste services company
that provides non-hazardous waste collection, transfer and disposal
services, along with recycling and resource recovery, in mostly
exclusive and secondary markets across 42 states in the U.S. and
six provinces in Canada. The
Company serves more than seven million residential, commercial and
industrial customers. Waste Connections also provides non-hazardous
oilfield waste treatment, recovery and disposal services in several
basins across the U.S., as well as intermodal services for the
movement of cargo and solid waste containers in the Pacific
Northwest.
For more information, visit the Waste Connections website at
www.wasteconnections.com. Copies of financial literature,
including this release, are available on the Waste Connections
website or through contacting us directly at either (905) 532-7510
or (832) 442-2200. Investors can also obtain these materials
and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC") and the Canadian securities regulators free of
charge at the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and at the System for
Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval maintained by the
Canadian Securities Administrators at www.sedar.com.
Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("PSLRA"), including
"forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable
Canadian securities laws. These forward-looking statements are
neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance and
reflect Waste Connections' current beliefs and expectations
regarding future events and operating performance. These
forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects,"
"intends," "may," "might," "will," "could," "should" or
"anticipates," or the negative thereof or comparable terminology,
or by discussions of strategy. All of the forward-looking
statements included in this press release are made pursuant to the
safe harbor provisions of the PSLRA and applicable Canadian
securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release
include, but are not limited to, statements about the timing and
amount of investments and the ability to meet or exceed
sustainability targets. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, risk
factors detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with
the SEC and the securities commissions or similar regulatory
authorities in Canada. You should
not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date of this press release. Waste Connections
undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements
set forth in this press release, whether as a result of new
information, future events, or otherwise, unless required by
applicable securities laws.
CONTACT:
|
|
Mary Anne Whitney /
(832) 442-2253
|
Joe Box / (832)
442-2213
|
maryannew@wasteconnections.com
|
joe.box@wasteconnections.com
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SOURCE Waste Connections, Inc.