Atlantic Beef Products Inc proud of diverse workforce

From peicanada.com – Click here to see original post 
By Andy Walker, Dec 20, 2017

Despite being half a world away from his native Syria, Khaled Ahmad Al Shahrour feels at home packaging beef on the assembly line at Atlantic Beef Products Inc.

Working at the Albany plant is his first job since arriving in Canada in 2016 from a refugee camp in Lebanon. Khaled and his family – his wife Hiam Akleh and sons Fahad, Majd, Hasan and Hazen– were among 25,000 refugees welcomed by Canada after fleeing their war- torn homeland.

He gives the thumbs up sign for the camera as he moves another box, saying his job has been a big help in learning English, building on the language training he received at Holland College. He is also part of the plant’s certified Halal beef team. Meat must be prepared and raised in a certain way in order to be Halal or permissible for Muslims to eat.

Those conditions include Allah’s name to be pronounced during slaughter, the animal must be killed humanely and hung upside down and allowed to bleed dry. The animal must also be fed a natural diet with no animal byproducts. Khaled had worked in a slaughter house in his native country so he did have some experience in the field.

Russ Mallard, President of Atlantic Beef Products, isn’t surprised Khaled is feeling right at home. It is a situation the company president has seen many times before.

The Atlantic region’s only federally certified beef plant has workers from virtually every corner of the globe. He starts naming some of the countries of origin of his workers — Brazil, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

“It’s something we are really proud of and it has made us stronger as a workplace,” he said.

Mallard explained many of the workers first find their way to the plant via the Temporary Foreign Workers program, quite often with the goal of becoming a permanent resident. The plant has sponsored a number of workers on the road to permanent residency – something he views as a win for not only the work and the plant but the entire province.

“They are building a new life here and making a contribution to Island life,” he said. “Over the last five years, we have sponsored over 30 of our workers.”

Lisa Chaisson is an employment counsellor with the PEI Association of Newcomers to Canada which helped Khaled land his job at the plant. She said most newcomers are eager to enter the workforce and can become discouraged when it doesn’t happen as quickly as they would like.

“Often there is language training that is required or some upgrading of skills,” Chaisson added.

She was not surprised to learn Khaled has been able to brush up on his English during the workday, saying that is also a common thread among many of her clients. In fact, many have told her they prefer the workplace to the classroom as a learning environment.

Khaled is no stranger when it comes to adapting to a new situation. It was not an easy choice to leave his homeland, but he felt he had little choice, saying he feared for the safety of his family.

He admits the time in a crowded refugee camp in Lebanon was frustrating as the family could do little but wait for word they had received the green light to come to Canada. That process took over a year but he calls the day he got the news ‘the best of my life.” He considers himself fortunate to now call Charlottetown home.

“PEI is a great place to raise a family,” he said. “It is so peaceful here and everybody is so friendly.”

One of the joys all of his children had this summer was playing soccer. The sport is popular in Syria and his children enjoy the game “but it was just too dangerous to play.” The family is also adjusting well to Island life. His wife is taking language training while 15-year-old Fahad is at Colonel Gray High School and 13-year-old Majd attends Queen Charlotte Intermediate School. His two youngest children, Hasan, 11, and Hazen are both at Spring Park Elementary.

In perhaps the ultimate adaption, Khaled has not only learned to live with snow but winter has become his favourite season. He laughs “I really enjoy the snow.”

From peicanada.com – Click here to see original post 
By Andy Walker, Dec 20, 2017