Category: Ontario

There’s still time! Nominate a deserving teammate as a Value Champion by April 30.

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Guided by our four Values, we know that Safeway teammates are going above and beyond every day to support our customers, communities and one another. Teammates who put these ideals into action and inspire others to do the same should be recognized and celebrated.

That’s what the Value Champions program is all about!

Have you noticed a teammate demonstrating one of our Values?

People-Powered — teammates who help their colleagues be their best by listening to and supporting each other, communicating openly and candidly, and encouraging positivity and fun.

Customer-Driven — teammates who go the extra mile for the customer by consistently making customers our priority, understanding their needs, finding ways to thrill them and serve them with pride.

Community-Engaged — teammates who make a difference in our communities by consistently engaging with our communities, giving back, acting in sustainable ways, and supporting local initiatives, entrepreneurs, and suppliers.

Results-Oriented — teammates who drive great results in a fair and ethical way by consistently bringing a winning attitude, delivering on our commitments, finding new and innovative solutions, and are fair and ethical in our decisions.

Be sure to nominate them as a Value Champion, today! The deadline to submit a nomination is April 30.

Nomination Process

When nominating a teammate as a Value Champion, it’s super important to provide full details such as their name, job title, and location of work. The winning submission is dependent on how much detail you provide.

Selection Process

The Value Champions Selection Committee will be selecting 100 Value Champions finalists for this year. There will be five winners, one for each Value and one national winner determined by Operations Vice Presidents.

If you have any questions, please contact sobeysrecognitionprograms@sobeys.com or visit SobeysValueChampions.com for more information.

Congratulations to our 2021/2022 Nourish U Safeway Graduates

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Safeway is committed to supporting our teammates in striving for greatness — and when they achieve success, we celebrate together.

We’re so pleased to share that the following Safeway teammates in Ontario have successfully completed the 2021/2022 Corporate Nourish U Management Training Program.

Let’s hear directly from Tanner Olsen, DMT graduate from Kenora Safeway, on what this rewarding experience meant to him.

“The Nourish U program was a great experience that taught me new skills and expanded on my existing skills. I hope to apply for the SMT program next year and expand my knowledge even further.”

A big congratulations to each graduate. We couldn’t be prouder to have you as part of the Safeway family, and can’t wait to see all that you accomplish in your career journey with us.

Nourish U is our leadership development program for corporate Store Manager (SMT) and Department Manager (DMT) training. It’s the very best opportunity to immerse yourself in our operations, get to know our teammates, and understand our products. But Nourish U is more than just an education tool — it’s the engine that kick starts our culture, brings together our brightest minds, and establishes a foundation for every successful career at Safeway.

If you’re interested in applying for an upcoming Nourish U Program cohort, visit the Nourish U tile in the People Portal for more information, or speak to your manager who’s always available to help.

Keep heart healthy this month

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Did you know that 2.4 million Canadians are affected by heart disease and that it’s the second leading cause of death in Canada? February is heart health month, and our Safeway Pharmacy wants to help you reduce your risk of heart disease and increase your heart health knowledge.

What is heart disease? Heart disease refers to various types of heart conditions, such as a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, hypertension, or arrhythmia. Heart disease can affect men and women differently. Click HERE to learn more about heart health.

Pharmacy has changed roles when it comes to health care. Your local pharmacist is an educator, but also someone who is here to support you. Our Safeway Pharmacy teams can help you with heart health management and even prevention of heart disease. Here’s how they can help:

  • A member of our pharmacy team can discuss alternative behaviours that will help prevent you from getting heart disease, such as having a well-balanced diet, active living or quitting smoking.
  • Our pharmacists can create a personalized care plan that’s specific to you! They’ll meet with you to review your health history and current medications. Together, you’ll develop a plan that is suited best to you.
  • Medication reviews are a great way to understand your meds. Our teams can help you understand how the medications interact, with any side effects, and with goals to decrease the dosage of a medication.
    • Ask your local Safeway pharmacist about compliance packaging, which will help ensure that you take your prescriptions correctly and on time. We have a variety of innovative solutions.
  • Your blood pressure plays an important role in preventing and managing heart disease. Our Safeway Pharmacies offers free blood pressure testing and results are available immediately.
    • The test is simple, painless, and takes only a minute or two. This allows you to be in control of your health!
    • Discuss your results with our pharmacists – we can assess your personal history and let you know if you need to take action.

Visit your local Safeway Pharmacy team and see how they can help with your heart health management.

February is American Heart Month, which brings awareness to heart disease, stroke, and overall heart health. The key to living a long, healthy life is caring for your heart, so take note

Thank you for helping us raise more than $25,000 for local food banks!

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

On behalf of our food bank partners, a huge thank you to our Ontario Safeway teams for your ongoing commitment to our communities and food bank partners. The need is at a record high, and every single dollar raised will help fill the shelves at our local food banks.

We’re happy to share that our Ontario Safeway teammates and customers came together to raise more than $25,000 in support of local food banks and food programs in our communities.

In total, $4.6 million was raised in food and funds across all Sobeys Inc. banners. An impressive $3.1 million was raised from December 1 – 23. The Sobeys Inc. match weekend on December 17 – 18, resulted in an additional $250,000, bringing the total funds raised to $3.3 million. In addition to customer donations, $1.3 million in food bank hamper sales took place from November through December.

To you, our teammates, who brought this campaign to life — a HUGE thank you for your incredible fundraising efforts! The funds you helped raise will directly support hungry families in your communities, and you should feel so proud of the difference you’re making in someone’s life.

A day of remembrance

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Today, on November 11, let us pay tribute to the many Canadian heroes, both past and present, who have fought and sacrificed for our beautiful country. For without their sacrifices, the freedoms we enjoy today would not be possible.

As a team with such deep Canadian roots, it’s important that we take a moment to pause and reflect on the courage and bravery of those who served, and continue to serve, our great nation. We will wear our poppies with pride today to honour them.

The following will be read over the PA system in our Safeway stores at 11:00 a.m. this morning to observe a moment of silence:

“Please join us now for two minutes of silence, to honour and remember the men and women who have; and continue to serve Canada in times of war, military conflict and peace. During this time of reflection, we pause to thank and remember our Fallen.”

Today and always, #CanadaRemembers.

Have you entered the Safeway Talks Gift Card Giveaway?

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Thank you for being part of the Safeway Talks community.

Safeway Talks is a great way to stay up to date on all things Safeway, from success stories and community events to new initiatives, and more.

If you haven’t entered the contest yet, there’s still time! You only need to enter once to be eligible to win.

By October 30, click here to enter for your shot at winning a $100 Sobeys Inc. gift card.

50 lucky Safeway teammates will be randomly selected, and their Sobeys Inc. gift card will be sent directly to them.

Good luck!

Mental wellbeing: building resilience and avoiding burnout

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Yesterday was World Mental Health Day. Each year it provides us an opportunity to reconnect and re-kindle our efforts to protect and improve our mental health.

Building resilience and avoiding burnout are two very important topics that are extremely relevant in our personal and professional lives, especially given the challenges of the past couple of years.

To help you make some effective changes in your life today, we’re sharing this new tip sheet. Mental health affects every one of us and support is here.

A time to give thanks

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Heading into the Thanksgiving weekend, we know how hard you’re working to ensure our customers can get everything they need to create their favourite holiday dishes.

We couldn’t be more thankful to have teammates like you. You continue to create exceptional shopping experiences for our customers, and find new and innovative ways to help us succeed.

As you gather around the table with family and friends to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal, remember that we’re proud to have you at the Safeway family table.

We appreciate your support and commitment not only this Thanksgiving weekend, but every day of the year.

We hope you have a great holiday with the people in your life who matter most.

Happy Thanksgiving, Safeway!

Standing in solidarity: Honouring our Indigenous Peoples on Orange Shirt Day

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

For a period of more than 150 years, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend schools which were often located far from their homes. More than 150,000 children attended Indian Residential Schools. Many never returned.

On Orange Shirt Day (September 30), Safeway — alongside all of Sobeys Inc.’s banners from coast to coast — showed their support for Indigenous teammates, families, customers, and the communities we serve by wearing an orange shirt or ribbon to send a strong message of recognition and remembrance to Indigenous Peoples.

Thank you to all of our Safeway teammates who took the time to wear orange shirts, ribbons and stickers, create in-store informational displays, and share inspiring stories. Not to mention those who donated to local organizations supporting Indigenous Peoples.

Check out just a few photos of how our Safeway teammates from across the country marked this meaningful day — showing our commitment to the journey to Truth and Reconciliation. We’re so inspired by your display of solidarity with our Indigenous communities.

Corral Centre Safeway (Brandon, MB) honouring Truth and Reconciliation Day with a donation to the Brandon Friendship Centre.

Southland Mall Safeway (Regina, SK)

But there’s always more we can do. At Sobeys Inc., we’re committed to taking action for the long-term. This includes our ongoing involvement in the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program in partnership with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. For more information, you can reach out to Kakwiranoron Cook (kakwiranoron.cook@sobeys.com), Senior Advisor, Indigenous Relations and Communications.

In addition, you can visit the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jam Group” tile in the home page of your People Portal to access Indigenous Workplace Inclusion resources.

Falling into the season with Compliments

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

With summer sadly in the rear-view mirror, we can’t help but turn our attention to the fall… crisp air, cozy sweaters, the taste of pumpkin spice and fresh local apples lining our shelves.

For many of us, the sights and smells (most definitely the smells) of this season are synonymous with the delicious desserts we enjoy with friends and family — from apple pie to pumpkin cheesecake and cranberry cobbler.

And so, in the spirit of this harvest season, we thought we’d roundup a few of our Own Brands dessert products that are sure to thrill and delight Safeway customers in our stores. After all, we all deserve fabulous fall treats.

  1. Compliments Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Move over apple pie! The flakey crust and burst of sweet-tart fruit flavour in our strawberry rhubarb pie packs deliciousness into every bite. Whether you serve it warm or at room temperature, this pie will surely be a crowd-pleaser!

  1. Compliments Apple with Caramel Filling Muffins

Talk about gourmet flavour! The combination of apple and caramel leave basic behind. Plus, there’s nothing quite like the soul-soothing smell of apple and caramel when warmed up. Don’t you agree?

  1. Compliments Lemon Meringue Pie

Yes, we know, pie and the autumn season go hand in hand. And with so many flavours to choose from, we just had to pick more than one.

If you prefer a smooth, rich, and creamy pie, this one is for you! The refreshing taste of our lemon meringue pie is the perfect compliment (no pun intended!) to cap off a weekend meal with friends or loved ones.

We’re so proud to offer these Compliments products (and many other favourites!) in our Safeway stores. We know our customers are looking for the best products for their families, at prices they can afford. Our Own Brands assortment helps to set us apart from our competitors by delivering quality products that fit every budget.

So whether you’re purchasing these products for yourself, bringing them to a special family meal or recommending them to customers, let’s continue to work together to make our Own Brands products #1 in our hearts and minds so that they become #1 in our stores.

Happy fall, y’all!