Brett Kissel announces First Ever Drive-In Country Music Concert together with Safeway Canada, in support of Food Banks Alberta

​Tough times don’t last, tough people do. Those words have never been more relevant as the world faces the challenges of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Together with Safeway Canada, Brett Kissel is proud to announce ‘Brett Kissel – Live at the Drive-In,’ a first of its kind social distancing drive-in country music concert taking place on Saturday, June 13th at the main parking lot of the River Cree Resort and Casino outside of Edmonton, Alberta. Safeway Canada’s support ensures one hundred per cent of the event’s ticket-sales will go to Food Banks Alberta. The unique concert will also be streamed live across Canada, with media partner details to be announced.

“Music, and specifically country music, serves as a soundtrack to our lives. Obviously, the last few months have been an incredibly difficult chapter in all of our stories here in Canada and throughout the world,” said Kissel. “Through performing this one-of-a-kind drive-in show, I want to use live music to bring some light and happiness to people. I want to say thank you to all of those who have been on the front lines during this pandemic and to do what we can to make a difference supporting those in need. I want to support everyone through something that I miss – that we all miss, very much – live country music.”

‘Brett Kissel Live at the Drive- In’ concert is one-way Safeway Canada is supporting local communities through its Community Action Fund. Initiated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Action Fund empowers 1,500 stores across the country to inject millions of dollars into Canadian communities. The fund has helped deliver food and critical funds to food banks and a range of other community organizations in need across Canada.

“When Brett reached out about creating a first of its kind drive- in country concert, the idea resonated strongly with our team at Safeway. Brett’s song ‘Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do’ has inspired our frontline teammates throughout this crisis. At Safeway, we want to ensure that our community partners, such as Food Banks Alberta and others across the country, are not forgotten during this crisis,” said Sandra Sanderson, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Sobeys Inc. “We hope this unique social-distancing music event will inspire Canadians to help one another during these tough times and give back to the most vulnerable people in our communities.”

Concert attendees will also be encouraged to ‘text to donate’ to Food Banks Alberta and Safeway Canada will match donations up to $25,000 over the course of the concert. Safeway is proud to contribute millions of dollars in food and funds each year to address hunger across Western Canada.

Organizers have worked alongside Alberta Health Services and Health Canada to ensure that all health guidelines and safety measures for proper social distancing are in place and adhered to for the safety of all concert guests, performers, and staff.  Full event information and health guidelines are available online at drivein.brettkissel.com.

Tickets for this very special performance go on sale on Monday, May 25 at 10:00 a.m. via Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.ca). Admission for the 60-minute performance is $50.00 per vehicle, plus applicable fees, and taxes. Additional performances may be added later.

Join us in support of the Rich Valley Arena – voting starts tomorrow!

For the last 13 years, Kraft Hockeyville has launched an annual search for the most deserving hockey arenas in local Communities across Canada that are in need of renovations and repairs.

After reviewing countless submissions, Kraft narrows down the entries to the very best of the best, and four finalists go head-to-head in a final round of public voting to determine who will be crowned the next Kraft Hockeyville. The lucky winner takes home $250,000 to upgrade their local arena and the chance to host an NHL pre-season game. Pretty cool, right?

Even cooler is that our very own neighbour, the Rich Valley Arena, has been selected as a finalist in the 2019 Hockeyville contest! And we can help them win!

Our country’s passion for hockey runs deep in Alberta, and we know how important the Rich Valley arena is to your community. After a heartbreaking season of operational issues and little funds to support repairs, there’s no one more deserving than Rich Valley. We need your help to make sure they come out on top!

Voting opens tomorrow, Friday, March 29 and will remain open until 8:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 30. Don’t be shy – you can vote as many times as possible during the voting period!

Click here to cast your vote!

Our Stony Plain, St. Albert and Spruce Grove Safeway stores are also on-board to support and will be driving awareness throughout the voting period with in-store marketing, cashier prompts at point-of-sale, and contest prizing.

We know that the arena has always been a staple in Rich Valley. It is a meeting place – it brings the community together, unities families, and maintains a deep-rooted love for the sport of hockey. We’re confident in the power of our Safeway network and know that we can achieve great things together. Let’s join forces, lend a hand to our neighbours in need and start voting!

Stay up-to-date with us at www.safewaytalks.ca.

An update on UFCW 832 negotiations

An update on UFCW 832 negotiations

This week, we sat down to begin negotiations with UFCW 832 in Manitoba.

Sobeys is at the table to get an agreement, and we will stay there and work hard to get one.

We want to be clear and transparent with you – we did not walk away from the table.

After the union set out their proposal, it was clear that there were significant differences in our positions. We said we had to carefully review the proposal and make some decisions on the path forward. Together, Sobeys and UFCW 832 decided to adjourn for the week. We’ve agreed to meet again on January 29 for negotiations and want you to know that we’re committed to continue working on and reaching an agreement.

We’re focused on negotiating an agreement that helps preserve the future of our stores in Manitoba and as many jobs as possible.

The grocery industry is competitive and it’s only getting tougher. Many of our Safeway stores continue to lose money and are not sustainable. Our operating costs are still some of the highest in the industry. It’s vital that we get our labour costs in line so we can continue to be competitively priced in the market while providing  good, stable jobs and secure a strong future for Safeway.

Keeping you informed is important to us and we’ll continue to share updates in your stores and on SafewayTalks.ca