Olymel Plant - Photo credit to Sheldon Spackman

By Troy Gillard and Sheldon Spackman

GREEN LIGHT FROM ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES

Gradual reopening of Olymel’s Red Deer plant begins

Mar 4, 2021 | 2:08 PM

RED DEER, AB. — Olymel is moving ahead with a gradual reopening of its Red Deer pork processing plant starting Thursday after it was shut down for two weeks due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The company announced the move in a statement Wednesday evening after getting the go ahead from Alberta Health Services to proceed.

“Reopening can occur because Olymel management and the regulators are satisfied that employees can return to the plant safely,” the statement reads. “The company will continue to work with AHS and OHS in order to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Olymel will also ensure that there is a strong collaboration and commitment amongst its workforce to prevent the spread.”

Olymel’s announcement comes on the same day that UFCW Local 401, the union representing workers at the facility, said they were investigating after another employee at the plant died as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The death was not included in the province’s COVID-19 update on Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, Alberta Health says the number of deaths linked to the outbreak now stands at two. There had previously been three but a spokesperson said Wednesday one of those deaths is no longer considered linked to the outbreak.

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There are 515 total cases stemming from the outbreak, including 78 active (down from 91 on Tuesday and 212 on Feb. 19 and 20) and 435 recoveries.

Olymel in their statement mourned the deaths of three employees after testing positive for COVID-19.

“Olymel is saddened by anyone who is impacted by COVID-19, whether it be our own employees, their families or our Red Deer community,” the company says.

UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse said this week in an open letter to Olymel that out of 600 workers who responded to a union survey, 75 per cent were scared or nervous to return to work, 80 per cent were unsure if the plant is safe right now, and that 75 per cent indicated they do not fully trust Olymel to keep them safe.

Olymel says it took advantage of the closure to “update and reinforce the many health and safety measures that were already in place at the plant” and worked with the AHS-formed task force in planning a safe gradual reopening.

Following AHS, OHS and Environmental Public Health (EPH) inspections of the plant on Monday and Wednesday, Olymel says AHS made several recommendations aimed at adjusting and reinforcing certain measures that were already in place and gave the green light to gradually resume operations. Additional staff has already been assigned to monitor and enforce these measures.

The union had posted on its Facebook page on Wednesday that it was pleased to see that Olymel cancelled a planned slaughter shift and instead providing the training we called for in our response to the proposed plant reopening.”

Staff at the plant began returning for sanitation training on Wednesday. Slaughter operations will resume Thursday followed by cutting room operations on Friday.

Olymel plant supply teams are also in contact with Alberta hog farmers to plan the gradual resumption of deliveries.

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