- ESG Summary Table
- Stronger Communities
- Quality of Life
- Empowered Employees
- Respect for the Environment
Better Quality of Life for our Customers
At A Glance
Building partnerships
We worked with a vast array of new suppliers, 66 transportation partners, 120 community leaders and government officials to ensure a steady and reliable source of most products, despite supply chain disruptions across the industry for our stores.
100+ remote pharmacists
100+ remote pharmacists working in The North West Telepharmacy service, the largest of its kind in Canada. The service provides extended online coverage for smaller hospitals, health centres and health telephone lines.
Additional air cargo capacity
We leveraged our air cargo service, “North Star Air” (NSA), the largest dedicated provider in northern Canada to meet increased demand. NSA added significant aircraft capacity to handle increased demand, including bringing an additional owned ATR-72 500 aircraft into service in May.
19 in-store pharmacies
19 in-store pharmacies delivered extended treatment services, helping to alleviate demands on other community health providers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Overview
The global pandemic reinforced The North West Company’s role as a provider of essential products and services in the rural and remote communities in which we operate. Our teams worked tirelessly to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers, committing substantial time and resources to ensure that our supply chain and retail network could consistently deliver better quality of life for our customers.
We are especially proud of how we have risen to higher levels of community responsibility while keeping our focus on fast-shifting customer needs. At all North West retail locations, our COVID-19 response included enhanced cleanliness and sanitization procedures, requiring the wearing of face masks, proper physical distancing, and offering curbside pickup and home delivery services in high-risk communities.
Our efforts are balanced between immediate reactions to the pandemic and work that will make us a more compelling shopping choice in the years ahead. As we confront the changes the pandemic brings, we continue to strive to be a reliable and safe presence in the communities we serve.
Commitments, Goals, Performance, and Next Steps
COMMITMENT: Provide reliable access to everyday products and services that are as affordable as possible and that meet the lifestyle needs of our customers.
Goals | Action steps taken in 2020 |
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Promote and invest in affordable and accessible healthy food options for customers in our stores. |
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Enhance the in-store experience for customers through our Pure Retail and COVID-19 response initiatives |
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Ensure that Indigenous peoples have equitable access to business development opportunities at North West |
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COMMITMENT: Supported calls from northern communities to provide access to quality health care for northern, remote communities.
Goals | Action steps taken in 2020 |
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Advocate for improvements to the Nutrition North program and other social programs that impact our operating communities. |
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