This report is made submitted to the requirements outlined under the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and sets out the steps Coast Limited Partnership (business number 794942516) has taken during the financial year ending December 31, 2023, to address Forced Labour and Child Labour risks in our business operations and supply chains.
Response to Bill S-11
Introduction
Structure, Activities, and Supply chains
Coast Appliances is a limited partnership headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally founded in 1978 as Coast Wholesale Appliances Ltd., it is now owned by the private equity group TriWest. The company operates under the brand Coast Appliances, managing nineteen retail locations and three distribution centers across Canada.
Coast Appliances sources its products, including household appliances and accessories, from domestic reputable manufacturers such as Whirlpool, Samsung, Electrolux, Bosch, and LG. The company focuses on delivering personalized shopping experiences for retail customers and tailored solutions for business clients, ensuring a transparent and ethical supply chain.
Coast understands the importance of maintaining a sustainable and responsible company and supply chain and we commit to respecting the human rights of every individual or group connected to our business.
Policies and Due Diligence Processes
Coast is committed to minimizing the risk of Forced Labour and Child Labour and has documented the company commitments in the Business Code of Conduct. Applying to employees, trustees, directors, officers, and contractors, the Code of Conduct reinforces Coast’s commitment to providing equal opportunity to all persons without regard to their gender, religion, orientation, or disability.
Discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated in any circumstances. With respect to the law, Coast is particularly sensitive to compliance with Human Rights, and Provincial and Federal Legislation, which includes Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act. All employees are provided with annual training on our Code of Conduct.
Managers receive training and ongoing coaching to apply best practices throughout our recruitment and onboarding processes. Our current recruitment process involves online posting of vacancies. Candidates voluntarily submit their application to the company for consideration. Following this, multiple interview stages and complete background checks and includes candidate consent and verification of ID. To further protect young workers, our onboarding practices involve thorough age verification, with internal systems flagging the age of young workers for HR investigation. Coast also has a Young and New Employee Training Policy to ensure the safety and rights of young workers.
Key Activities
Risk Assessment and Remedies
The Company Code of Conduct, internal governance, risk, and compliance solutions are periodically reviewed. During this reporting period, we analyzed our supply chains and operations to identify Forced Labour and Child Labour related risks. Based on this assessment process, we noted certain activities that pose lower Forced Labour and Child Labour risks, such as operations handled by staff directly employed by us and professional service providers. We also identified higher risk supplier categories such as thirdtier
manufacturers. We recognize that the risks of Forced Labour and Child Labour may exist in some of our supply chains. Based on our assessment, and the nature of our locally sourced product, the risk of Forced Labour and Child Labour is considered low within Coast Appliances and its supply chains.
The company is committed to continuous monitoring and maintaining reporting processes to identify and address any future risks. As of the 2023 reporting year, we have not identified any instances of forced labour or child labour within our operations or supply chains. Therefore, specific remediation measures have not been necessary. To support our commitment, we will continue to work closely with management to identify Forced Labour and Child Labour risks, develop action plans to address those risks, to meet compliance and reporting requirements under the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act.
Measuring Initiative Effectiveness
Due to the recent introduction of Forced Labour and Child Labour protection in Canada, our specific policies and procedures will be updated to assess the effectiveness of our efforts to prevent forced labour and child labour. As previously outlined, we maintain internal processes to identify risks and are committed to developing and implementing these measures to ensure continuous improvement and accountability.
To strengthen our commitment to reducing the risk of Forced Labour and Child Labour practices, the following are areas of focus for 2024 and 2025 Financial Year:
Approval and Attestation
Coast is committed to eradicating all risks of Forced Labour and Child Labour practices within our operations, supply chains, and business relationships. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity, and transparency in all of our business dealings and relationships.
In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and in particular section 11 thereof, I attest that I have reviewed the information contained in the report for the entity or entities listed above. Based on my knowledge, and having exercised reasonable diligence, I attest that the information in the report is true, accurate and complete in all material respects for the purposes of the Act, for the reporting year listed above.
I have the authority to bind Coast Limited Partnership.
William Walker
CEO, Coast Limited Partnership
May 31, 2024
