Haveman Brothers

skibum_ · Post by **skibum_** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 2:35 pm

Its goign to be my first eyar workign for them this summer, but I still thought they deserve a thread about them.

Post by **Scooter** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 4:25 pm

If you've got their phone number and mailing info, feel free to post it here. I've heard of them, but I don't have any contact info that is accurate.

Jdog · Post by **Jdog** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 1:30 am

Hey have a good time, I spaced for them once and it might have been the worst job i've ever done in the bush. The foreman was a doorknob, and there was no support from the company. The ha rate was a joke I highballed and still couldnt make 200/day. These guys should be flamed at every opportunity.

Jenn · Post by **Jenn** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 9:58 pm

Skibum, I planted for Haveman last summer and I will be planting with them again this summer. My experience was amazing. They are really not the company that Jdog makes them out to be, at least not from my point of view as a planter. I enjoyed the entire experience. I made more money than I thought I would as a rookie. One of the rookies on my crew made over ten grand in the May/June season alone. The supervisors were awesome, the people are among the best I've ever met, the food was excellent and I had some of my best times ever on nights off in town. You will get good training and supervisors will come around during the start of the contract to offer you personal help and tips. I chatted with planters from a few other companies in the Thunder Bay area and found that Haveman planters generally seemed to be making more money. The camps are relatively clean as the company is Christian-based... you can decide for yourself whether this is a good or bad quality for you. I haven't planted for any other company, but in my opinion, you and I are very lucky to be planting with HBFS.

Good luck for the coming season! I hope you love it as much as I did.

Scooter, the following is contact info. for Haveman Brothers:

Telephone: (807) 475-4662
FAX: 807-473-4042
Postal: P.O. Box 249, Kakabeka Falls, ON POT 1W0
E-mail: hbfs@havemanbrothers.on.ca

Jenn · Post by **Jenn** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:13 pm

One more thing for Skibum, there are 8 reviews by Haveman planters that can be found on the canadiantreeplanting.com website under company info. You can then view the Haveman ratings by scrolling down to them under "view ratings by company". I realize these instructions aren't that clear, but you'll know what I mean if you go to the website.

Jdog · Post by **Jdog** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:47 pm

Hey fair enough I've never planted for them so I cant claim any authority on that. However it was still a bad experience, and IMHO any planting East of B.C. other than Northern Sask. can only be graded on a scale of worse to "worser". Just an opinion take it or leave it.

skibum_ · Post by **skibum_** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 11:36 am

I looked at the canadian treeplanter reviews, that and talking to a fellow named allan dykstrum(sp.?). Not sure thats his last name, but it comes to mind. I am excited to be workign for them, sounds like its goign to be a good season.

skibum_ · Post by **skibum_** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 5:38 pm

Jenn, what plant are you on? I'm on ignace

Jenn · Post by **Jenn** » Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:31 pm

I'm planting on the Black Bay crew which will be joining the Green Mantle crew after the first 3 weeks. All crews will be together on May 4th for the mandatory meeting and I'm sure we'll all get together at least once for a BBQ or something too... although I don't know your name which may make it more difficult for me to find out who I wrote to on here. I think Ignace will be a good crew to work on. I heard that last year they had a tough season but everyone pushed through it and did well. I heard no complaints from the Ignace planters.

Only 8 more days 'til bus boarding... looking forward to another 20 hour school bus trip. Just can't beat 35 bucks.

Best of luck again, see ya soon!

skibum_ · Post by **skibum_** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:13 am

My name is Justin. I guess you're going in from Toronto then?

Jenn · Post by **Jenn** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:32 pm

Yup, I'll be heading up from the GTA.

Nate · Post by **Nate** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:18 am

From my personal experience, planting Greenmantle and Black Bay contracts with them a few years ago, and having talked to former planters who've migrated out West, I believe they are one of the best companies to work for in Ontario.

Apparantly there's some disparity in contracts (I've heard mixed reviews of Ignace), and I had one supervisor who, and this is personal opinion, I don't believe was qualified and got the position through nepotism, but the guys who run this company are 100% class acts and care about the planters as individuals. They also take a direct role in the company, and you'll see them out there doing the grunt work themselves when need be. They make a real effort to create a good social environment, and their prices (basically a minimum of 9c) are excellent by Ontario standards in relation to the land.

There might be a couple of not so great contracts or employees here or there, but on the whole this company has a lot of integrity, which stems laregely from co-owners Mike Long and Dave Haveman ('Dave Have').

As a side note it IS a pretty religious company, if you're Christian and looking for a company to plant with - look no further, when I worked there they had posted rules like no unmarried guys/girls in the same tent after 8p.m. (though it wasn't actually enforced), but there was no degree of "preachiness" or a feeling that you were having Christianity imposed on you for having worked there.

skibum_ · Post by **skibum_** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:27 pm

Like nate said, the Ignace/Bowater contract was pretty bad for a couple years (I was on those contracts), but is is hit or miss depending on the year. Last year the Bowater contract was all sand and burns will all truck access and probably the best land I have ever seen, almost arial seed quality. The Green mantle on the other hand, which has been reputed as being the cream show contract hit a bit of a tough contract for quality and land. So it really is hit or miss on the contracts. Rumours come from land viewers and sprayers about what contracts MIGHT be good the next year, but these are jus trumours as contracts aern't finalized at that point.

BTW, are you 'Nate the Great' who posted above me?

Nate · Post by **Nate** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:44 am

Not sure what you mean by "posted above you", but I think every person named Nate has at one time or another been called "Nate the Great" or "Nate Dogg". The only relatively unique nickname I've been given is "Nasty Nate", which is usually just "Nasty".

jpostuma · Post by **jpostuma** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:13 am

Contact info for Haveman Brothers

PO Box 249, Kakabeka Falls
ON P0T1W0

P: (807) 475-4662
F: (807) 473-4042

http://www.havemanbrothers.com / .ca / .on.ca
info@havemanbrothers.com

Also, skibum, the "Nate-the-great" I'm sure you're referring to was on Atikokan.
I'm assuming that you are talking about the guy who did the 5k average for a couple of weeks right?

CalviNNatioN · Post by **CalviNNatioN** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:43 pm

Worked for Haveman this summer and they rocked, I will be going back next year for sure! 95K first year baby!

steel8909 · Post by **steel8909** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 6:11 pm

Jdog wrote:Hey have a good time, I spaced for them once and it might have been the worst job i've ever done in the bush. The foreman was a doorknob, and there was no support from the company. The ha rate was a joke I highballed and still couldnt make 200/day. These guys should be flamed at every opportunity.

How much were you getting per hecter and what was the stem density?

jpostuma · Post by **jpostuma** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:12 am

steel8909 wrote:
Jdog wrote:Hey have a good time, I spaced for them once and it might have been the worst job i've ever done in the bush. The foreman was a doorknob, and there was no support from the company. The ha rate was a joke I highballed and still couldnt make 200/day. These guys should be flamed at every opportunity.

How much were you getting per hecter and what was the stem density?

$275 / ha for 40k density.
It was a terrible contract and the hard feelings are warranted. We took a few years off from spacing after that.
We're much better at it now.

ladyseapea · Post by **ladyseapea** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:02 am

Quick question about hard hats (for Ontario companies in general, but since I'm planting with Haveman this year I'm posting here). Is the wearing of hard hats actually enforced all day long during planting?

I'm a rookie so any advice is appreciated.

bluejay · Post by **bluejay** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:56 am

They say that there is an MNR fine if you are caught without a helmet, and MNR does not need to announce their presence. So the ministry of natural resources could roll up on the block one day and catch two rookies without hard hats and issue two fines of 150 bucks or something. Then they can charge the company 10 times that amount or something absurd.

There legally should be a green book of some kind that says that somewhere in your camp.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:02 am

How is that legal? It isn't in BC.

theBushman · Post by **theBushman** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:29 pm

It is likely that the client will have a fine written into the contract against the contractor for PPE violations. MNR doesn't have much planting to be done. A conservation officer driving by is going to be paying attention to any people they can see, whether they can write a fine for PPE is unclear to me, but they certainly can get the Ministry of Labour involved in a damned hurry.

Hard hats are law in Ontario, if you can't do your job in flip flops, you probably need a lid.

Rig up your lid with some cheap earphones and use the whole thing as an mp3 dock, forgetting it won't be an issue, you'll have tunes, but you'll still be able to hear the nest of hornets you just kicked open.

The Rev · Post by **The Rev** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 5:41 pm

Has nothing to do with MNR

All Ministry Of Labour (MOL)

It will be enforced by the company you work for, the client AND MOL - you don't want the MOL to get involved - everyone gets fined - worker, CB, Company AND likely client too.

If you can't wear the Hard Hat don't plant in Ontario -

ladyseapea · Post by **ladyseapea** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:49 pm

Alright, good to know. Thanks for the replies. I'm assuming that means that they are likely to enforce steel toes, as well?

theBushman · Post by **theBushman** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:40 am

Hi-viz too.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:28 pm

Wow. I had always heard Ontario is awful, but I didn't realize it was that awful.

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