‘Hurtful’: Dozens to lose jobs after B.C. community group’s recycling contract cut – BC
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A Fraser Valley community organization is scrambling to find new jobs for dozens of people after the local municipalities terminated their contract at a recycling depot, effective next year.
The City of Abbotsford says the move is about cost-saving, and that it is looking for other ways to support those workers.
Abbotsford and Mission have been working with the non-profit Archway Community Services for four decades, processing more than 10,000 tonnes of recycling materials per year.
Abbotsford-Mission recycling drop-off attendant Krystle Koellmel told Global News that before applying with Archway she’d struggled to find work.
“I had one person who would just take my resume and I saw him crumple it up,” she said. “It was hurtful.”
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Archway has prioritized finding employment opportunities for people who have faced barriers to employment, and most of the 62 people it has working at the recycling facility are newcomers to Canada or are people who have physical and mental disabilities.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my job was to tell the staff that they will no longer have employment,” said Archway director of internal operations Laura Midna.
“There were a lot of tears. There’s a lot of hurt.”
The City of Abbotsford says curbside recyclables sorting and depot recycling services will be managed through Canadian-owned Emterra Group, starting next year.
The move is a result of a “commitment to fiscal responsibility,” the city said in a statement, adding that it will cost 40 per cent less under the new agreement.
“This was a difficult decision for the City of Abbotsford and City of Mission to make,” the statement adds.
“The City of Abbotsford remains committed to working with and supporting Archway Community Services through Abbotsford ACCESS and other initiatives, including providing land for Hearthstone Place supportive housing.”
Midna said she wants to see businesses in the municipalities to “step up” and look for ways to employ the terminated workers.
“Give our team a chance, we are really looking for 62 employers and we’ve had five employers already reach out to us,” she said.
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