Developing long-term employment opportunities for people in the Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities: Committee of the Whole—July 8, 2020
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Context
A new contract was awarded on April 1 to allow participants involved in the paper sorting services contract, a sub-component of the Government of Canada’s PaperSave Program, to continue employment following the end of Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) contract with the Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OCAPDD). The new contract is for the sorting of surplus office supplies to divert items from landfills.
Due to COVID-19, this work was suspended, but ongoing efforts are being made to ensure work will be ready for participants once operations can safely resume.
Suggested response
- The government values the contributions of the persons with developmental disabilities in the Paper Save Program
- Since the end of that arrangement, a new contract has been put in place that provides participants with employment sorting surplus office material to divert items from landfill
- Due to the ongoing public health measures, work has been temporarily suspended. However, planning is underway for work to resume when it is safe to do so
If pressed on whether or not participants are being paid:
- due to ongoing public health measures, the OCAPDD was initially paid to retain participants in the program, as EI was deemed to not be an accessible option for many of them
- at the end of April, program participants began to access the Canada Emergency Response Benefit
- regular pay was temporarily halted so that participants could remain eligible for this increased benefit
Background
Public Services Procurement Canada (PSPC) is leading in the placement of participants. ESDC assumed the contract with the OCAPDD for paper sorting from Library and Archives Canada in March 2015. The original 3-year contract allowed for 2 optional 1-year extensions that would allow the contract to continue until March 2020.
Under this contract, OCAPDD ran the paper sorting services as a sheltered workshop. Participants in their program received a nominal payment of $1.20 an hour to sort the paper in a supported environment made up solely of persons with developmental disabilities.
In the past, paper was sorted by quality prior to recycling because higher quality paper fetched a higher price on the recycling market. Changes in technology and a decline in the market for recycled paper has negated the financial benefits of sorting prior to recycling.
Since June 2019, the government has been working with OCAPDD to seek suitable opportunities for participants from the paper sorting program in government departments located in Tunney’s Pasture.
On February 28, PSPC officials met with OCAPDD to propose a new work stream for participants. As part of the decommissioning of surplus office materials within Place du Portage, Phase III, a waste diversion program is underway. The new work stream would see OCAPDD participants sort surplus office waste such as binders, small electronics, staplers, and hanging folders. These items were once office staples and have become obsolete with shifts toward digitization and paperless/paper-light work environments. This work will allow for these items to be re-used, sold (via GCSurplus should items have a re-sale value), donated, recycled or become waste only as a last resort. To date, the decommissioning of surplus office materials within Place du Portage, Phase III has exceeded its target with more than 98% waste being diverted from landfill.
A 1-year pilot of this new work stream is currently underway, during which its longer-term viability will be evaluated.
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