Earth Day may have come and gone, but it didn’t stop the First Canada team in the Kelowna Regional Transit System from hitting the Okanagan Rail Trail for a massive spring clean-up.
Nearly 20 volunteers made up of conventional and handyDart drivers, office staff, union executive, management and family members took part on Sunday, April 25, collecting any and all garbage from around the trail.
This event was organized by the Amalgamated Transit Union 1722 (ATU) social committee, which is a dynamic duo of Transit Operator Sheri Graham and Operator/Trainer Steve Sankey. They sent out a request for volunteers, with a promise of food and prizes for people that showed up and took part.
“This rail trail runs right in front of our property, so I thought let’s get out as a group and clean it up,” said Steve Sankey. “It’s a well-used trail by people in our community, and it was great to see so many of our people out, with some bringing their families to take part.”
This was a joint effort of First Canada and the ATU. Volunteers were provided tongs and the appropriate PPE to ensure their safety was maintained, and the garbage was hauled away by the City of Kelowna for disposal. The team collected about a thousand pounds of garbage from the area including three shopping carts, a walker, metals, bike parts and batteries.
“With the number of volunteers we had, we were able to clean about 2 kilometres of trail and the surrounding areas,” said Sankey. “There were a few areas where it runs along a creek that we weren’t quite ready to dip our toes into. Maybe that can be a future project in warmer weather.”
This cleanup isn’t the only event put together by Sheri and Steve. They’ve been extremely busy, despite some of the challenges created by the pandemic. As members of the ATU, drivers pay into the social committee as part of their dues, which has recently resulted in some pretty heart-warming and supportive gestures.
“We usually use the funds to do fun group things like a golf tournament in the summer, and we always have a Christmas party, but we couldn’t do that with Covid. So in December we decided to donate $5000 between local food banks and other charities in our service area. That went over really well, so we’ve kept looking for things to do to keep our drivers engaged.
Whether it’s their monthly trivia contests, or 50/50 draws that donate half the money to charities, the First Canada social committee in Kelowna keeps the rest of the team on their toes, which is something that isn’t lost on management.
“I’ve been so pleased with the great work that our social committee has been doing,” said Colin Whyte, General Manager of First Canada in Kelowna. “When the pandemic started, they stepped up to organize Covid safe events and activities to help everyone deal with the strain. Not only are their efforts making a difference to our team’s morale, but they’re now helping improve our community. We’re very proud of them!”
