Doug Jordan, the General Manager of the Canadian Tire Store in Bells Corners has been an advocate for hiring inclusively for a long time.  His store has been onboarding co-op students over the years and it is his practice to include those students who self- identify as living with a disability.  It was a natural fit when Joel Daze, an Employment Specialist with Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care Inc. (PPRC), approached Doug about the possibility of hiring a person from the PPRC talent pool.

PPRC is a vocational rehabilitation company that specializes in assisting persons who self-identify as living with a disability to prepare for and find employment.  When Joel spoke with Doug at Canadian Tire, he had a potential candidate in mind.  Elizabeth Smith was presented and hired by Doug; she became a shelf stocker in the warehouse preparing carts to replenish the inventory within the store’s sales isles.  PPRC provided a job coach to assist her with learning the job.  Fast forward one year later, we are seven months into a pandemic and Elizabeth remains employed working five days a week.  She has become a Fast Find Associate within the store and is a highly valued employee.

Elizabeth began her search for employment in the fall of 2017, she was given a list of potential service providers and selected PPRC.  When asked why she chose them, she replied, “I had been searching for work for a long time and everywhere I went all anyone saw was broken.  PPRC didn’t, they saw potential, they didn’t make me feel broken.”  When people saw my resume they turned away, they did not understand my condition, I have anxiety with short-term memory loss but once I learn something, I retain it.

Doug chimed in, “She keeps saying she has memory loss, but I don’t see it, she works hard, is reliable and has become one of the people we can count on even through COVID-19.  She always shows up and while others are finding the situation hard, she is upbeat and keeps everything moving.”

I asked Elizabeth how she adapted through the pandemic, she replied, “It is normal for me, I live with anxiety every day, everyone else is just getting a taste of my world. The way I see it, you can’t stop living, you have to live life. I have to get up and go do my job.” 

“I had been searching for work for a long time and everywhere I went all anyone saw was broken.  PPRC didn’t, they saw potential, they didn’t make me feel broken.

Elizabeth Smith

Doug Jordan echoes this sentiment, “I have worked with many people who may take more time to learn the job, but they usually work out to be great employees. They work harder, better, stronger.  In my experience, this is a universal truth.”

Joel Daze agrees, we have great candidates at PPRC, we have people motivated to work. During this time of uncertainty many businesses are struggling to find people who are available for work.  Think outside the box, call PPRC, let us be your trusted partner in finding suitable workers for your business.

Visit us at www.pprc.ca or call 613-748-3220.  PPRC provides services in the Ottawa Region and across Renfrew County including Pembroke, Renfrew, Barry’s Bay and Arnprior.  We also deliver Supported Employment Services through the Inclusion Alliance in Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, and the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne.