ORGANIC GARDEN ASSISTANT

Responsible for ensuring the successful preservation and restoration of 1,000+ acres, rare is located in one of the fastest-growing areas of the country. Its lands provide a natural laboratory for scientific study and research, and for rare’s related research-based educational programs. For information, visit us online at www.raresites.org
Supervised by and reporting to the Gill Ratcliffe Gardens and Facilities Coordinator, while working in a team environment with other staff and volunteers, the Organic Garden Assistant is responsible for assisting with managing and maintaining large organic vegetable gardens, a fruit orchard, lawn care, aiding volunteer gardeners and guiding the weekly ECO garden program for children.

ELIGIBILITY
This is a paid position, under the Government of Canada – Canada Summer Jobs Program. Requirements of funding state that the participant must:
• be between 15 and 30 years of age at the beginning of the employment period*;
• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment**; and,
• have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.
*The youth must be 15 years of age at the beginning of the employment period. The youth may be more than 30 years of age at the end of the employment period as long as the youth was 30 at the beginning of the employment period.
**International students are not eligible participants. International students include anyone who is temporarily in Canada for studies and who is not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person who has been granted refugee status in Canada. Youth awaiting a refugee status ruling, as well as those who hold a temporary visitor visa, youth visa or work visa are ineligible. As the objective of the CSJ program is to support youth entering the Canadian labour market, the temporary nature of an international student’s time in Canada does not allow for a long-term connection to the labour market.

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Engaging in physically demanding work in organic gardens that includes planting, pest management, weeding, mulching, watering, harvesting;
• Plant propagation in greenhouse;
• Successfully growing, harvesting and delivering thousands of pounds of organic produce to local food banks;
• Supervising and leading garden volunteers from corporate groups, schools, non-profits, and individual members of the community;
• Providing leadership to Food Bank clients and staff who assist in the large Springbank Food Bank gardens;
• Maintaining lawns and gardens within the community gardens and at various rare facilities;
• Organizing and maintaining tools and equipment;
• Assisting with teaching children from rare’s Every Child Outdoors program about organic gardening, using a hands-on approach that includes plant care, fun facts, harvesting and tasting;
• Promoting rare’s vision at workshops and public events.

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS
• Keen interest in organic gardening, local food security and sustainable agriculture;
• Ability to work in all weather conditions, including rain or intense heat, and tolerant of exposure to biting and crawling insects;
• Be able to bend, twist, crawl, and walk on uneven terrain and be able to lift and carry heavy weights up to 50lbs;
• Ability to use manual tools such as shovels, rakes, hoes, garden forks and powered equipment such as lawnmowers and weed trimmers;
• Demonstrated ability for teamwork and ability to work responsibly while unsupervised;
• Good communication skills;
• Observant, specifically in relation to noticing gardens pests and problems;
• Have reliable transportation to and from the workplace;
• Available Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

In addition to following all COVID-19 safety measures to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, and guests, the rare Charitable Research Reserve requires all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

SALARY: $19.95/hr, 35 hours a week between 8 to 16 weeks, depending on availability of funding.
TENTATIVE START DATE: May 8, 2023 (Negotiable)

HOW TO APPLY
DEADLINE: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Applicants should send their resume, cover letter, and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers for two professional references as an attachment to the following email address: jobs@raresites.org. If possible, please compile your documents into one pdf file. Any application materials provided within the body (text) of your email will not be considered. Cover letters for this position may be addressed to Taryn Jarvis. Please include the name of the position for which you are applying in the email subject line.
No phone calls please. Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. References will not be contacted until you have been short-listed and informed.
As part of our commitment to racial justice, reconciliation and equity building, we welcome individuals from marginalized communities including Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour, LGBTQI2S+ and self-identifying women candidates to apply for this position. We encourage people with disabilities to apply. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
We are dedicated to removing bias from our hiring process. For this reason, we have implemented an anonymous review component in our recruitment process. What does this mean? We will be removing your name, address and e-mail address from your application/resume prior to it being reviewed by the hiring manager, during the first stage of the recruitment process. If you are selected for an interview, this information will become available to the hiring manager only at that time.

How to apply:

Via Company - Applicants should send their resume, cover letter, and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers for two professional references as an attachment to the following email address: jobs@raresites.org . If possible, please compile your documents into one pdf file. Any application materials provided within the body (text) of your email will not be considered. Cover letters for this position may be addressed to Taryn Jarvis. Please include the name of the position for which you are applying in the email subject line. No phone calls please. Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. References will not be contacted until you have been short-listed and informed.