Student, Maintenance Worker (Sunnyside Home)

Duties/Responsibilities

• Maintains grounds and gardens surrounding Sunnyside Home, including landscape maintenance, operating grounds equipment, tending to resident flower boxes, and assisting in display setup and other duties in the Home to aid in resident enjoyment.
• Digs up and turns over garden plots. Tends and waters plants and flowers.
• Prepares beds, adds soil nutrients, lightens soil, trims vegetation, and transplants perennials. Seeds and waters lawns.
• Uses riding or hand mower, trimmer, and hand tools to mow, weed, trim, and rake lawns.
• Rakes and disposes of leaves, and trims and prunes hedges and shrubs.
• Assists other maintenance staff with minor building maintenance such as changing light bulbs, painting, plumbing maintenance, and setting up tents and sun shelters for special events.
• Uses patience and empathy when interacting with residents. Responds to general inquiries or redirects residents to appropriate staff.
• Works outside approximately 70% of the time. Range of movement, including bending and stooping are required. Walks and sits for prolonged periods when using the riding mower.
• Frequently lifts bags of salt, moves outdoor furniture, carries trimmer, and lifts and carries other equipment weighing 9-22 kg/20-50 lbs, and up to 36 kg/ 80 lbs with assistance.
• Takes precautions to mitigate risks associated with working with/around noise and vibration from the lawn mower, weather, dust, dirt, and odours.
• Some residents have responsive behaviours.
• Receives direction and guidance from the supervisor and other staff.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge and experience in landscaping, gardening, and horticulture.
• Knowledge of and ability to comply with policies, procedures, and legislation.
• Communication and human relations skills to interact appropriately with the geriatric population with a basic understanding of their needs, and participate as an effective team member.
• Skill operating lawn mowers, tractors, powered hedge trimmers, and other landscaping equipment.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to read written directions in manuals, policies, procedures, and safety data sheets.
• A tuberculosis (TB) test is required.
• Must provide an acceptable vulnerable sector police check.
• Must have a valid G driver's license (or G2 with 3 years of driving experience) and acceptable driving record to operate corporate vehicles.
• Ability to support and demonstrate the Region’s values.

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

To be considered for employment as a student, a person must be: registered as a full-time secondary or post-secondary student in an accredited institution, or currently recognized as having full-time status by the academic institution but applying for a school vacation, practicum or work term, or returning to full-time studies in the next academic term. Students who are in their final year of academic study and who are not intending to return to full-time studies are eligible for student employment up until the time they convocate.  Students participating in education and retraining programs at the post- secondary level, though not full-time students, are eligible for related student employment opportunities, where appropriate.