from the ground up - The Tyee

could train on? For the city, it was a perfect fit. Thecity would get a pilot project to study, the studentswould get hands-on job training, and the homeownerwould get the job done at the same price as it wouldhave cost for demolition.PCR now has two pilot projects with the city; one willbegin in February, and one is in its second week.When I got to visit the site, a stripped-down bungalonear Point Grey, Joneson toured me around pointingout everything of value; a bathtub, stove, aluminumawnings, even door frames, could be cleaned up andresold.Even the very structure of the home itself -- theasphalt roof shingles, concrete, drywall, bricks andwood frame, can be recycled if they are separated, fora lower cost than taking the whole jumbled mess tothe dump.For example, with a recent increase in tipping fees, itwould cost Joneson $250 to take a load (a 30-yard bintruck) of mixed wood and metal to the landfill. To getrid of the same amount of wood alone would cost him$37.Joneson started his business, Pacific Labour and Demolition,in 1994. “I don’t like using the word demolition,because it’s the anti-deconstruction,” he says.“But when I started, if I had of put deconstruction onthere, no one would have known what I was talkingabout.” He figures he’s done about 3,000 homes, andtakes pride in hiring people who have a hard timefinding employment. After the death of his son in1987, Joneson went through a rough patch himselfand ended up on the street addicted to heroin.He sees deconstruction as a chance to salvage materials,and also lives -- and this perspective makes hima good instructor for Pacific Community Resources,which helps at-risk and inexperienced youth find jobs.Joneson is in charge of training all 20 students inPCR’s Work and Learn program. First, they gothrough six weeks of safety training in the classroom.Then, two groups of 10 will participate in a two-weekcomplete deconstruction project, and then they get interviewand resume skills training before graduation.I meet one trainee, Cher Whatley, knocking down drywallin the basement. It’s one of the easiest materialsto deal with, she says. The 19-year-old has worked asa general labourer before, but says this is quite different.“With a construction site, when you’re doing demo,you just basically throw everything away. This ismore eco-friendly.” Whatley says the classroom parthad some benefits, but being on the job is more interesting.She gets paid $8 an hour in this program, andstarting wage in this field is about $15 per hour. Doesshe see a future in this line of work?“I guess it really depends on what people think,”Whatley says. “I think there’s more awareness now,that we should be recycling and doing things different.If we get the word out there a bit more, this couldbe a very good business.”That’s what the city is hoping too.“Any new construction has to have a demolition associatedwith it... there aren’t really any lots,” saysDavid Ramslie, sustainable development programmanager with the city of Vancouver. “We, on average,see anywhere between 500 and 750 homes demolishedin Vancouver a year. If less material is going toour landfill, it extends the life of the landfill. It’s kindof selfish, from an asset management perspective.”It’s also a sign, says Ramslie, that the city is gettingserious about green and local economic development.“When people talk about the creation of green jobs,they always think of the green architect, or the greendesigner. We would also like to have green jobs thatare low threshold, so people that have typically hadbarriers to employment before can access these jobsand get involved in the green economy too.”For its part, the city contributed a $2,000 grant toPacific Community Resources. It also fast-tracked thehomeowner’s building permit application. The conditionof the grant is that Joneson, with the help of anMBA student, is carefully tracing what comes out ofthe house and where it goes.“We want to get a sense of the order of magnitude oftime and what’s involved,” says Ramslie. City staff35