2025-37Skilled Labourer - Encampments (1 vacancy)
Reporting to: Supervisor of Parks & Forestry
Department: Parks
Classification: PERMANENT Full Time; Unionized
Salary Range: $31.80/hour as per Schedule “A”
Hours of Work: As per CA.
Starting Date: June 2025
Application Deadline: No later than 4:00 p.m. May 23, 2025
Why City of Woodstock?
Known as the Friendly-City, Woodstock is located in the heart of Oxford County and blends big city conveniences with a small-town feel. With a growing population of over 45,000 welcoming citizens, Woodstock residents place high value on our small-town atmosphere, while enjoying urban amenities. The city is a great place to call home with amazing parks and trails, fantastic amenities as well as wonderful arts and cultural facilities. At the crossroads of highways 401 and 403, Woodstock has a thriving manufacturing sector and opportunities in agriculture, education and healthcare and convenient access to communities across Southwestern Ontario. Visitors can enjoy the city's many festivals and delight in the many local shops and restaurants in Downtown Woodstock.
When you work for the City, you get to be part of an incredible team of dedicated people with a range of skills and experiences to share. Our team works together to help build a strong, connected community where people have access to the services they need, while enjoying a relaxed lifestyle. Other great benefits to working at the City of Woodstock:

• Join a growing and dynamic organization offering rewarding careers,
• Competitive Wages,
• Option to join a Defined Benefit Pension Plan (OMERS) where employee contributions are matched by the City,
• Training opportunities to support you in this role,
• And a great working environment for individuals committed to making a difference, just to name a few.

Position Summary:
Assists with general maintenance of all parklands, facilities and assets including responding to incidents of vandalism and illegal dumping. As part of a dedicated team this position works in conjunction with related city, county, and community agencies to safely clean-up active and abandoned encampments, remove debris, harm reduction supplies, and hazards. Complete regular risk management inspections related to encampments, city property, and assets. Respond to public inquiries and other related duties as assigned.
Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Works with Assistant Supervisor of Park Maintenance &Turf to attend, tack, document, and clean-up active and abandoned encampments as well and participate in a wide variety of parks operations including but not limited to the following:
2. Assists with:

Encampment Response:

• Work with bylaw officers, police, outreach teams, and county representatives to perform encampment clean-up efforts.
  • Regularly inspect and document the condition and location of encampments, tracking tents/structures and reporting changes, hazards, and unauthorized activity, to appropriate authorities and online shared databases.
  • Collect and safely dispose of waste at active sites, including hazardous materials, in compliance with health and safety, and all applicable regulations.
  • Identify and safely remove hazardous objects such as sharps or broken glass to maintain safety.
  • Assist in dismantling encampments and restoring the site by removing structures, waste, and belongings.

General Park Maintenance:

• • Performs cleaning and regular maintenance of park public washrooms and facilities.
  • Performs regular inspections of park facilities and assets, keeps detailed notes, completes inspection reports, and reports all deficiencies or concerns to Supervisor.
  • Performs general maintenance and minor repairs of park facilities, buildings and assets.
  • Moves supplies, picnic tables and equipment as directed.
  • Collects and disposes of garbage and litter as directed.
  • Supports special events, and assist with seasonal tasks such as snow clearing.
  • Mowing turf with tractors, wide area mowers, reel mowers, and string trimmers.
  • Repair turf damage, including reseeding and restoring the ground to its original condition.

1. Assists with all aspects of parks maintenance; turf, sport fields, courts, horticulture, forestry operations, tree and trail maintenance.
2. Assists with construction and implementation of park projects.
3. Assists with vandalism investigations & incident reports.
4. Assists with Parks by-law and property standards related issues.
5. Performs minor equipment maintenance and repairs in accordance with the parks department's preventative maintenance program, policies and procedures. Assists in coordinating with city mechanics for equipment repairs as directed by Supervisor.
6. Assists in contacting trades people for repairs following the contractor management guidelines.
7. Operates machinery such as, but not exclusively: trucks, CVOR vehicles, commercial mowers, tractors, chainsaws, stump grinder, woodchipper, small equipment.
8. Operate assigned equipment in accordance with City of Woodstock policies and procedures, Park's Department Policies and Procedures as well as the Occupational Health and Safety Act, including all applicable regulations.
9. Responsible for purchasing supplies regarding park activities.
10. Assists with training temporary seasonal and summer student staff.
11. Responsible and accountable for providing general information to the public and assisting them with their concerns and complaints when possible.
12. Performs duties and reports if other employees and volunteers work in accordance with the City of Woodstock's Policies and Procedures, Park's Department Policies and Procedures as well as the Occupational Health and Safety Act, including all applicable regulations.
13. Performs other related duties as directed by the Supervisor of Parks and Forestry or designate.

Qualifications:Essential

• Grade 12 education or equivalent and/or relevant experience will be considered as determined by the corporation.
• Valid ‘DZ” Drivers License with a clean driver's abstract.
• Organizational, computer, and record keeping skills. Working knowledge of Occupational Health and Safety and SDS protocols,
• Ability to work in various conditions, be physically fit, and manage multiple tasks. Must be able to problem solve and think independently.
• Must be able to deescalate tense situations and work effectively with vulnerable populations, offering support and resources when needed.
• Customer service and communication skills, both written and verbal.

Preferred

• Experience operating and maintaining a wide variety of equipment such as CVOR vehicles, commercial mowers, tractors, and small equipment
• Experience working with encampment management or in social services.
• Working knowledge of municipal by-laws related to parks and public spaces and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• MTO Book 7 for Temporary Conditions,
• Playground Practitioners certification.
• Naloxone, Standard First Aid and CPR training.
• Fall arrest and working at heights training.
• Transportation of dangerous goods training.

Working Conditions:

• Work in adverse conditions, perform heavy lifting. Subject to shift work, rotation, and on-call duties, as per the Collective Agreement.
• Manage high-pressure situations compassionately, especially with vulnerable populations.

The City of Woodstock is committed to diversity and inclusivity in employment and welcomes applications from qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds. We embrace equity, diversity, justice, inclusion and belonging and we're committed to building a team that represents many backgrounds, perspectives and skills, representative of the communities we serve. The more inclusive we are, the better our work and workplace will be. We are committed to creating a workplace where people experience meaningful work, a sense of hope and optimism, an environment of trust, and inspired results. If this sounds like an environment in which you would like to work, apply here today! We strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals, especially those who can provide different perspectives and contribute to a further diversification of ideas.
Please note: Immediate family member, as per City of Woodstock Nepotism Policy, HR-015, shall not be employed in the City of Woodstock in any capacity under the following circumstances, but not limited to wherein the family member is in a supervisory or management capacity or responsible for the work of the individual or the department. A conflict of interest must be declared to the Director of Human Resources as outlined in the City of Woodstock Nepotism Policy, HR-015 as soon as it has been identified.
In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code, the City of Woodstock will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process to applicants with disabilities. If selected to participate in the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, please inform the City's Human Resources staff of the nature of any accommodation(s) that you may require in respect of any materials or processes used to ensure your equal participation by contacting [email protected]. In accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information & Protection of Personal Privacy Act, personal information collected will only be used for candidate selection. Human Resources will work together with the hiring committee to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation for the selection process which will enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.
Satisfactory passing of a criminal record or vulnerable sector check, employment and proof of qualifications, will be required of any successful candidate(s) for this position
We invite all qualified applicants to submit their resume and cover letter via online at http://careers.cityofwoodstock.ca.
We thank all candidates who apply but advise that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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