Saying Goodbye to Saskatoon Curbside Recycling Thank You

Volume 31 Issue 9
www.cosmoindustries.com
September 2011
Saying Goodbye to Saskatoon Curbside Recycling
As you may have heard in the news,
Saskatoon Curbside Recycling has been
purchased and will be terminating their
operations as a separate entity. When
SCR began residential pickup of recyclable materials, they entered into an exclusive agreement with Cosmo. They
agreed to bring all paper fibre to Cosmo
for processing, while we agreed not to
process paper for any other company
which may compete with them in offering residential pickup. This agreement
worked well for both sides. It provided
SCR with the ability to assure their potential customers that adults with intellectual disabilities at Cosmo would still
benefit from the paper even though it
wasn’t going through the depot system. This was a strong selling point for
their entry into the market. For Cosmo it
provided some paper from homes which
may not have been using the present system and provided another off-location
vocational activity for our participants at
the SCR sort line.
There has been an upheaval as City
Council proposes changes to our present
system. Cosmo attempted to help SCR
this past spring by funding a direct mail
campaign to selected neighbourhoods. However the reality is, when
municipalities introduce a mandatory tax
for providing curbside collection, the
discretionary curbside services like the
one provided by SCR become redundant
and not economically viable. Since residents must pay for the city program
through a mandatory tax, they make the
rational decision not to pay again for
another company to provide that service. In addition, being a collector for
the whole city the new program would
require a huge capital investment.
As a small company without outside
sources of revenue, SCR came to Cosmo
for help so that the owners of SCR could
realize some value from their investment. Cosmo took two significant actions, we forgave money that SCR owed
and we released SCR from their exclusive contract with us. As long as the
contract was in force any company which
bought SCR would be obligated to bring
all paper fibre to Cosmo. A company
with its own processing operation likely
would not be interested in purchasing
SCR under this condition. Cosmo was
aware that releasing SCR from their contract might result in SCR’s purchase by
Loraas which is a competitor of ours for
paper. It was done anyway as it was the
right way to treat our long term partners
at Saskatoon Curbside Recycling. Cosmo did not receive buyout for
releasing SCR from the contract to facilitate its sale.
The change in the recycling landscape
has brought a big challenge to us. There
are many commercial operations, city
Cosmo staff and participants were inou Several
Y
k
vited to attend the Stock Car Races at Auto
n
a
h
Clearing Speedway on August 26th. We had
T
n
o
of the best spots in the house as we got to
Gal ce one
sit at the Galon chalet. We had so much fun
and betting for bragging rights! Evean cheering
r
u
s
ryone bet on car #70 (sponsored by Galon
In
Insurance). There was one crash while we
were there, but we missed it because we were
taking a group picture! We had a great time
and wish to thank Galon for their hospitality.
organizations, condos and apartment
blocks where paper that once was destined for Cosmo will no longer come
here unless they take action. We will
attempt to contact these locations to let
them know that we have arranged with
Waste Management (WM) to be our collector of recyclable material for any
multi-unit and commercial buildings and
that they can still send their paper to us
through WM. If a commercial operator
used to have SCR collect their material to
bring to Cosmo, they can contact us or
Waste Management to change collectors.
If someone in a single dwelling home
wishes to get paper to Cosmo, dropping
it off a the nearest depot is the best way
to do that. In October, the revised Request for Proposals (RFP) will be presented to City Council. We are hopeful
that the new RFP will provide an opportunity for adults with intellectual disabilities at Cosmo to continue to play a central role in processing recyclables for the
citizens of Saskatoon.
-Ken Gryschuk
Manager of Business Development and
Community Relations
“Thank you so much for
coming to celebrate our 40th
anniversary with us earlier
this month. The participants
had a great party and your
presence just made it that
much better.”
-Peter Gerrard
Executive Director
See
Miracle on 34th Street Festival
article on page 2
Page 2
A celebration
The Cosmo Communicator
40
years in
the making!
Sept 9th, 2011 will go down in the Cosmo record book
not only for its unusually hot temperature (33 degrees Celsius) but as the day we had the most fun we’ve ever had.
The 40th Anniversary committee planned for a year to present this day jam packed full of entertainment, dignitaries,
food and fun that we called the Miracle on 34th Street.
Cashback opened the day with some old time Johnny
Cash favourites. Bridgett and Todd are seen at the bottom
left, dancing up a storm. We interrupted the dancing for a
ceremonial balloon launch by the participants with start
dates in 1971 (see picture to the top left) 16 of the 17 participants were on hand to release 40 blue and white balloons. Lieutenant Governor Gordon Barnhart said some
congratulatory words and also released a balloon. He
handed out many pins and toured Cosmo. For those who
didn’t like the heat, activities were going on in the gym.
The Cosmo Choir performed inside as did the Young at
Heart singers. Derek Duquette presented the money he
raised from Lemonade Day to Howard Stenstrud. We had
local celebrities and participants complete in the Cosmo
Minute to Win it Challenge. Our celebrities were John
Gormley ,Warren Dean, Kevin Jesus, Michelle Nelson,
Cristy Beggs, Gary Nickel, Constable Erica Weber, Constable Kevin Schwartz, Master Corporal Ian Scobie and
Pictured above “Cosmo Originals” (from left to right)
Batman.
Aloha Emiry, John Helm, Richard Neufeld and Jack Bartel
Then much to everyone’s delight, the barricade at the end
release balloons to open the celebration marking Cosmo’s
of the street opened and in pulled a white limo. We could40th Anniversary. Lieutenant Governor Gordon Barnhart
said a few words and released a balloon to honour the
n’t believe it when Elvis himself stepped out! We loved
dedication and commitment of Cosmo founders.
Elvis’ performance as he even came down from the stage
to mingle with us. A few participants got to take a ride in
Elvis’ limo with him. After Elvis we were entertained by a
boxing demonstration in the McNeil building courtesy Nelson boxing. We enjoyed so much food throughout the day
including hotdogs, popcorn, juice, and a turkey dinner for
supper. Celtic band Back of the Bus played all evening.
There was a fire truck, super heros, circus performers, a
photo booth, a ceremonial cake cutting, a special gift of a
wheelchair van from Potash Corp, 40 X 40 tent, 200 chairs,
plenty of guests and so much fun. We would like to extend
a thank you to the nearly 30 volunteers who came out to
help on our big day and thank you to all the family and
friends who came to celebrate with us. We also couldn't
have done it with out all of our sponsors. Thank you and
we will see you at the 50th Anniversary celebration!
Page 23
The Cosmo Communicator
Darlene Bodnar
(July 10, 1952August 13, 2011)
Bruce Elliot
February 10th, 1962–
July 28th, 2011
S
kipping
tones
By Brian Stones, Contracts Area Participant
Darlene was born on July 10th,
1952 and grew up on the farm
near Alvena with her family. Darlene lived with her mother until
1987 when she moved into Elmwood Lodge. Darlene worked at
the Saskatchewan Abilities Council until March of 1990, when she
came to Cosmo. Darlene worked
in the contracts area for many
years, then Pathways, where she
worked hard at ripping books and
drawing pictures.
Darlene enjoyed special event
days, outings, especially if they
were to a restaurant, and pay day
Fridays when she would always
buy a diet coke and cheezies. Darlene was very caring, she always
wanted to know about staffs’
families, what they did on the
weekend, if they were feeling ok.
Darlene had an amazing memory.
She knew the names of staffs’
spouses and children and never
forgot. Darlene also had a love for
animals and the farm. Darlene will
be deeply missed by all her
friends here at Cosmo.
Bruce was born on February 10th,
1962 and passed away at his home
Elmwood Lodge on July 28th, 2011.
Bruce was born in Borden, SK to Mary
and Roy Elliot. Bruce was the youngest
of four siblings. He attended John Dolan School when he was six years old.
Then in 1970 he attended Greystone
School, then Walter Murray Collegiate
in 1976. Bruce started at Cosmo in
1981. He worked in various departments including In-house cleaning,
Pathways and Seniors. Most recently
he attended the Cosmo at Elmwood
program.
Bruce spent his days having coffee
and lots of visits with his friend Faye
Jones. Bruce enjoyed outings to restaurants to have a burger and root beer.
Bruce was a huge fan of Elvis Presley
and had a huge C.D. collection. Bruce
will be missed by all who knew him.
New Participants
Josh Riou
Yanh Tran
Kristina Tilsley
Amanda Rushkewich
Welcome to Cosmo!
Well my fans what's up? I know, I
know, don't worry! It’s just me O.k.
now let's get down to business. Just
a minute, awh, there we go now.
What I want to talk about is the end
of summer and school starting for all
the kids and for those who have
home schooling. It's that time again
and as for me, I am finished school
and I am glad that's over with. I
think Justin Bieber is glad to be back
at school. The time I had in school
was excellent but then again, I think,
like, what would it be like without me
at Cosmo? It wouldn't be good! I tell
ya. Well O.k. I know I shouldn't get
carried away But, ya know I like too
have fun. Well I must sign off. I
really enjoy doing the articles. I have
to say that I am hope all of you enjoy reading them as I enjoy writing
them. I will see you next month.
New Staff
Grace Grobb– full time LSTD
Lynn Dawson– full time LSTD
Tobey Jaman– Part time receptionist
Ehsan Chaudhary– term Confidential
Shredding Consultant
Luda Matyushenko– casual
Jovita Enriquez– casual
Ricky Beninsig– fulltime ONP
Chris Kinzel- full time WRD
Dylan Sorowka– casual ONP
Sabrina Stalker– casual ONP
Staff Changes
Joan Oullette– term WRD
Jamie Parson– maternity leave
Priyanka Yadav– casual
Pam Sedelnick– full time Pathways to
Opportunity
Tee Jay Crockett– parental leave
Cosmo Says Goodbye
Melissa Gray– Community Enriched
Support
Edwin Cardeno– ONP
Jani Good– LSTD
Laila Unigo– LSTD
Page 24
The Cosmo Communicator
Leslie Pasloski’s Day
“Every year the McGuire Awards are presented to individuals with
disabilities who have shown the dedication and hard work necessary to
make improvements they want in their lives.”
Nominations are collected from around the province for 4 awards
each with their own nomination criteria. The awards are Life Skills
Enhancement, Community Involvement, Transition to Employment
and Move to Independent Living.
On June 10th the awards were presented during a ceremony in Regina. Leslie Pasloski attended the ceremony with the support of her
Intervenor, friends and agency-board representation to receive the Life
Skills Enhancement award. This award is based on an individual’s
ability to overcome some personal challenges by enhancing skills that
assist the individual to participate more fully in their life.
Leslie carried herself at the event with poise and calmness proving
that she was the right choice for this award. Leslie spent the day getting her hair and make-up professionally done and accessorizing her
outfit. Leslie stepped onto the stage radiating the beauty of her personal growth. Way to go Leslie!!
Ellyne Schan
Canadian DeafBlind Association
Tucker Home Intervenor
Farm in the Dell’s grand opening
Several staff and participants from
Cosmo were on hand at the official
grand opening of Farm in the Dell
held in September. Farm in the Dell
is located 6km North East of Aberdeen, SK on 80 acres of land. Their
vision is to provide residential and
vocational opportunities for adults
with developmental disabilities in a
rural farm-like setting. On the residential side Farm in the Dell provides
a family friendly home for ten individuals (men and women) with developmental disabilities. They provide the education and support necessary to enable individuals to become
independent and self-sufficient members of their community. After having a look around Dianne said the
house was really nice and huge and
had a ramp and an elevator. There
was lots of space outside to walk
around and get fresh air. She noted
they have a cat with kittens and a
dog.
On the vocational side there will be
15 spots allotted for individuals for
vocational work. Residents from the
farm will have the opportunity to
work on the farm as well as others
from the community. The farm will
establish a market garden, petting
zoo and many other jobs such as
painting, and assembling and more
jobs will be created as time goes on
and as the business grows. After the
tour Diane said the vocational work
shop has lots of things going on like
making planters and tool boxes out
of wood and painting them.
Participants were happy to see
their former co-worker Lynne, who
has moved to Farm in the Dell.
Jesse is also a former Cosmo participant who has moved to the Dell.
Janet noted that Lynne gave a good
speech about her new home and her
new job at the farm. She also said
they sure made a good barbeque at
Farm in the Dell.
Congratulations to everyone at
Farm in the Dell.
Blue Man Group
On July 12th, 2011, Yvonne Ronning, Brigette Normand, Trevor Martens, Terry Boulding, Dave Parkalub
and I, Judy Grimard, set out to see
the Blue Man Group. At 4:00 pm,
Yvonne, Brigette, Trevor, Terry and
I headed out to the parking lot and
jumped into my van. We were full
of excitement and ready to go. I
turned the key over and nothing but a
churning noise happened. The excitement turned into nervousness, however my husband and Curtis Thibault
came to our rescue and we were off
to Chianti’s for a superb supper of
bread, pasta and dessert. Then we
were off to Credit Union Centre to
experience a unique theatrical performance of music and comedy. We
all shared in oohs, awes and laughter.
Thank you Top of the Rock for giving us an evening filled with fellowship, friendship and laughter.