By providing job opportunities and affordable housing for newcomers, Jeff Van Gyssel is always looking out for his neighbours After Jeff Van Gyssel said he encountered God, he turned a new leaf from drugs and alcohol 10 years ago and decided to spend the rest of his...
Just Working Construction Inc., a small general contractor in Waterloo, garnered top honours in Ontario for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) Elizabeth Witmer Health and Safety Leadership Award for 2022. It was recognized in part by the WSIB for its...
In the basement of the Waterloo house, four men are working. They’re pouring a concrete floor and installing drywall. Light from large, new windows fills the space. But this is no ordinary renovation. Two of the workers are newcomers to Canada. And the house where...
Bahar ALDeen Bakhash could only stare at the ruins of his home in Syria, the bombed-out walls, the collapsed roof and the artistic plaster work he had done by hand, all reduced to rubble. Through an Arabic interpreter, the Syrian refugee now living in Kitchener said...
As Syrian refugees begin to arrive in Waterloo Region, a local renovation company is doing its part to help newcomers find employment in Canada. Based in New Hamburg, Ont., Just Working Construction was founded last April with an aim to provide employment and on-site...
For many refugees and newcomers to Canada, finding work has proven a challenge. To help meet that need, Jeff Van Gyssel, a carpenter from New Hamburg, Ont., walked away from a good job at a successful construction company to begin Just Working Construction in April...
