Skip to content

Skyline gets into a new line of business

A new initiative from the Campbell River and District Association for Community Living (CRDACL) will provide jobs for local adults with developmental disabilities and an important service for the business community

A new initiative from the Campbell River and District Association for Community Living (CRDACL) will provide jobs for local adults with developmental disabilities and an important service for the business community.

Skyline Productions Confidential Paper Shredding is a brand new venture for the association. Two young men are currently being trained to operate a commercial-grade paper shredder, purchased thanks to a grant from the Vancouver Foundation. CRDACL executive director Greg Hill said all workers in Association programs, including Skyline Productions Confidential Paper Shredding, receive minimum wage, as well as the satisfaction of having a job.

Maureen Brinson, supervisor of the Association’s Supported Employment program, said she was inspired by a similar association in Powell River, which operates a successful shredding business. The CRDACL  was looking at new ways to create work for adults with developmental disabilities, when Brinson was alerted to the fact that the Vancouver Foundation had put out a call for proposals. The association applied  and was approved for funding to purchase the shredder and get the new business off the ground.

“We were looking for ways to create realistic employment, jobs that people with a wide variety of skill levels could do,” Brinson said.

She said paper shredding fit the bill.

“It’s a job with a definite start and finish and we can define a certain amount of shredding to be done in a four hour shift,” she said. “It’s perfect.”

Hill has been with the association for 25 years and during that time, he’s seen the world of work open up for the association’s clients. Today clients work throughout the community in various capacities, making the same wage as anybody else. Hill describes it as “meaningful work for meaningful pay” and said supported employment is a vital component of the Association’s mandate.

The new paper shredder provides business customers with an increased sense of security because the small shred size produced by the Model 16-150 shredder provides complete secure destruction of information. Privacy and confidentiality are key in the paper shredding business, so Skyline Productions Confidential Paper Shredding provides the option of locked storage boxes for customers’ paper. Paper can be picked up on a one-time-only basis, or weekly or monthly pick-up can be arranged. The service is offered to both individuals and businesses. The shredded paper will be recycled.

Brinson said paper shredding is a great option for any individual or business needing to free up space and eliminate the chance of identity theft. The service is perfect for any business storing personal papers, credit card receipts or other private information.

The Association is hoping that as demand for the paper shredding service grows, they will be able to hire more adults with developmental disabilities to operate the paper shredding machine.

“If we get the demand, we can employ more people,” Brinson said.

She added that it’s exciting to be offering another valuable service to the community.

“We’re not looking for a hand-out,” she said. “We’re looking for an opportunity.”

Hill and Brinson agree that over the years Campbell River has welcomed the Association’s business initiatives with open arms.

“There hasn’t been any idea the Association has taken on that the community hasn’t supported,” Brinson said. “We are very lucky we live in this community.”

To find out more about Skyline Productions Confidential Paper Shredding, call 250-286-3217 or email shredding@cradacl.bc.ca.

Skyline Productions Confidential Paper Shredding is a business initiative of the Campbell River and District Association for Community Living with the support of The Vancouver Foundation. The Campbell River and District Association for Community Living is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to advocate for services and/or provide services for people with special needs and their families. The Association’s intent is to enable these people to attain the greatest level of independence they wish and to ensure that their basic human rights are respected.