A donation of wood for training

To support greening, one of the Government of Canada’s priorities, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is always looking for ways to do its part to protect the environment.

By donating reusable construction materials, the West Memorial Building rehabilitation team found a way to support greening while helping students in the Gatineau region. A trade school in Gatineau, Quebec, received high‑quality wood panels to help its students learn their craft.

In partnership with EllisDon, the construction company responsible for the rehabilitation of the West Memorial Building, PSPC recovered excess panels and donated them to the Centre de formation professionnelle Relais de la Lièvre-Seigneurie. This donation will allow the school’s woodworking students to develop and perfect the woodworking skills that will help them find jobs in the industry.

“It was the team’s idea,” explains Sandra Hampton, Business, Strategy and Policy Analyst in the Real Property Services Branch at PSPC. “After a successful experience donating to the Ottawa chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the team saw a second opportunity to donate reusable materials.”

The team approached the Centre de formation professionnelle Relais de la Lièvre-Seigneurie, as the delivery date was fast approaching and the team needed to quickly find a taker for the materials. “The team jumped into action to determine what type of organization could benefit from this donation,” Sandra adds. “That’s when they came up with the idea of reaching out to schools or community organizations with woodworking programs.” 

Through this action, the project team is supporting the government’s priorities and practices regarding greening, waste prevention and reuse. The team aims to spread out its donations among different local organizations. If other reusable construction materials in good condition become available, the team plans to assess the feasibility of repeating the experiment and offering these materials to another organization in the region.

Helping students directly

The wood panels with laminated veneer on one side were originally meant to be used to build a mock‑up as part of the rehabilitation project. However, the woodworking students found a whole other use for these panels.

“We used the panels to build templates,” explains instructor and woodworker Thierry Gauthier. “We often need to make models or structures to build something else. These templates often require a lot of materials, but aren’t necessarily part of the final project.”

Though tuition is free, each student must pay for the materials supplied. The donated panels therefore helped the students save money.

As an example, Mr. Gauthier cited the project of a student who is building a freestanding chair. “We used these materials to build a very sturdy structural mould that presses down on part of the chair so that it can keep its shape while drying.”

Roughly 20 students are enrolled in the school’s woodworking program. The most experienced students help out the newer ones, and 2 instructors supervise the students to ensure they acquire the necessary skills. After completing their training, these students may become contractors, join workshops building artisanal furniture or reproducing antique furniture, or work in the kitchen or commercial furniture industries. They may also find employment at one of the many museums in the National Capital Region.

Visit the West Memorial Building: Rehabilitation to learn more about this PSPC project.

Also check out Our stories for more articles on PSPC’s people, projects and services.