Newton has been a cleaner place thanks to the work of Kenneth Green, who recently retired from his daily job of picking up trash in the town centre.
A familiar face in the neighbourhood, he's been a valued member of the BIA's Team Tidy over the past decade.
Green says he's happy to have made a difference with his trusty picker and cart, but at age 65 he's ready to go for walks without the task of collecting trash.
"I pick up litter and also retrieve abandoned shopping carts, lots of those," he noted. "I guess we all have to retire. I'm going to rest and relax and do what I want to do. I like to walk, so I'll do that."
Having done the job five hours a day, five days a week, "I've probably twisted my time clock back maybe a few years, turned back time," he added.
Back in 2015, when Green was among Team Tidy employees hired through Avia Employment Services, Newton Business Improvement Association earned an Innovative Labour Solutions Award from Community Living BC for being an inclusive employer.
On May 30, BIA executive director Philip Aguirre gave Green his final paycheque and a firm handshake for a job well done as an employee of one of the organization's very first initiatives.
"Kenneth has been super dedicated," Aguirre raved. "I think he's missed one day in all those 10 years. We chit-chat about hockey, we talk about his life and he's just been passionate about coming in every day and making a difference. We want to recognize him today to let people know who Kenneth is and how hard he's worked here and his positive impact on the community."
Aguirre estimates that Green has helped pick up 73,000 pounds of trash, collected close to 2,000 shopping carts and walked 50,000 kilometres on the job.
Smiling, Green couldn't believe those stats.
"People have been saying that if it wasn't for me, there would be litter everywhere in Newton, but I don't know about that," he said with a shrug. "I clean it up, and I've met some very nice people. Some people take money out of their pocket to give me, but I don't want their money."
With Green's retirement, the BIA is planning to transition its Tidy program to Mission Possible, a Vancouver-based social enterprise known for empowering individuals facing barriers to employment. They create pathways for individuals to re-enter the workforce with purpose and pride, Aguirre says.
"The BIA has been shifting its strategic focus to have larger impact on our community by leveraging other resources, and partnering with Mission Possible allows us to tap into a much larger organization that will have a bigger impact in our community," he explained.
"Instead of one individual, there will be a team that comes out multiple times a week, and that team will do blitzes instead of a daily five-hour block of time. There's no start date yet but we're looking forward to working on a partnership that will have a long-term change for the Newton community."
