Summer jobs, Student jobs

Job Title: Garden Assistant
Type: age 30 & under / summer
Organization: Fred Victor Centre
Location: 40 Oak Street, Regent Park, Toronto, ON, M5A 2C6

• Internal/External Posting
• Position Type: Non-Bargaining Unit, 12 Week Contract - Canada Summer Jobs
• Number of Positions: 2
• Reason for Posting: New Position
• Rate: $17.60 per hour
• Vacation: 7% Vacation Pay
• Hours: 30 hours per week | 4 days a week (Fridays required)
• Supervisor: Garden and Food Sustainability Coordinator, Associate Director of Food Services
• Posting Date: April 22, 2026
• Application Deadline: May 1, 2026

Why Fred Victor?

For 130 years, Fred Victor has been a leader in helping people rebuild their lives in Toronto. Our mission is to improve the health, income and housing stability of people experiencing poverty and homelessness. We are committed to ending homelessness, one person at a time.

The Community Services (CS) department at Fred Victor is a multi-service, multi-site structure that encompasses the 40 Oak Community HUB and community programs, Consumption and Treatment Services, Employment and Training Services, Drop-Ins, Warming and Keep Cool Programs and Food Services. Additionally, it operates a social purpose enterprise with catering services and spearheads a significant Peer Training Initiative that prioritizes the involvement of individuals with lived experience.

The Community Gardens program brings together diverse gardeners from Regent Park in allotment and communal style gardens to grow and harvest crops for the community and other Fred Victor food services. This program is focused on supporting Regent Park gardeners across nearly 250 allotment gardens throughout the neighbourhood as well as communal gardens supporting local community organizations.

Does this sound like work you want to be a part of?

We offer a collaborative environment, an opportunity to join a diverse team of caring professionals and a chance to make a difference. With over 75 programs and 25 sites, there are lots of opportunities to grow your career with us. Many members of the management team started in relief and front-line roles.

What You Will Do:

Garden Programs and Maintenance

• Assist in facilitating programming and workshops for the Urban Grower Volunteer Training Program and Maple Leaf Food Security Program, as well as supporting a market booth at Taste of Regent Park in July and August.
• Assist in garden maintenance across all Fred Victor garden locations with Urban Grower Volunteers, corporate and community groups in a variety of garden tasks (ex. Watering, plant maintenance, pest control, harvesting, processing, turning compost etc.), specifically at Fred Victor’s 40 Oak location, Big Park (Regent Park) and local allotment plots.
• Support integration of garden produce into Fred Victor’s community meals at 40 Oak Street and 145 Queen Street, including produce delivery.
• Support the integration of FV’s kitchen waste into the gardens’ compost systems.
• Support garden maintenance records, data collection and program evaluation using online tracking tools.
• Lead garden and greenhouse tours for participants, volunteers and community groups as well as training for the usage of the Regent Park Community Bake Oven.
• Support with garden and bake oven booking communications, responding to needs and ensuring community guidelines are being followed.
• Assist in planning and facilitating community events (i.e. Harvest Festival & Seed Swap etc.)
• Support garden tool and seed inventory organization and tracking.
• Support collaboration across Fred Victor’s food services teams and wider urban agriculture projects in the Downtown Dundas East area.
• Meet with the program coordinator on a regular basis.
• Other duties assigned.

What You Bring to the Team:

• Must be between 15-30 years old.
• Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Experience in organic food gardening, urban and/or regenerative agriculture (personal or paid capacity) an asset.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work in a dynamic team, as well as working closely with community members, participants and volunteers.
• Experience working with people who come from diverse racial, gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
• Experience working with people who have varying degrees of mental health, social isolation and substance use
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends.
• Ability to work outdoors in various weather conditions (e.g. heat, light rain, cold, etc.)
• Ability to lift 25-50lbs.

What Sets You Apart:

• Knowledge of food systems and food justice, particularly in the context of poverty and marginalization.
• Experience and familiarity with Regent Park neighbourhood is an asset.
• Ability to speak a language relevant to the Regent Park neighbourhood is an asset (Mandarin, Vietnamese, Tamil, Bengali, Somali or other).
• Experience with community/social services sector through work or volunteer experience is an asset.
• Knowledge of anti-racism/anti-oppression approach is an asset.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task effectively.

Working Conditions:

This position is funded through the Canada Summer Jobs Program. Applicants must be aged between 15 and 30 and be legally entitled to work in Canada. This is a non-bargaining unit position. This position will work out of 40 Oak Street in Regent Park. Applicants must be available to work some evenings as needed (ex. Supporting FV events).

This role is 30 hours a week, 4 days a week, and requires flexibility as needed. Friday availability is required, as well as Wednesday evenings during the months of July and August for Taste of Regent Park.

Compensation and Benefits:

• For the Garden Assistant position, Fred Victor offers an hourly rate of $17.60.
• 7% vacation pay.
• Access to employee and family assistance plan.

How You Can Apply:

Send your resume and a cover letter describing why you want to be part of the Fred Victor Garden Team by May 1, 2026 at to CommunityServicesHiring@fredvictor.org with “Garden Assistant Application 2026 – Your First and Last Name” in the subject line.

Please mention you saw this at rcen.ca or goodwork.ca.

A Police Record Check is required by the final candidate prior to hiring.

Accessibility & Accommodation

Fred Victor is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment where employees feel valued and respected, and where every employee has the opportunity to realize their potential. As such, we welcome and encourage applicants who identify as racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons across the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identities and have lived-experience. If you are a person with a disability and require accommodation and/or assistance during the application process, please contact us in advance. We strive to provide reasonable accommodations whenever requested. Information received relating to accommodation requests will be treated with confidentiality.