To say Zac Wagman is riding across Canada on a wooden bike truly does not do his mission any justice.
The Manager of Project Learning Canada’s Green Jobs is doing just that, along with his brother Nick, on wooden tour bicycles made by Quebec-based company Picolo Velo.
Wagman says they’re pretty comparable to bikes with a carbon fibre frame, however, it’s more so the 50 to 60 pounds of gear they’re hauling along with them that makes for quite the trek.
The mission is simple.
Wagman is riding from coast to coast to raise awareness of Green Jobs, a program intended to place youth in outdoor-focused jobs over the course of the summer. The program is partnered with the Canadian Government, which provides a 50 per cent wage match with employers who join the program.
As Wagman states, they define a “green job” as an occupation that has 50 per cent or more of their time spent outdoors.
“I’m excited to be biking across Canada and meeting youth working in Green Jobs,” said Wagman. “These are great jobs that can lead to fantastic careers in the forest and conservation sectors.”
He’s hoping the Green Ride will help in educating youth on those particular jobs. The same jobs that Wagman says he had of known about upon graduating from high school.
“To really elevate our profile as a company and get more youth interested in the jobs that are out there in the great outdoors, we’re on this Green Ride for Green Jobs,” Wagman told MyPGNow.
And it’s that mission that has led Wagman to peddle his on his ash-laminated frame bike with his brother far ahead (according to Nick, that is).
The trip began in Victoria, and after a few steep uphill journeys, the Wagman brothers found their way to the Northern Capital to educate, discuss, as well as meet some of the youth employed through the program and their employers.
“When most people bike across the country, they tend to stick to the southern parts of the province,” said Wagman. “The reason why we biked up here to Prince George was that the city is one of the hubs when it comes to green jobs.”
In its second year of operation, one in every ten PLT Green Jobs across the country will have taken place right here in Prince George and the surrounding region.
The next major stop on their trip with bring the brothers to Edmonton.