CMHA Toronto recently hosted a job fair at Routes Community Centre that brought employers and job-seeking clients together to build connections and share information in a relaxed setting. 

Among the employers who took part was A-Way Express, a Toronto-based courier company and social enterprise with a unique history and mission. 

Founded in 1987, A-Way Express emerged from the mental healthcare consumer survivor movement of the 1980s. Melina Dimson, Employment Specialist at A-Way Express, explains that the company was started over 30 years ago by people with lived experience who wanted "to help people with lived experience gain meaningful employment." 

She adds that A-Way Express is one of the few original consumer survivor businesses still in existence. Many of the alternative businesses that were started in that era have been folded into other organizations, but A-Way still operates as an independent enterprise.  

Today, the organization employs approximately 40 people across its courier and office operations while continuing to provide wraparound supports funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health.   

Melina says that CMHA Toronto and A-Way Express have a longstanding partnership that has benefited both organizations. "If we have any job openings, we send them over to the employment specialists on CMHA Toronto's side. We also share resources and keep each other in the loop regarding our programs." 

For A-Way Express, participating in the job fair was a natural fit. The opportunity to connect directly with potential future employees in their target employee group was important to them. 

"We exclusively hire people with lived experience of mental health and substance use challenges, and so it's a great way to have candidates in front of us who we know have that experience without having to go down the awkward path of asking," Melina says. 

While large job fairs can feel rushed and pressure-filled for both employers and job seekers, the smaller scale of the event — the first held by CMHA Toronto’s Employment Support Program — created opportunities for more in-depth conversations.  

"There were only five vendors so you could have a lot of one-on-one time with the candidates that were coming through," says Melina. "There's less pressure to have to give the spiel fast, and, if people have questions, not being able to have that time to answer them."  

A-Way Express used that extra time to give participants a closer look at what working as a courier involves. Duke Godfrey, one of the organization's foot couriers, joined Melina at the job fair and shared his own experiences working for the company, where he says “the staff are very understanding and professional."  

He adds that the job fair was "a good opportunity to showcase what I’ve learned at A-Way, and it felt empowering to represent A-Way Express." Duke was able to answer job fair attendees’ questions from his perspective as an employee and demonstrate the software that is used.   

For many attendees, seeing the tools and support systems firsthand helped address concerns about navigating a courier role in a busy city. Melina explains that the app A-Way Express uses makes it possible to do pick-ups, drop-offs, and communicate with the dispatch while having precise TTC directions in the palm of the courier's hand.  

"Being able to show that in Duke's phone, right there in person, really eased people's anxieties about what they might experience going all across the city alone, perhaps not being able to navigate and not knowing where they’re going," says Melina. "We were able to reassure people that they’d have all the support they need to become a foot courier with us."  

Although A-Way Express does not currently have open positions, the organization still made valuable connections with prospective employees at the event. More than 30 people submitted résumés, and more than 30 signed up for the company's email distribution list — gaining access to tips and services beyond upcoming job opportunities.  

"In addition to being a courier company, we have wraparound services that are funded by the Ministry of Health, so we have a social connections program, we have a food security program, and then the employment program that I run," says Melina.  

One of those supports is the Peer Recovery Employment Program (PREP), a weekly employment group that meets every Friday at Away Express's office at Danforth and Woodbine in the east end of Toronto.  

"It's peer-led and allows people to be part of a job search club," says Melina. "We rotate the topics we discuss, all to do with job search, but it also gives that peer support element." Melina highlights that it’s a valuable resource for people who may find it more convenient to tap into these types of resources in the east end of the city. 

The program recognizes that job searching can be challenging, particularly for people who are in recovery or rebuilding confidence after time away from work.  

"As we know, the job search journey is very difficult to manage on your own, and so this is a way of getting some peer support by people who have lived experience."  

Nearly four decades after it was founded, A-Way Express continues to demonstrate the value of employment programs designed by and for people with lived experience. 

For CMHA Toronto, working in partnership with A-Way Express and similar organizations helps extend a path to employment while connecting community members with additional supports, resources, and opportunities for growth. The recent job fair showed just how valuable those connections can be.