Goodwill set to return to Toronto as early as 2017

The head of Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes says she’s confident they can restore services lost when the Toronto Goodwill shut down at the start of the year, but it will take time.

Goodwill president and CEO Michelle Quintyn says the expansion will fill the void left when the Toronto Goodwill shuttered its 16 stores and 10 donation centres in the Greater Toronto Area, Barrie, Orillia, and Brockville.

The facilities were closed suddenly in January putting 450 people out of work.

According to Quintyn as many as 500 jobs could be created in the next five years.

She says Goodwill anticipates creating the first jobs in early 2017.

Quintyn also says the non-profit organization is well positioned to take on the challenge without meeting the same fate as the Toronto Goodwill.

“Our Goodwill is a very stable and established Goodwill. We have sufficient resources, we have a strong productive workforce of 600 team members, and quite a track record of growing over the last decade,” Quintyn said Wednesday.

She said Goodwill is doing a very comprehensive strategic plan, market analysis and will be “very diligent” as it enters the markets.

“It’s going to take a least five years to get back to where it was when it was closed,” Quintyn said. “It will take 10 years to create our vision which is a much more expansive Goodwill.”