'Things are very hard here': Popular Toronto crossing guard asks community for help finding work

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Each weekday, James Makusa can be seen helping kids and parents on their way to and from school. In his reflective yellow vest, and with a broad smile on his face, Makusa greets many of the kids by name, and can be heard telling their parents to have a great day, as he crosses back and forth over Garden Avenue and Sunnyside Avenue.

But now, the popular crossing guard is hoping someone will be able to help him.

“I’m here for green pastures you know,” Makusa told CTV News Toronto. “I’m here to look for new opportunities.”

Makusa moved to Canada from Zambia, where he worked as a bus driver, about a year-and-a-half ago. He said that he spent his first months here living in a shelter. There, with the help of an aid organization, he found part-time work as a crossing guard.

It’s a job he obviously enjoys, as he chats with community members as they pass. But it’s also a job that makes living in the city next to impossible due to the relatively low pay, he says.

“Things are very hard here” Makusa said. “Things are expensive in Toronto.”