Calgary bottle picker gets fresh start with help of former homeless man

For nearly a decade, thewoods that pepper alittle park in northwest Calgary wereBruce Jasson's shelter.

"Pine trees are very good to go underneath because if it does rain lightly, you won't get wet."

Jasson came to Calgaryto escape a broken marriage in Winnipeg. But alcohol addiction followed him across the Prairies and the steady job he had hoped fornever materialized.

He pickedbottles to survive and treated thegreen space next to the historic Hextall pedestrian bridge like home.

"I used to sweep up, clean up everybody's cigarette butts here, 'cause Icoudn't stand looking at them, even though I'm a smoker too, but, you know, they're all over the place... I swept this, I swept the bike path."

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And while living rough wasnever easy, Jasson says the community of Bowness made it mucheasier.

"I've had ladies come up, give me food."

People would also leave him bags of chips and chocolate bars near his favouritepark bench, the one he often slept on.

But the greatest act of kindness happened the day Jasson meet Collin Spires in front of a 7-Eleven.

"I asked Bruce if he wanted a couple smokes and he said, 'Yes'.And I said, 'I've got a steeped tea in the vehicle'," said Spires.

Jasson graciously accepted the hot beverage and immediately returned the favour.

"He reached into his wallet and he grabbed me two free coffee vouchers from McDonalds and said, 'I want you to have these,'" said Spires.

The friendship grew from there, with barbecues at Hexall Park.

While the steaks grilled, the conversation got going. And the pair realized they had a lot incommon.

"I was homeless... for two and a half years," said Spires. "I was eating half a Big Mac out of thegarbage at 13 years old."

Spires bounced back from his own experience with homelessness and now runs his own business,called GetMy3Quotes, which connectsclients with trusted contractors.

Shortlyaftermeeting Jasson,hebrought him on the payroll.

"I just saw in Bruce... aheart of gold and...way too smart to be doing what he was doing."

Spires initially had Jasson handingout flyers and eventually, scored him a job in the trades. Then he got him off the streets.

"Nice to come home. Especially the bed part," said Jasson.

His new two-bedroom basement suite isjust down the block from Spire's home.

Spires actually letJassoncrash with him fortwo weeks in September. The arrangement was made so that Jasson had a fixed address. Without one, he wouldn't have been able to rent a place.

"What Collin did, he blew the government away for getting me a place so fast. And he's a hell of a super-nice guy."

With files from Lisa Robinson and the Calgary Eyeopener