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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 23, 2012 · 8 Good deed goes awry for Oakville employer By John Bkila OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Brian Miller, 27, was supposed to start a new job in Oakville Monday, but instead appeared in court last weekend for an alleged crime spree near his hometown Ottawa. After appearing on a reality TV show meant to give ex-convicts a second chance, Miller was offered an entry-level position earlier in March with the Oakville-based company Dynamic Connections with an opportunity to move into a sales position. His first day was meant to be Monday, March 19; instead he was arrested Sunday in Stittsville, Ont., a town west of Ottawa, and charged with break and enter, theft, and dangerous operation of a vehicle. Miller told the Ottawa Citizen Tuesday, he had no recollection of the alleged event Sunday and that he had been drinking heavily on account of St. Patrick's Day. "It was just the worst night of my life... waking up in jail, it's like a nightmare," said Miller. Chris Giles, president and founder of Dynamic Connections -- a third-party logistics company that co-ordinates the movement and storage of its clients' freight to various locations worldwide, "Had he showed up -- I was going to give him an excellent opportunity to turn his life around." Chris Giles, founder and president of Dynamic Connections Chris Giles said he was stunned at the news of Miller's arrest. "He was supposed to start Monday and I got a call on Sunday telling me what had happened," said Giles. "I'm just extremely disappointed, for his sake." Publicity surrounding the arrest does not assist other people who deserve a second chance, noted Giles. The Oakville businessman, who also founded the local Make A Difference (M.A.D.) movement was contacted by the producers of CBC's reality show Redemption Inc. -- a reality series televised in January, which saw 10 ex-convicts compete in business-related challenges for a $100,000 investment prize to start their own business. The contact was in response to an article that had appeared Dec. 9, 2011 in The Oakville Beaver outlining Giles' M.A.D. movement, which states the importance of helping others simply because one can and focusing on what individuals can do and not what they have done in the past. Giles was invited by the show's producers to particiSince 1952 Carpet Cleaning Specialists On The Spot! RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL WALL TO WALL FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY AREA RUGS PERSIAN & ORIENTAL Truck Mount In-Plant Service Water Damage Restoration See the transformation of what we can do in relation to others! VOTED BEST CARPET & RUG CLEANERS 11 YEARS IN A ROW! Drop-off Discount! 25% FREE 250 mL SPOTTING BOTTLE www.onthespotcleaning.ca Bronte 905-825-4256 1446 WALLACE RD. OAKVILLE, ON QEW Speers Wallace pate in a March follow-up episode that revisited the ex-convicts six months after the original show's filming had ended -- and was to offer Miller another chance. Miller, a father of three boys and who had struggled with drugs and alcohol and served time for armed robbery and theft, was a cast member on Redemption Inc.'s first season -- he did not win the grand prize. In the follow-up episode, which aired March 6, Giles was one of several employers invited to interview Miller and possibly offer him a second chance with a new job. "When they (the producers) called, I said, `you've got the right guy.' This is exactly my philosophy," Giles said, referring to M.A.D. On the show, Miller said he was "happy," "grateful" and "appreciative" of the job opportunity Giles had offered him by the end of the last episode. "Just to be part of something, not just float around in life doing crappy jobs, living hand-to-mouth and struggling all the time... I feel so good. This is unreal. I have an opportunity here to actually provide for my family the way I want to," Miller said on the show. Along with the job offer, Miller was given a gym membership and a guitar -- according to the Redemption Inc. website, Miller wanted to turn his life around and open his own music store if he won the contest. "We even bought him a mountain bike to help him get to his new job and around town and helped him find a place to live near his work," Giles said. "Had he showed up -- I was going to give him an excellent opportunity to turn his life around." Although Giles said he has since rescinded his job offer, the whole experience hasn't soured his belief in people, but rather strengthened it. "Given the opportunity, I wouldn't be fearful of giving someone a second chance. I'd do it all again the same," he said. Giles noted the importance of dealing with people as individuals, without stereotyping, labels or prejudice. -- with files from the Toronto Star.