EI surplus hits $51 billion; A CV by any other name; Toronto a ‘high-risk’ employer; StatsCan explains labour and productivity gap; Ottawa extends work permits
EI surplus hits $51 billion
Ottawa — The employment insurance surplus has grown by $7 billion since 2004 to hit the $51-billion mark, according to briefing notes prepared for Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg. While in opposition, the Conservatives called the surplus a “partisan piggy bank” and called on the Liberal government to lower premiums faster. So far, the current Conservative government hasn’t announced any changes to the program.
A CV by any other name
Montreal — A Moroccan-born agrologist won a $15,000 judgement from the Quebec Human Rights Commission after obtaining a job interview under a typically francophone name. Kamal El Batal had applied to the Coop fédérée, the province’s eighth largest employer, a dozen times over three years with no results. Then, in 2002, he submitted two applications for a management trainee position, one in his name and another under the pseudonym “Marc Tremblay.” The Tremblay application got him a phone interview and a promise of a second interview, whereas the El Batal application got him no response.
Toronto a ‘high-risk’ employer
Toronto — Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has declared the City of Toronto a “high-risk” employer because of its health and safety record. The designation means the city is subject to more intensive and more frequent safety inspections, as well as higher premiums to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. A staff report describes the designation as “unexpected” because lost-time injuries in 2005 were four-per-cent lower than that of 2004. The city currently faces one charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the 2003 death of a building inspector, who fell through an unguarded stairway opening.
StatsCan explains labour and productivity gap
Ottawa — The labour shortage in the West is part of the reason why labour productivity has slowed despite a booming job market, Statistics Canada said following a review of its data. Job growth has shifted to industries where productivity declined, such as mining. Thousands of workers have been hired on mega-projects in the oil sands that will not be producing oil for years. Furthermore, due to a labour shortage, employers in Western Canada have been hiring less-skilled labour and spending more time training employees, said the agency. Typically, output exceeds employment growth by one per cent, but the slowdown in output, accompanied by steady gains in employment last year, has caused some, including Bank of Canada governor David Dodge, to question the agency’s data.
Ottawa extends work permits
Ottawa — To alleviate a labour shortage, Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg has extended the length of stay for some foreign workers. Workers with less formal training, who previously had to leave Canada after 12 months, could stay for 24 months without having to request an extension. Live-in caregivers could now stay for three years and three months and no longer have to apply for their permit to be renewed every year as previously required.
Ottawa — The employment insurance surplus has grown by $7 billion since 2004 to hit the $51-billion mark, according to briefing notes prepared for Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg. While in opposition, the Conservatives called the surplus a “partisan piggy bank” and called on the Liberal government to lower premiums faster. So far, the current Conservative government hasn’t announced any changes to the program.
A CV by any other name
Montreal — A Moroccan-born agrologist won a $15,000 judgement from the Quebec Human Rights Commission after obtaining a job interview under a typically francophone name. Kamal El Batal had applied to the Coop fédérée, the province’s eighth largest employer, a dozen times over three years with no results. Then, in 2002, he submitted two applications for a management trainee position, one in his name and another under the pseudonym “Marc Tremblay.” The Tremblay application got him a phone interview and a promise of a second interview, whereas the El Batal application got him no response.
Toronto a ‘high-risk’ employer
Toronto — Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has declared the City of Toronto a “high-risk” employer because of its health and safety record. The designation means the city is subject to more intensive and more frequent safety inspections, as well as higher premiums to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. A staff report describes the designation as “unexpected” because lost-time injuries in 2005 were four-per-cent lower than that of 2004. The city currently faces one charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the 2003 death of a building inspector, who fell through an unguarded stairway opening.
StatsCan explains labour and productivity gap
Ottawa — The labour shortage in the West is part of the reason why labour productivity has slowed despite a booming job market, Statistics Canada said following a review of its data. Job growth has shifted to industries where productivity declined, such as mining. Thousands of workers have been hired on mega-projects in the oil sands that will not be producing oil for years. Furthermore, due to a labour shortage, employers in Western Canada have been hiring less-skilled labour and spending more time training employees, said the agency. Typically, output exceeds employment growth by one per cent, but the slowdown in output, accompanied by steady gains in employment last year, has caused some, including Bank of Canada governor David Dodge, to question the agency’s data.
Ottawa extends work permits
Ottawa — To alleviate a labour shortage, Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg has extended the length of stay for some foreign workers. Workers with less formal training, who previously had to leave Canada after 12 months, could stay for 24 months without having to request an extension. Live-in caregivers could now stay for three years and three months and no longer have to apply for their permit to be renewed every year as previously required.
