News briefs

Looking for a few good, young recruits; McDonald’s must pay $25,000 to fired disabled employee; Canadians choose work over children; Memo to B.C. drivers: Pay before you pump; Unemployment rate hits 33-year low; And the winner is…



Looking for a few good, young recruits

Ottawa — An RCMP recruitment campaign is targeting 18-to-34-year-olds. As part of an $800,000 advertising blitz, the national police force is posting ads on popular radio websites and job websites that appeal to the younger age group. The RCMP expects more than 600 officers to retire annually over the next few years, while at the same time the force is expanding. The RCMP hopes to sign up as many as 2,000 new recruits each year.

McDonald’s must pay $25,000 to fired disabled employee

Vancouver — The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has found McDonald’s breached its duty to accommodate when it fired a disabled employee who couldn’t comply with the fast-food chain’s hourly hand-washing policy. Beena Datt, who had worked for McDonald’s for 23 years, developed a skin condition that led to successive short-term and long-term disability leaves. The tribunal found McDonald’s didn’t try to accommodate Datt’s condition before terminating her. The tribunal awarded her $25,000 for loss of dignity and self-respect.

Canadians choose work over children

Ottawa — Many Canadians are coping with work-related stress by not having children, delaying having children or having fewer children, according to a new study. The study, conducted by Carleton University professor Linda Duxbury, found 25 per cent of nearly 33,000 people surveyed said they are having fewer children because of problems balancing work and family while 28 per cent are delaying having children, which can result in them not having any children at all. Duxbury said family-friendly policies such as unpaid leave, job sharing and flexible work arrangements don’t work because those who take advantage of them rarely get ahead at work.

Memo to B.C. drivers: Pay before you pump

Victoria — A law requiring patrons pre-pay at gas stations across British Columbia, regardless of day or time, will take effect on Feb. 1, 2008. Under the new law, patrons will have to pre-pay at all service stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The legislation, which will help protect employees who work late at night or on their own, expands the current regulation known as Grant’s Law, which requires pre-payment at service stations between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., brought into force following the death of gas station attendant Grant De Patie in 2005.

Unemployment rate hits 33-year low

Ottawa — The national unemployment rate hit 5.9 per cent in September, the lowest it’s been since November 1974, according to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. The rate dropped 0.1 percentage points from August thanks to 51,000 new jobs, mostly full-time positions. In the first nine months of 2007, employment grew by a rate of 1.7 per cent, higher than the 1.3 per cent over the same period in 2006. Employment among older workers also continued to rise. An estimated 23,000 more workers over 55 were employed in September. Employment among those 55 and older has risen 5.6 per cent since the beginning of the year, the fastest of all age groups. Older women (up 6.6 per cent) are outpacing older men (up 4.7 per cent.)

And the winner is…

Congratulations to Gigi Liczner, vice-president of administration at Sensors and Software in Mississauga, Ont., for winning the Canadian HR Reporter office services survey raffle. Liczner won a portable DVD player.

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