In this edition:
- Premiers of Ontario and Quebec call on Government of Canada to end Seaway labour disruption as soon as possible
- Seaway strike costing millions of dollars per hour, says Ontario Marine Council
- Energy and carbon reduction key topics of 2023 Niagara Climate Change Summit
- Grimsby to be compensated for money spent on Greenbelt changes
- Government of Canada extends Temporary Foreign Worker Road Map
- Number of unfilled jobs continued downward decline over the summer
- Focus on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Premiers of Ontario and Quebec call on Government of Canada to end Seaway labour disruption as soon as possible
Today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault released a joint statement in response to the St. Lawrence Seaway strike stressing the need for all sides to come to an agreement right away.
“If that doesn’t happen,” the Premiers added, “the federal government needs to use whatever tools it has available to support a resolution that is fair for workers and brings this strike to an end as quickly as possible.
“We cannot have a repeat of the B.C. port strike that occurred earlier this year. The economic stakes are too high.”
The St. Lawrence Seaway supports approximately $12.3 billion in annual economic activity and 67,000 jobs.
Seaway strike costing millions of dollars per hour, says Ontario Marine Council
Ontario’s Marine Council wants maritime traffic to resume on the St. Lawrence Seaway System and for the federal government to take immediate action to make that happen.
It’s asking transport ministers in Ontario and Quebec, and premiers of both, to demand their federal counterparts take every means at their disposal to end the strike, which began when St. Lawrence Seaway workers walked off the job early Sunday morning.
Unifor — it represents Ontario locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 and Quebec locals 4319 and 4320, which include members of supervisory, engineering, maintenance, operations and administrative units — issued a 72-hour strike notice on Oct. 18 after negotiating since June.
Energy and carbon reduction key topics of 2023 Niagara Climate Change Summit
On Oct. 25, Niagara Region partnered with Brock University, Niagara College and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to host the 2023 Niagara Climate Change Summit. Event participants included energy leaders, municipalities, organizations, environmental groups and businesses in Niagara.
The Summit focused on energy resilience and advancing carbon reduction efforts to inspire and encourage climate action. This was achieved by creating a collective understanding of the key role energy plays in slowing down climate change impacts.
Grimsby to be compensated for money spent on Greenbelt changes
On Oct. 23, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra announced that the province would work with municipalities to assist with planning and staff costs associated with the ever-changing plans.
While initially indicating he wouldn’t compensate them, it seems that Calandra has changed his mind after announcing he is also reversing the expansion of urban boundaries for several communities.
In an open letter to the community, Major Jeff Jordan estimated that a reimbursement request of approximately $82,000 would be delivered to the province, which would cover the costs associated with staff time, legal and consulting fees that were incurred from preparing the work the province required of the Town prior to the most recent changes to the greenbelt.
Government of Canada extends Temporary Foreign Worker Road Map
In April 2022, the Government introduced the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program Workforce Solutions Road Map to help employers fill job vacancies in the wake of labour shortages. Today, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, announced changes to the Road Map, to better reflect current labour market conditions and the economic outlook for the future. These extended measures will be in place until August 30, 2024, and will be reviewed as labour market and economic conditions continue to evolve in the following months.
In a media release, Employment and Social Development Canada observed that the country is experiencing continued low unemployment rates, and while there are some signs that labour shortages are easing, the rebound is inconsistent, and certain sectors, such as hospitals, food manufacturing, construction, and accommodation and food services, are still facing challenges, which motivated this extension.
Number of unfilled jobs continued downward decline over the summer
Job vacancies remained on a downward trend in August, Statistics Canada reported today, edging down from 697,900 in July to 682,400. Job vacancies in August were at their lowest level since May 2021 (673,400).
Total labour demand (the sum of filled and vacant positions) in August 2023 was little changed compared with the beginning of the year, as job vacancies have fallen by 181,700 (-21.0%) over the period, while payroll employment has increased by 162,300 (+1.0%).
The largest monthly declines in vacancies in August were observed in manufacturing (-5,900; -11.5%), followed by information and cultural industries (-3,300; -36.7%), utilities (-1,700; -54.7%) and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (-1,700; -16.8%). These decreases were partially offset by an increase in vacancies in finance and insurance (+4,400; +20.4%) and management of companies and enterprises (+700; +32.5%). The number of unfilled positions was little changed in the remaining 14 sectors.
Did you know?
Henry Ford and Queen Elizabeth II were both car mechanics.
Focus on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
ESG bonuses are on the rise: Are they improving sustainability or just increasing executive wealth?
Through the Daily Updates, the GNCC aims to deliver important business news in a timely manner. We disseminate all news and information we feel will be important to businesses. Inclusion in the Daily Update is not an endorsement by the GNCC.
