In this edition:
- EI claimants and unemployment tick upwards as labour crunch eases
- Retail sales down in value and volume before holiday season
- Governments invest in helping food processing businesses lower costs
- Ontario government and OEA welcome report on electrification and energy future
- Niagara Falls to offer jobs to help get single parents off Ontario Works
- Gateway to the Trades program aims to help women enter skilled trades
- Small businesses hold onto hope for CEBA forgiveness, extension
- Focus on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
EI claimants and unemployment tick upwards as labour crunch eases
There were 460,000 Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in November, up 7,900 (+1.7%) from October, Statistics Canada reported today. On a year-over-year basis, the total number of regular EI beneficiaries increased by 53,000 (+13.1%).
Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that the unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 5.8% in November, bringing the cumulative increase since April 2023 to 0.8 percentage points. In Ontario, the number of regular EI recipients rose by 4,000 (+3.0%) in November, the fourth consecutive monthly increase.
Retail sales down in value and volume before holiday season
New data indicates that November retail sales decreased 0.2% to $66.6 billion. Sales were down in four of nine subsectors and were led by decreases at food and beverage retailers (-1.4%). In volume terms, retail sales decreased 0.2% in November.
Core retail sales decreased 0.6% in November, led by lower sales at food and beverage retailers (-1.4%) and general merchandise retailers (-1.8%). Sales at food and beverage retailers were down on lower sales at supermarkets and other grocery retailers (except convenience retailers) (-1.6%) and beer, wine and liquor retailers (-3.3%).
Governments invest in helping food processing businesses lower costs
Investments by the governments of Canada and Ontario through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) are resulting in over $16 million worth of energy cost savings projects to help food processing businesses increase energy efficiency and lower their costs.
The cost-shared funding, provided through the Agri-Food Energy Cost Savings Initiative will help 30 food processors lower their energy costs to be more competitive and sustainable. The Initiative is focused on supporting projects that prioritize energy efficiency by investing in new technology, equipment, as well as building or facility modifications.
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Ontario government and OEA welcome report on electrification and energy future
The Ontario Energy Association (OEA) says they welcome the release of Ontario’s Clean Energy Opportunity, the final report of the Electrification and Energy Transition Panel (the Panel).
The OEA commends the government of Ontario for initiating the Panel to provide advice specific to Ontario’s needs on how it should best tackle the significant transformation of its energy system required for the clean energy needs of its customers.
“The panel’s final report, Ontario’s Clean Energy Opportunity, builds on our government’s Powering Ontario’s Growth plan and provides valuable insights and recommendations for future long-term integrated planning,” said Todd Smith, Provincial Minister of Energy. “Access to reliable, affordable and clean energy continues to be a key driver for Ontario’s economic growth and electrification.”
Niagara Falls to offer jobs to help get single parents off Ontario Works
Niagara Falls city council has approved a 12- to 18-month pilot project that will provide municipal jobs to single parents on Ontario Works, aiming to stabilize families and reduce their reliance on social services.
“One of the things that I’ve concluded is that whatever we do (to support social services in the city), we don’t have enough money for it,” chief administrative officer Jason Burgess told city councillors Tuesday.
“I need to be able to create partnerships, and partnerships are going to be key to solving this on a bigger scale and I need items that can be scaled.”
Gateway to the Trades program aims to help women enter skilled trades
ApprenticeSearch.com is aiming to help women build skills and get jobs through its career exploration and employment-readiness program, Gateway to the Trades.
Funded through the Government of Ontario Skills Development Fund, 25% of Gateway to the Trades program participants are women looking to prepare for careers in the skilled trades. This number is well above the national average of women in the trades. A report by BuildForce Canada highlighted that women accounted for only 3.7% of the construction workforce in Ontario.
Small businesses hold onto hope for CEBA forgiveness, extension
Small businesses across Canada are wondering what is to become of their CEBA loans as the deadline for repayment has now come up and the federal government does not look as if it will extend the deadline.
According to a Canadian Press story from November 27, 2023, some 900,000 organizations across the country applied for and received a Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program allowed businesses and organizations the chance to receive up to $60,000 in interest-free loans to assist them weather the shutdowns and slowdowns caused by the pandemic.
Convenience Store News Canada recently asked readers if they applied for and received a CEBA Loan. 95% said Yes. When asked if the were able to pay back the loan, 10% said not yet, but intended to pay back before the deadline, while 90% said they would need a further extension.
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Focus on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Pushback against DEI ‘unwise’: experts
As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives come under fire from prominent billionaires, experts caution that women and people of colour are still massively underrepresented in leadership roles.
DEI policies have become common at many Canadian and U.S. institutions such as businesses and universities, in an effort to bring more diversity to corporate leadership structures.
Pushback again the policies has escalated in recent weeks, following the resignation of Harvard University’s first Black woman president, with Elon Musk and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson publicly stating their opposition to the movement.
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.
