Canada Employment Center

The Government of Canada announced new funding to support youth in West Prince to help them gain the knowledge they need to enter and succeed in the job market. The announcement was made by the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Egmont, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

“Our government’s top priority is creating jobs and economic growth,” said Minister Shea. “Our government’s Youth Employment Strategy is helping youth develop the skills and gain the experience they need to get jobs now and prepare for the workforce of tomorrow.”

West Prince Ventures is receiving over $30,000 from the Youth Awareness program to help youth explore career entrepreneurship possibilities in their community. Youth Awareness complements the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy (YES). It provides financial assistance for projects designed to promote youth as the workforce of the future.

With annual funding of more than $300 million, YES helps youth, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop employment skills, find jobs and stay employed. YES includes the Skills Link and Career Focus programs and the Canada Summer Jobs initiative, which creates thousands of job opportunities for students every summer.

Economic Action Plan 2012 proposes an additional $50 million over two years to enhance YES so that more young people can gain tangible skills and experience. This funding will focus on connecting young Canadians with jobs in fields that are in high demand.

West Prince Ventures will organize the West Prince Youth Forum, a one-day event to promote entrepreneurship as a viable career option and raise awareness of local employment opportunities. Youth will learn about job trends, attend presentations on self-employment and network with local employers. The West Prince Youth Forum is being held on Tuesday, May 8, at Rodd Mill River Resort.

“We are very pleased to bring this one-day forum to the youth of West Prince to encourage them to consider entrepreneurship as a career option,” said Maxine Rennie, Executive Director of Community Business Development Corporations West Prince Ventures. “We want to thank the Government of Canada for their support in investing in our youth and our communities. We look forward to a great event.”

Youth employment programs are part of the Government of Canada’s broader strategy to create an educated, skilled and flexible workforce. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy in Canada’s Economic Action Plan. A key component of the Plan is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development. To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

The Government of Canada is helping youth prepare for, find and maintain meaningful employment through enhanced online services available at Youth.gc.ca.

BACKGROUNDER

The Youth Employment Strategy is the Government of Canada’s commitment to help youth make a successful transition to the workplace.

Skills Link helps youth facing barriers to employment, including youth who are single parents, youth with disabilities, and youth in rural and remote areas, to develop the skills and gain the experience needed to find a job or the confidence to return to school.

Career Focus provides funding to employers to hire young post-secondary graduates to give them career-related work experience and help them acquire skills to transition into the job market.

Canada Summer Jobs provides funding to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create summer job opportunities for young people aged 15 to 30 years who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year.

Youth Awareness complements the Youth Employment Strategy. It provides financial assistance for projects designed to promote youth as the workforce of the future and aims to expand their awareness of career and educational opportunities.

To learn more about Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy and other youth employment initiatives, please visit Youth.gc.ca.

Today, at his annual address to the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, Mayor Dave Ryan announced that Siemens Canada will be establishing a 190,000 square foot facility in Pickering.

Mayor Ryan announced to 180 attendees that this facility will house high-tech manufacturing, research and development, and LEED-certified office space. Most importantly, it will bring 350 prestige jobs to Pickering with the potential for additional job growth down the road.

Celebrating its 100^th year, Siemens Canada is part of the international conglomerate Siemens AG. With more than 360,000 employees across nearly 190 countries and reported 2011 global revenue of 71 billion Euros, it’s one of the largest and most prestigious companies in the world.

Trench Canada Instrument Transformers, a division of Trench Limited (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Siemens), will occupy the new building. Trench is a worldwide leading manufacturer of high voltage products with 12 plants in 8 countries and more than 3,000 employees worldwide. It too is celebrating a milestone anniversary – namely 50 years in Canada.

Seven years ago, the City of Pickering held a business presentation and reception to introduce Siemens Canada’s then CEO to various Pickering and Durham Region business leaders. That pivotal event strengthened the relationship between Siemens Canada and Pickering, and ultimately set in motion today’s announcement.

“We are particularly pleased that Siemens is showing their confidence in our employees and our business by investing in a new plant in Canada,” said Carl Lockhart, General Manager of TCI. “This new plant will offer a substantial increase in capacity compared to our current facility, and we are all looking forward to becoming a part of the Pickering community.”

“We started building this relationship with Siemens Canada seven years ago. While it took some time, I’m sure everyone agrees that these 350 prestige jobs are definitely worth the time, energy and effort,” said Mayor Dave Ryan. “Together, Siemens and Trench will solidify Pickering’s burgeoning reputation as one of Ontario’s preeminent energy hubs.”

As the gateway city to the east GTA, Pickering (population 94,000) is strategically located where Toronto, York and Durham Regions meet. Pickering is an affluent community that is steeped in history, natural beauty and small town charm with all the amenities and services that a big city has to offer. The City of Pickering is considered a municipal leader in fiscal management, service delivery, sustainability and the environment; and offers a wealth of sports, leisure and recreation opportunities to its residents. Pickering has been recognized by Profit magazine as one of the ten best cities in Canada for growth companies and received the 2008 FCM-CH2M Hill Sustainable Community Planning Award.

For current job at Siemens Canada, click here.

The Canadian Hydropower Association (CHA) reported today that a study it commissioned indicates hydropower investment could produce over 1,000,000 Canadian jobs over the next 20 years from construction activities alone. These are known as FTEs, or “full-time equivalents,” where each represents one person employed for one year. The employment opportunities would occur in every region of the country. The business school, HEC Montreal, conducted the study, entitled Job Creation and Economic Development Opportunities in the Canadian Hydropower Market.

Electricity generation projects already under consideration for 2011-2030 would create 776,000 FTEs for construction firms and their suppliers, which is the equivalent of 38,800 positions lasting 20 years. A further 224,000 induced FTEs are forecast to be created by increased spending by those directly or indirectly employed by the projects. “These results highlight what appears to be one of the best kept secrets of the Canadian energy sector,” said CHA President and CEO Jacob Irving, “the multiple benefits of Canada’s extraordinary hydropower potential.”

The report’s authors employed the commonly used Statistics Canada Input – Output Model of the Canadian economy to test various scenarios. The 158 potential projects that industry members identified for the study would require investment of $127.7 billion and would result in 29,060 megawatts (MW) of both refurbished and new generation capacity. The model results predict that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be about $15 billion per year greater over the study period than it would have been otherwise, due to the construction of the capacity and its subsequent operation.

“The researchers call this the ‘optimistic’ scenario,” said Mr. Irving, “but it’s good to remember that it is limited to projects currently under some degree of active consideration. We’re already the world’s third largest hydropower generator. It’s astonishing to think, big as we are, we have still vast clean and renewable undeveloped hydropower potential from coast to coast to coast”

While the employment totals are impressive, the study did not attempt to quantify employment created by investment in new and upgraded transmission and distribution capacity that would be necessary to handle the increased hydropower production. Moreover, these infrastructure expansions could also enable increased investment in other electricity projects, such as wind and solar generation. The impact on employment of this type of activity also fell outside the scope of the research.

“The Canadian hydropower industry has been, and will continue to be, a reliable source of clean, renewable energy for Canada, and North America. The HEC Montreal study also reminds us of its tremendous potential as an economic driver for Canada,” said Mr Irving.

About the Canadian Hydropower Association

Founded in 1998, the CHA is the national association dedicated to representing the interests of the hydropower industry. Its principal mandate is to promote hydropower nationally and internationally as a source of renewable energy, to make the economic and environmental advantages of hydropower better known, and to publicize the benefits of hydropower in the search for sustainable energy solutions. CHA members represent more than 95% of the hydropower capacity in Canada.

For more information: http://www.canhydropower.org/hydro_e/p_what.htm

Ten federally and provincially funded projects will support unemployed older workers in small communities in Manitoba by helping them develop their skills and get back into the labour market.

The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety and Regional Minister for Manitoba, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, together with the Honourable Peter Bjornson, Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade today announced joint funding of $2.9 million for these projects under the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers.

“Our government’s top priority remains Canada’s economic recovery and we continue to take action to support Canadian jobs and families,” said Minister Toews. “Together, with the Province of Manitoba, we are helping unemployed older workers in small communities across Manitoba get the support, training and skills development opportunities they need to find jobs and re-enter the workforce.”

“Manitoba recognizes older workers as a key component to addressing labour and skill shortages in our growing economy,” said Minister Bjornson. “These investments in education and training for older workers will help them maximize their ability to participate in the workforce.”

Approximately 350 unemployed older workers from a number of communities in Manitoba will benefit from these projects. Participants will take part in skills-enhancement training that includes career development activities, computer skills training and assistance with job search and subsidized work placements. Through this investment, both levels of government are working together to ensure that the older workers remain active and productive labour market participants.

The Targeted Initiative for Older Workers is part of the Government of Canada’s broader strategy to create an educated, skilled and flexible workforce. The Government highlighted its commitment to this strategy in Canada’s Economic Action Plan. To date, this program has helped more than 16,000 unemployed older workers retrain for new careers.

A key element of the Plan includes increasing and improving opportunities available to Canadian workers through skills development.

To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

For more information on these projects in Manitoba, please visit www.manitoba.ca/employment.

Ontario is quickly becoming a global leader in the clean energy economy, while building a clean, modern and reliable electricity system for our children and grandchildren.

Speaking to more than 5,000 delegates from across Canada and around the world at the annual Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) conference today, Energy Minister Chris Bentley reinforced our commitment to building a clean energy future, which is attracting renewable energy investment and creating thousands of clean energy jobs.

The solar energy industry plays an important role in helping Ontario rebuild our electricity system. Today, Ontario is home to the ten largest solar farms in the country and is the leading solar energy producer in Canada. The solar industry employs over 8,000 people.

Since launching the Green Energy Act in 2009, over $26 billion of private investment has been committed to Ontario and over 20,000 clean energy jobs have been created and the province is on track to create 50,000 clean energy jobs by the end of 2012.

Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program has also helped strengthen the province’s manufacturing sector and bringing more solar power online. To date, the Ontario Power Authority has awarded over 2,000 FIT contracts for new solar energy projects and 99 per cent of smaller microFIT projects are solar.

Building a clean energy system that supports healthier families, a healthier environment and a healthier economy is part of the McGuinty government’s plan to create and support jobs for Ontario families while ensuring we have the electricity we need to power our homes, schools, hospitals and our economy.

QUICK FACTS

• According to CanSIA’s Solar Vision, by 2025 the solar industry will be supporting more than 35,000 jobs and displacing 15 to 31 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
• Ontario has more than 350 MW of solar PV capacity online and has more than 1,600 MW of additional solar PV capacity under contract. This is enough electricity to power up to 250,000 homes.
• Enbridge’s 80 MW Sarnia Solar is presently the largest operational solar PV farm in the world — supplying enough solar power for about 12,000 homes a year.
• Since 2009, more than 30 companies have invested in Ontario’s clean-energy economy including, manufacturers of solar and wind energy components, companies generating energy, and specialist engineering and service firms.
• Provide feedback on the Feed-In Tariff Program Two-Year Review

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), today announced that CIHR is ready to accept research proposals for the Phase I/II clinical trial on Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI).

“Our Government is committed to helping Canadians with multiple sclerosis,” said Minister Aglukkaq.  ”This next step will help identify a proposed clinical trial which can then undergo ethical review.  At every step of this process, patient safety must be first and foremost.”

The request for research proposals will be available on CIHR’s website on November 30, 2011. This announcement was made today at the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Health Ministers Meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The request for research proposals is a collaborative initiative between the CIHR and the MS Society of Canada.  CIHR will also continue to work with the provinces and territories as it moves forward with this initiative.

“Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects thousands of Canadians and their families.  It is imperative given the uncertainties related to CCSVI and its potential relationship to MS that CIHR support ethical research based on international standards of excellence to help us better understand what impact venous angioplasty procedures have on the clinical outcomes and quality of life of MS patients,” said Dr. Beaudet. “The research evidence to-date is so mixed that the only way to get to the bottom of this is to conduct a well-designed clinical trial with appropriate stringent patient safety considerations factored in.”

“We are excited to collaborate with CIHR in bringing the MS community closer to definitive answers on CCSVI and MS,” said Yves Savoie, President and CEO of the MS Society. “People with MS deserve clarity about the hope that CCSVI offers as a potential treatment for MS. It is only through rigorous research that we can get these answers.”

On June 29, 2011, the Government of Canada accepted the recommendation of CIHR’s Scientific Expert Working Group on CCSVI and MS to undertake a small scale Phase I/II clinical trial on CCSVI.

The main objective of the trial is to determine the safety of venous angioplasty and better evidence on patient outcomes.  CIHR will announce the successful research team in March 2012. The applications received will undergo rigorous review by an international peer review committee that will be established over the coming weeks.  The selected team will then need to obtain ethics approval from relevant institutional research ethics board(s) before conducting the trial.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

Western Canadian farmers will benefit from increased sales and enhanced competitiveness in overseas markets thanks to an investment from the Government of Canada. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today investments of over $690,000 to the livestock and forage sectors at Canadian Western Agribition.

“Our Government is proud to support our economy by helping farmers create new international business opportunities, and Agribition is an excellent place for farmers to showcase their high-quality products to the world,” said Minister Ritz. “We will continue to make strategic investments in Western Canada’s livestock and forage sectors to improve their competitiveness in foreign markets and boost our producers’ bottom lines.”

The investments announced today include:

        --  $410,000 under the Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative (LATI) in
            support of 20 traceability initiatives to help Western Canada's
            livestock sector become more competitive in international markets by
            enhancing our ability to support animal health emergency management,
            food safety and market access;
        --  Over $137,000 through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program
            (CAAP), for two livestock and forage projects across Western Canada that
            will help increase economic opportunities for farmers, including:
            --  $74,000 for Prairie Diagnostic Services of Saskatoon to build a new
                database system for tracking animal diseases that will help enhance
                Canadian market share at home and abroad; and
            --  $63,000 for Sunprime Extracts Ltd of Russell, MB to develop an
                innovative alfalfa powder that is suitable for export.
        --  $150,000 through the AgriMarketing Program for Agribition to promote
            itself in foreign markets and establish the International Business
            Centre (IBC). The Business Centre serves as a hub to connect
            international buyers with Canadian exporters. Last year, the IBC
            attracted over 750 visitors during the six-day event.

“For 41 years, Agribition has focused on international trade,” said Marty Seymour, CEO and General Manager of CWA. “Our markets continue to grow around the world and support from the Government can only enhance our ability to attract market share with international buyers.”

Agribition, one of Canada’s premier agricultural events, is taking place from November 21 to November 26 in Regina, Saskatchewan. In 2010, the exhibition attracted over 140,000 visitors from Canada and more than 75 countries worldwide. More than 4,000 head of livestock were shown by nearly 1,200 exhibitors at last year’s event, with over 450 commercial trade show exhibits on display.

Backgrounder

AgriMarketing Program

The AgriMarketing program helps industry to implement long-term international strategies which include activities such as international market development, consumer awareness, promoting the Canada Brand and industry-to-industry trade advocacy.

The Government of Canada has also developed the Canada Brand strategy to help the Canadian agriculture, agri-food, fish and seafood sector distinguish itself from key competitors in international markets. The Canada Brand encourages buyers overseas to link Canadian products with quality, commitment, trustworthiness and the clean land and water for which Canada is known.

Tools and promotional products, including a stylized maple leaf logo, are available to registered Canada Brand members, including Canadian Western Agribition, to help them develop marketing strategies and activities adapted to their own circumstances.

To find out more about the AgriMarketing program or the Canada Brand international strategy, visit: www.agr.gc.ca/agrimarketing or www.marquecanadabrand.agr.gc.ca .

CAAP Program

The Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program is a five-year (2009-2014), $163-million program that supports the agriculture industry’s ability to seize opportunities, respond to new and emerging issues, and test solutions.

In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the regional component of CAAP is delivered by Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan and Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council. For more information on CAAP, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/caap .

LATI Program

The Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative is a three-year, up to $20 million initiative, funded under the Agricultural Flexibility Fund as part of the Economic Action Plan. It supports capital investments to improve traceability capabilities at high-risk, high-throughput co-mingling sites.

For more information on LATI, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/LATI

Ahead of the Canadian Employment Report that will be released tomorrow, BMO Deputy Chief Economist Doug Porter is projecting a modest increase of 15,000 jobs for the Canadian economy, with strong performances and growth anticipated for a few industries.

“We project total employment growth for October will be 15,000 – an increase of 0.1 per cent – which should keep the unemployment rate at 7.1 per cent,” said Douglas Porter, Deputy Chief Economist, BMO Capital Markets. “Underlying labour demand likely cooled amid the recent rise in economic uncertainty and softer business confidence, leading to slowing employment growth. However, we expect to see strength in the finance, insurance, real estate and leasing industries after weak September numbers, and we anticipate growth in the healthcare and social assistance sectors.”

Mr. Porter noted that the Canadian job market has delivered a rare bit of good news in 2011, with the economy producing more than 250,000 net new jobs in the first nine months of the year (28,000 per month). That’s roughly in line with the gains in the same period of the prior year. “This solid job growth has outpaced the growth in labour force, helping cut the unemployment rate by half a point since the start of 2011 to 7.1%. Job gains in 2011 have been led by hotels & restaurants, health care, education and construction – these four sectors alone have accounted for 90 per cent of the employment growth this year.”

The forecast suggests cautious optimism among businesses in Canada. A BMO survey measuring confidence among Canadian businesses revealed:

        --  51 per cent of Canadian businesses believe 2012 will be a better year
            than 2011, and only 13 per cent expect it to be worse. Almost 80 per
            cent of Canadian business owners also plan to invest the same amount or
            more into their business in 2012.
        --  For those that plan to invest in their business, 39 per cent plan to
            hire more employees, while another 31 per cent will invest in employee
            training.

“While the recent economic uncertainty has likely been a concern for business owners in Canada, companies north of the border have not been faced with the same pressure for job cuts as their American counterparts, so there remains cautious optimism for the year ahead,” said Cathy Pin, Vice President, Commercial Banking, BMO Bank of Montreal.

Air Canada recently announced that as a result of the expansion underway of its Montreal customer service call centre, the airline has created more than 150 new, full-time positions for qualified call centre agents.  In October, Air Canada filled 50 new call centre positions and is in the process of filling an additional 100 positions in the coming months bringing the total number of agents at its Montreal call centre to more than 250.  Candidates must be proficient in English and French and customer-focused with excellent customer service skills.

“We are thrilled to have begun the expansion of our customer service call centre in Montreal.  This is great news for our customers as we continue ramping up our capacity over the coming months to improve customer response times and overall service levels,” said Susan Welscheid, Senior Vice President, Customer Service.  “As a major Montreal-based corporation, it is doubly gratifying that we can increase our contribution to the local economy with the creation of more than 150 new jobs while drawing from a large pool of highly qualified bilingual candidates, unique in the world.”

As an international airline, Air Canada operates a number of customer service call centres around the world, the largest of which are in Canada located in: Saint John, NB; Toronto, ON; and Winnipeg MB; as well as its U.S. call centre in Tampa, FL.  In total, Air Canada employs more than 700 call centre agents in North America.

Air Canada was ranked Best International Airline in North America in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax for its 2011 World Airline Awards. Also in 2011, Air Canada received top honours for Best Flight Experience to Canada in Executive Travel magazine’s 2011 Leading Edge Awards readers’ survey, for the fourth consecutive year. In 2010, Air Canada took five top honours in Business Traveler‘s ‘Best in Business Travel’ award program, the most first place awards won my any airline in the world in the influential magazine’s reader survey. Readers of Global Traveler magazine voted Air Canada Best Airline in North America, for the sixth consecutive year in their 2010 reader survey.

Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international full-service airline providing scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 175 destinations on five continents.  Canada’s flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and serves over 32 million customers annually. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 57 destinations in the United States and 60 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,185 destinations in 185 countries.  Air Canada customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future rewards through Canada’s leading loyalty program, and Top Tier members enjoy reciprocal frequent flyer benefits including lounge and priority services.

Interested candidates can apply online at www.aircanada.com/careers.

JobServe Canada and IT World Canada have officially launched their co-branded niche sales and IT job board, itsalesjobs.ca.

This follows closely on the heels of the immensely successful IT job board (jobs.itworldcanada.com) launched in September 2010. It has had a strong response from Canadian employers and recruiters as well as job seekers. The website is geared to provide immediate access to a targeted technology and sales community.

Fawn Annan, President and Group Publisher for IT World Canada, commented, “We are extremely happy with the site that has been developed through our partnership with JobServe. Our new job site is already populated with hundreds of Canadian technology and sales jobs, providing a rich source of quality job opportunities for our readership to choose from.”

Using the new site, companies with sales and/or technology job openings can take advantage of two simple job posting services, both of which provide guarantees of the quality of the response with built-in filtering tools to ensure applicants meet the minimum requirements for the job(s).

This joint partnership offers a dual advantage at one cost — all technology and sales job postings advertised on jobserve.ca will automatically be cross-posted onto the itsalesjobs.ca site and vice versa.

Josh Flower, President of JobServe Canada, said, “We have been overwhelmed by the response from our customers about the new job board, itsalesjobs.ca. JobServe is globally reputed for IT recruitment and now in Canada we are providing our customers with exclusive access into this targeted community of IT & technology sales professionals. With our already low price point, Canadian employers are jumping to get their technology jobs listed with JobServe and itsalesjobs.ca.”