|
February 16 2010 -
Ontario Electrical League accuses safety councils of union
bias > Vince Versace, Daily Commercial News
The terms of reference for new
Infrastructure Health and Safety Association advisory
councils contain a union bias in worker representation,
states the Ontario Electrical League (OEL).
"At the end of the day, worker
safety is critical regardless of affiliation or lack thereof
— why would we need to exclude non-union and separate open
shop and closed shop unions in these discussions" asks Mary
Ingram, OEL president.
The recently-minted IHSA is
comprised of the Construction Safety Association of Ontario,
the Electrical and Utilities Safety Association and the
Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario.
The Workplace Safety and
Insurance Board stated that the merger of these associations
was designed to achieve greater efficiencies in services
such as accounting, IT, HR and administrative services and
to allocate the savings to safety and prevention program.
read more.
February 9 2010 -
Ontario Businesses Scramble to Ready
for Arrival of HST > Ian Harvey, Daily Commercial
News
With less than
six months to go, business across Ontario are scrambling to
get their accounting and billing systems ready to deal with
the implementation of the harmonized sales tax.
Love it or hate
it, Craig Robertson of consulting firm Deloitte and Touche
told a seminar at the Toronto Construction Association, it’s
a done deal.
For construction
companies and their clients there isn’t a massive change
that they will have to deal with, he said, since the GST is
already programmed in and in most cases the eight per cent
provincial retail sales tax is also payable.
read more
December 14 2009 -
Beware, Labour Lawyer Warns
Contractors Working for Ontario Power Generation, Bruce
Power > Greg
McGinnis, Partner, Heenan Blaikie LLP
Non-union contractors who decide to perform work for Ontario
Power Generation and Bruce Power should do so with their
eyes open. They could end up with a union not just for the
"electric power systems" work, but for ICI construction
across Ontario.
Given the high
labour rates and benefits contained in the ICI provincial
agreements, this could result in significant business
challenges for mid-sized trade and general contractors,
particularly in the current economic environment.
read more.
October 23 2009 -
Government ’severely tilted’ against
our interests: OpenShop Contractors Association >
Daily Commercial News
Recent changes at the top of the Merit OpenShop Contractors
Association of Ontario are designed to increase its reach
within government, says the association’s new president.
“We
perceive a need to do so because the present government is
severely tilted against the interests of OpenShop
contractors,” said David McDonald, president and government
relations representative, MOCAO.
read more
November 9 2009 -
Self-Employed Workers Now Eligible for
some E.I. Benefits > Journal of Commerce
The open shop construction industry in B.C. is praising the
federal government’s move to extend employment insurance
benefits to the self-employed, but unions aren’t happy about
these changes.
“Many independent contractors work as owner operators, from
truckers to drywallers to painters, and with these
challenging economic times, the extra security offered with
extending EI special benefits is welcome,” said Philip
Hochstein, president of the Independent Contractors and
Businesses Association (ICBA)...
read more
September 30 2009 -
Apprenticeship: It Works!
> Canadian Apprenticeship Forum
Apprenticeship
training is a well established and valuable form of post ‐secondary
education that has existed for generations. It is comprised
of on‐the‐job
training and technical training designed to enhance business
performance in terms of productivity, improved health and
safety at the workplace, and the bottom line. Success in
apprenticeship can lead to...
read more
September 3 2009 -
Best Canadian Labour Markets Found in
Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC; Ontario and Quebec Flounder
> Report from the Fraser Institute
Alberta had the
best performing labour market in North America between 2004
and 2008, the most recent years for which data are
available, according to a new study released today by
independent research organization the Fraser Institute.
Saskatchewan was the second-best labour market in Canada,
ranked eighth in North America, with British Columbia
finishing third in Canada and ninth among all 10 provinces
and 50 U.S. states. "During the period measured, Alberta
experienced high private sector employment growth, low
duration of unemployment, and high labour productivity,
resulting in the best labour market performance in Canada
and the United States," said Niels Veldhuis, Fraser
Institute senior economist and co-author of the study...
read more
March 1 2010 -
Nova Scotia NDP Fined for Taking Union
Cash > Daily Commerical News
Nova
Scotia’s ruling New Democratic Party has been fined $10,000
for accepting an illegal election campaign contribution from
a trade union group.
Christine McCulloch, the province’s chief electoral officer,
issued a statement recently saying Halifax police have been
asked to determine if an investigation is warranted.
Complaints were filed with McCulloch’s office last June when
it was revealed the Mainland Nova Scotia Building and
Construction Trades Council had reimbursed nine separate
unions after each donated $5,000 to the NDP...
read more.
June 29 2009 -
Freedom of Information Court Appeal
Nova Scotia Decision >
Merit Contractors of Nova Scotia
In 2003, a business representative and union organizer for
the IBEW, made application under the
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
("FOIPOP Act") in Nova Scotia for a
list of names of electricians and apprentice electricians
held by the Department of Education. A group of unnamed
electricians concerned about privacy and disclosure of
personal information by the Department to a union organizer
became involved in an appeal process...
read more.
|