LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, JUNE 2020
Context: COVID-19 restrictions gradually ease Labour Force Survey (LFS) results for June reflect labour market conditions as of the week of June 14 to June 20. By then, public health restrictions had been substantially eased in most parts of the country. Tighter restrictions remained in place in much of southwestern Ontario, including Toronto. As businesses and workplaces continued to re-open across the country, physical distancing and other requirements remained in place. Likewise, large...
read moreUPDATED LIST OF ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES IN ONTARIO
Following advice from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, on April 3, 2020, Ontario updated the list of essential businesses that can remain open. The restrictions are aimed at further reducing contact between people and stopping the spread of COVID-19. By 11:59 p.m. Saturday, April 4, 2020, businesses that are not identified on this list must close their physical locations. For the purposes of this order, businesses include any for-profit, non-profit or other entity providing the goods...
read moreOntario Auditor General finds serious concerns over elevator safety
A scathing report from Ontario’s Auditor General raises serious concerns about the state of elevator safety in the province, but members of the industry say the public isn’t at risk. In her report, released Wednesday, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk slams the agency that regulates elevators, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) for poor oversight. She writes that in 2018, just over 80 per cent of elevators failed their TSSA inspection. “Most Ontario elevators and escalators are not...
read moreTrade war history is not on Justin Trudeau’s side
In 1969, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau reflected on his country’s relationship with the United States in a speech to the Washington Press Club. “Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant,” he said. “No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast…one is affected by every twitch and grunt.” His son Justin Trudeau, the current prime minister, might be tempted to describe the U.S. in even more colourful terms, given his recent diplomatic row with the Trump...
read moreLandlord Licensing Fees Result in Whopping Rent Increase
The City of Waterloo is by far the greediest of all municipalities when it comes to the charges levied under its Landlord Licensing By-law. Waterloo’s licensing fee and mandatory charges (the bulk of which go to its bureaucratic “cousin”, the Electrical Safety Authority) amount to over $1,000 per townhouse unit and are imposed on a “per bedroom” basis (the more bedrooms the higher the fee). The fees are imposed on “converted residential dwellings”...
read moreCanada Post union leaders frustrated by lack of answers at annual meeting
Story by: Ross Marowits in Montreal and Terry Pedwell in Ottawa, The Canadian Press Union leaders attending Canada Post’s annual meeting were left frustrated Friday as the Crown corporation refused to provide details on its calculations on the cost of the union’s latest contract proposals. Canada Post has estimated the union’s demands surrounding pensions and pay equity would cost $1 billion. CUPW president Mike Palecek repeatedly asked Canada Post officials to spell out how...
read moreLiberals’ Relationship With Unionized Workers Under Pressure
Justin Trudeau said he was convinced unionized workers would vote Liberal. The Liberal leader was about to fly to a campaign stop on the east coast instead of taking part in any Labour Day activities, and there were six weeks left in the election campaign. It was enough time to convince organized labour to back the Liberals instead of the New Democrats, he said at the time. The Liberals respected organized labour, he added, vowing a new relationship after years of abysmal relations under the...
read more2014 RHB APARTMENT GUIDE: EXTERIORS
The 2014 RHB Apartment Guide – Exteriors serves to inform Canadian apartment building owners and managers on how to maintain, renovate and upgrade their properties, with the focus on the building’s exterior. This guide provides strategies, direction and tips on what to do, what to look for and what to avoid, as well as the importance of building maintenance and capital work. To ensure that this guide contains the most current and pertinent information, RHB worked in collaboration with Geoff...
read more