Changing face of Canadian business, or simply business catching up with society?

Posted April 4, 2010 By móniyáw

The business case for diversity in the workplace is undeniable. The need to incorporate diversity practices is as crucial today as getting online was in the ’90s. With an aging workforce and changing demographics, the labour pool looks a lot different in 2008 than ever before.

The business case for diversity in the workplace is undeniable. The need to incorporate diversity practices is as crucial today as getting online was in the ’90s. With an aging workforce and changing demographics, the labour pool looks a lot different in 2008 than ever before.

And this shift is only going to increase — by 2011, immigrants will make up 100 per cent of the growth in the labour force, 70 per cent of which will be visible minorities.

I know several people who work at one or another of the businesses listed in the article. As an additional bonus, I can say that everyone of my acquaintances who work for a business on the list is happy and has worked there for more than five years. Sharpen your resume and read the entire post here.

Categories: Business
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Phil Fontaine Speaks Regarding First Nations Relationship with the Crown

Posted March 22, 2010 By móniyáw

Phil Fontaine has spent so many years on the stump, it barely seems to phase him. So, when he was invited to address a top-notch conference on treaty rights and resource development last week, he barely seemed to break stride.

Dressed in a dark blue T-shirt and slacks, Fontaine slowly laid out his modern-day views on treaties.

While aboriginal people have had a special relationship with the Crown for more than 100 years, the recent recession and current recovery process are redefining the relationship, he argued.

Historically, First Nation leaders and the government have sought a “peaceful coexistence” that’s been based on a sharing of the riches of Mother Earth, he said. (more…)

Categories: Business, Environment, First Nation
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“Avatar” has few fans among mining executies

Posted March 11, 2010 By móniyáw

In a case of art imitating life — with perhaps a little poetic license — Oscar-winning movie “Avatar” paints big mining companies as the villains of the future.

But real-life executives are not entirely amused by their fictional colleagues being cast in evil roles in what is already the biggest-grossing Hollywood movie of all time.

“Let me put it this way, my kids saw the movie, and my kids know I’m a miner, and they didn’t say anything to me,” said Peter Kukielski, head of mining operations for ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker.

“They didn’t say a thing, and they loved the movie. They saw it twice,” he told the Reuters Global Mining and Steel Summit in New York this week.

“I gotta say, I gritted my teeth a few times over the manner the mining company was presented,” said Charles Jeannes, chief executive of Canada’s Goldcorp. “I loved ‘Avatar’ — once you get past the storyline, I loved the graphics.”

. . .

Gerald Grandey, CEO of uranium miner Cameco Corp appeared resigned to the fact mining companies get a bad rap driven by environmentalists.

“When you get a movie like ‘Avatar’ — I have seen it and actually enjoyed it — I thought it was just unfortunate they defaulted to the easy conflict. It was too convenient to go back to the old stereotypes.”

“Cameco is a premier example of going into a remote region, Saskatchewan, where there are 28 aboriginal communities who had never heard of mining…and now after 25 years, well over 50 percent of our employees are aboriginal.

“What we’ve done is…overcome the peer pressure, the stereotypes, the culture, the welfare dependency, the drug and alcohol abuse, and one movie can put that back.”

Asked if he would you have hired the Na’vi, Grandey replied: “If it had been Cameco, they would have been walk-in employees, we’re looking for them!”

Ducks Unlimited is an example of a group that has done a lot for the environment, which was started by someone who enjoyed waterfowl hunting. I think that casting a mining company as bad for the environment is inaccurate and unfair.

The full article is here.

Categories: Arts, Business, Mining
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Proceeds from Liquor Fees to Remain On-reserve in Saskatchewan

Posted March 10, 2010 By móniyáw

REGINA — The provincial government has entered into agreements with several First Nations that will permit them to levy their own on-reserve liquor fees, which could bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for First Nations governments.

The Liquor Consumption Tax Administration agreement allows proceeds from liquor fees to remain on-reserve to fund local priorities and will replace provincial taxes formerly collected on-reserve for alcohol purchases.

These fees will stay the same as the tax collected off-reserve by the province (currently 10 per cent) and must apply to all consumers. The province is currently collecting about $500,000 a year in liquor taxes from on-reserve casinos and other licensed operations, like golf course clubhouses, according to a finance ministry spokesperson.

(more…)

Categories: Business, First Nation
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Opponents split on boycott of Aboriginal Cogeneration’s plant

Posted March 9, 2010 By móniyáw

An opponent of Aboriginal Cogeneration’s plan to burn creosote railway ties in Kamloops is calling for a boycott of Thursday’s forum, but other campaigners aren’t joining.

Calling it a “free country,” Derek Cook, a political scientist at Thompson Rivers University, said he has no objection to Aboriginal Cogeneration Corp. president Kim Sigurdson, along with government officials, being invited to a special Kamloops Chamber of Commerce forum Thursday.

And the local chapter of the Council of Canadians, which is also strongly opposed to the gasifier being located here, will not join the forum boycott.

Boycotting the forum seems wrong-headed; focus on the lack of community consultation, or maybe the community does not care?

Read the full article here.

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New High-Skill Jobs For First Nations Community: McGuinty Government Partners With Niigon Technologies To Enhance Productivity

Posted March 7, 2010 By móniyáw

Front of Niigon Technologies plant

New skilled jobs are coming to the Moose Deer Point First Nation.

Ontario is supporting Niigon Technologies, a local manufacturing company, in developing and implementing advanced automation technology.  This state-of-the-art technology will make Niigon one of the most automated facilities in North America, helping the company to reduce its costs and attract new customers. (more…)

Categories: Business, First Nation
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Parallel between Avatar and Alberta Oil Sands

Posted March 5, 2010 By móniyáw

Watching the scenes in the movie Avatar depicting ‘unobtainium’ mining felt eerily like reliving my trip to the tar sands – the pristine forests being torn away to create ugly strip mines, the giant trucks, the obsessive drive for a dwindling resource. The only thing missing from the theatre were the toxic fumes so prevalent when flying over the tar sands. (more…)

Categories: Business, Health
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Aboriginal Group Chastise Royal Bank Canada

Posted March 3, 2010 By móniyáw

[...]

Four aboriginal groups appealed to Canada’s biggest bank to use its corporate heft and political influence to stop Enbridge Inc. (ENB) from building a 725-mile pipeline to carry oil from Alberta’s tar sands through northern British Columbia to Kitimat, where it would be loaded on tankers for shipment to the U.S. west coast or Asia.

They also spoke of rising cancer rates, depleted salmon runs and air and water pollution arising from the Alberta oil-sands projects. “Shareholders are contributing to the ecological disaster of Canada’s natural resources,” said Vice Chief Terry Teegee of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council of British Columbia.

The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline, as it’s known, is the largest crude-oil pipeline expansion in North America, crossing mountainous terrain, hundreds of rivers and streams, and roughly 22 miles of key salmon spawning waters.

Royal Bank lends C$300 billion globally, of which 2%, or C$6 billion, are loans to the oil and gas sector. A “small share” of its energy loan book is lent to companies operating in the oil sands, Royal Bank Chief Executive Gord Nixon told shareholders.

[...]

The Royal Bank of Canada has little concern when scrutinizing their investment decisions, when a corporation invests in a action that may harm the environment it is often the financial bottom line that gets first consideration.

Where is the government in all of this? Developing the tar sands is a good idea if it can be done in an economic and environmentally sound way, but if the development is at the cost of people in our communities and the environment, then it is the taxpayer who will be saddled with the problem in the future. Government should set the standard and leave it to business to find the means — this requires progress and efficiency on the part of the private sector. Relaxing or overlooking the environmental impact for a quick buck leads to businesses that cannot compete and corruption within the system.

Read the full story here.

Categories: Business, Environment, First Nation, Health
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New tool targets Aboriginal youth for mining careers

Posted February 23, 2010 By móniyáw

Start them young.

It’s the rationale behind a recruiting tool designed to attract more Aboriginal youth into mineral exploration and mining careers.

With mining companies preparing big plans for development in the James Bay ‘Ring of Fire,’ training a local workforce for the future to build and service these developments is of paramount importance.

To get a head start, Sudbury’s Cambrian College and the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council (OMICC) have collaborated to take a fresh and long-term approach to keep the pipeline of skilled workers filled for generations to come.

Part of their strategy is to give career guidance to young people on what kind of jobs are available in the mining sequence, beginning at the prospecting stage and following through to mine development.

This spring, an interactive website will be launched in tandem with printed material targeting seventh and eighth graders.

[...]

The website mentioned in the article is Mining In Mind. Considering the organizations involved the web site seems lacking in content and pizzaz. Considering how tech-savy youth are today, this web site may detract Aboriginal youth from a mining career.

Categories: Business, Education
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Government of Canada Helps Regina Youth Prepare for Jobs

By móniyáw

REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN–(Marketwire – Feb. 23, 2010) – Local youth who face barriers to employment will get job-preparation training and work experience through the Government of Canada’s support for an employment project. Mr. Andrew Scheer, Member of Parliament for Regina–Qu’Appelle, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

“In today’s environment, it is more important than ever that youth develop the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market,” said Mr. Scheer. ”By supporting this project, we are helping youth in Regina develop the skills, knowledge and work experience they need to reach their full potential.”

The Regina Adult Learning Centre will receive $132,739 in federal Skills Link funding to support its Mending the Path and Building Futures Cycle 30 project, which will help 18 youth facing employment barriers develop life and job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school.

“The Regina Adult Learning Centre (RALC) is pleased to partner with the Government of Canada in this project,” said Mr. Carlo Bizzarri, Manager, Regina Adult Learning Centre. ”These funds will continue to provide skills leading to the self-sufficiency and independency of our young people. The RALC continues to offer a business solution to social and economic issues.”

Link focuses on helping youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas, and youth who have dropped out of high school. 

The federal government is working with the provinces and territories, community organizations and other stakeholders to provide Canadians with the training, skills and opportunities they need to participate in the workforce and contribute to their communities.

Skills Link is part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. 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 Skills Link program is delivered by Service Canada, which provides one-stop personalized services for Government of Canada programs, services and benefits. For more information about this program, call 1 800 O-Canada, visit www.servicecanada.gc.ca or drop by your local Service Canada Centre.

backgrounder

Established in 1990, the Regina Adult Learning Centre is a not-for-profit organization that provides programs and services for youth that focus on building independence and self-suffiency through work experience or continuing eductation. The Centre’s Mending the Path and Building Futures Cycle 30 project will provide participants with 18 weeks of group-based employability skills workshops and 11 weeks of work experience. The project will enable youth to develop and enhance their job skills while receiving ongoing support to assist them in accomplishing the individual goals set out in their action plans.

As part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy, the Skills Link program is one of three programs that help young Canadians, particularly those facing barriers to employment, obtain career information, develop skills, gain work experience, find good jobs and stay employed. The other two programs are Summer Work Experience and Career Focus.

Skills Link focuses on helping youth facing barriers to employment, such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas, and youth who have dropped out of high school. It offers a client-centred approach based on assessing an individual’s specific needs. The program supports youth in developing basic and advanced employment skills. Eligible participants between 15 and 30 years of age—who are not receiving Employment Insurance benefits—are assisted through a coordinated approach, offering longer-term supports and services that can help them find and keep a job.

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