PM
#40065782
Labour Reporter
Canadian
www.labour-reporter.com
May 5, 2014
no cause for alarm when it
comes to labour shortage: IRPP
But better data needed, right questions need to be asked to pre-empt it
BY LIZ FOSTER
EXPERTS TRYInG to solve Canada's labour
shortage have been focusing on the wrong
questions, according to one opinion.
"The amount of discussion that has been
generated on 'Do we have labour shortages or
not?' is a distraction from the real issue," Tyler
Meredith says.
Meredith, a research director with the
Montreal-based Institute for Research on
Public Policy (IRPP), said there needs to be
improvement in the collection and analysis of
labour market data and better engagement of
employers and educational institutions in the
creation of labour market policy.
Rather than focusing its energy on deter-
mining the existence of a current or future
labour shortage, Meredith argues, the federal
government should focus on making changes
that will work to pre-empt it.
"Whether or not we have labour shortages,
we need to be talking about practical things we
FOOD SERVICE
Rocky Mountain Catering
Kamloops, B.C.
(49 food service employees) and Unifor Local 4001.
Renewal agreement: Effective
Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2014.
Signed on April 15, 2014.
Wage adjustments:
Effective Jan. 1, 2014: 10% (end-
of-season bonus)
Paid holidays: 10 days.
Overtime: Time and one-half
for all hours worked in excess of
320 in an 8-week period.
Meal allowance: When em-
ployees are required to travel
Union wages
The union wage rate for
Canada's construction
sector was unchanged
in March.
ARBITRATION
AWARDS
pg. 2
see Government> pg. 7
see Collective agreements > pg. 3
Forgetting to tie off leads to scaffolder's ring pg. 6
The Town of The Pas - The Pas, Man. pg. 3 Clean Harbors Canada
- Corunna, Ont. pg. 3 Winalta Transport - Spruce Grove, Alta. pg. 4
Corps Canadien des Commissionnaires Division du Montreal -
Montreal-Trudeau Airport, Que. pg. 5 Translem - Laval, Que. pg. 5
Dubious medical opinions
skew disability benefits
WHEn BRYAn KAARDAL
— an instrument mechanic at
Catalyst Paper in Elk Falls, B.C.
— went on short-term disability
leave, there were some discrep-
ancies involving his doctors,
translating to confusion sur-
rounding such benefits.
In 2001, Kaardal was diag-
nosed with multiple sclerosis
(MS). At the time, he was under
the care of both a neurologist
and a family doctor. After being
on leave for some time — receiv-
ing short-term disability benefits
— Kaardal returned to work with
COLLECTIVE
AGREEMENTS
ColleCtive
Agreements
ArbitrAtion
AwArds
Photo:
Chris
Wattie
(Reuters)
see Arbitration > pg. 6
Employment minister Jason Kenney introduced policies and reforms to combat the so-called
labour shortage, such as the Canada Job Grant and Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
