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Professional News
New ads showcase Skilled Trades as a viable first option
The Government of Ontario is taking action to attract more people to the skilled trades and to encourage employers to hire more apprentices. The province is facing a serious labour shortage, which has the potential to get progressively worse. On any given day, tens of thousands of jobs go unfilled and many of those are in the skilled trades.
As part of the government’s ‘Open for Business, Open for Jobs strategy,’ the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development launched a marketing campaign to highlight good-quality, well-paying and flexible careers in the trades, under the slogan ‘Find a Career You Wouldn’t Trade.’
“We need to do a better job at enticing young people and their parents to the skilled trades,” said Minister Monte McNaughton.
The advertising campaign reflects the passion of real skilled tradespeople in their work environments. It features up-close footage of three skilled trades people with in-demand careers and high income potential: a tower crane operator, a steamfitter and an arborist.
The government is also investing approximately $75 million in three programs to expose high school students to the trades: $12.7 million in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, $42 million in the Specialist High Skills major program and $20.8 million in a pre-apprenticeship program.
“The reality is that the skilled trades offer exciting and challenging careers that often require solid math and problemsolving skills, and expose people to the latest technologies such as 3D printing and robotics,” said Minister McNaughton. “When it comes to opportunity, to earning potential, to having a chance to start your own business, the skilled trades come out on top.” Over the first nine months of 2019, Ontario employers had, on average, 204,000 job openings across all occupations and industries. Of these, 13,000 were in the construction sector.
The ads will run online, in movie theatres and on Tim Hortons TV across the province.
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A five-step process for managing cannabis edibles
Cannabis edibles entered the marketplace in December 2019, posing a new set of challenges for employers that have already grappled with recreational cannabis. John Aird, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) Manager of Strategic Partnerships, says this unique product line creates three specific challenges.
Aird says because the effects take longer to be felt, there is a higher risk of overconsumption. Also, people who consume cannabis edibles the night before, may still show up to work impaired because the effects can last longer. Finally, usage is harder to detect. Cannabis edibles don’t have the instantly-recognizable scent of smoked cannabis, so how do you know if someone has eaten some?
Not convinced cannabis of any kind is an issue in your workplace? Here’s some food for thought: a new national survey found that 43 per cent of employees using cannabis for medical purposes had not reported their medical use to employers. Furthermore, 27 per cent said they use cannabis medicinally, and almost 25 per cent who said they use it recreationally work in safety-sensitive positions.
Follow these five steps to prepare your workplace for the potential effects of cannabis edibles. 1.Review and update your workplace’s drug and alcohol and fit for duty policies to include edible cannabis. Employers have the right to establish policies prohibiting the use of drugs in the workplace, and to require that employees be free from impairment while at work. This includes company events and celebrations. No one needs cannabis edibles at your next potluck. 2. Review your updated policies with all employees. State your expectations regarding drug and alcohol use and fitness for duty, making clear to employees that impairment of any kind is unacceptable. Go over everyone’s duties under the policies.
Outline steps that will be taken to ensure compliance, and the consequences of non-compliance. Also state expectations that employees will advise the employer if they are taking medications (as part of a medical treatment) that could impact their performance. 3. Provide all employees with accurate information on cannabis so they can make informed decisions. New research conducted by the Conference Board of Canada has found that only 28 per cent of employers have general education on cannabis, even though the effects of cannabis consumption are broadly misunderstood and vary considerably from person to person. 4. Train managers and supervisors on how to detect and document signs of impairment should testing and disciplinary action be necessary, and how to talk to employees who may be at risk of impairment or substance abuse. Cannabis impairment may take the form of disorientation, poor motor skills, slower perception, and sudden behaviour changes. 5. Put a process in place to deal with impaired employees. For example, how should workers inform their supervisor of concerns about a potentially impaired co-worker? How will the employer remove an impaired person from the workplace? How will the employer accommodate disability-related impairment? What support is available to people with impairment issues?
For more tips, visit WSPS.ca.
Turf Care Products Canada recently announced organizational changes. Tim Trimper, former VP of Golf, CWB Maxium Financial has been appointed President of Turf Care Products Canada, and Andrew Sunn, former VP of Finance at CWB Maxium Financial has assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer, succeeding John Jarman who retired at the end of 2019.
Paul McLean, former CEO at CWB Maxium Financial and co-founder of Maxium Financial Services acquired Turf Care Products Canada in April of 2019. After 45 years at the helm of one of Canada’s largest commercial turf equipment distributors, former President and CEO, Ron Craig made LANDSCAPE ONTARIO
the decision to retire from Turf Care at the end of 2019.
“There is no doubt that Ron has positioned the company, and all of us, for success as we enter the next chapter in our future together,” says McLean. “His dedication to each and every employee, customer and industry partner has Turf Care positioned as the industry leader.”
In business for 45 years, Turf Care is a Canadian distributor of turf equipment, irrigation systems, golf carts, parts, accessories, and low voltage lighting products. With six locations across Ontario and Quebec, Turf Care is proud to serve golf courses, municipalities, corporations, contractors and dealers; offering a wide range of quality product lines including Toro, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Kioti, Bernhard, and others.
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