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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS JULY 2012
From Labour Skills to Skilled Labour Realizing Our Economic Development Potential During the month of May 2012, the Globe and Mail ran a series entitled “Our Time to Lead.” The May 4-18 series indicated that Canada will face an acute labour shortage of 1 million skilled workers by 2021. The Globe goes on to say “Virtually every sector of the economy is forecasting shortages: The information, communications and technology industry needs 106,000 people in the next five years, mining needs 112,000 by 2021, construction needs 319,000 by 2020 and Alberta will need 607,000 new workers in the next decade.” Resource rich areas of the country (which are located for the most part in Northern Canada) are facing unprecedented demand for commodities that are in the ground and on top of the ground. Northwestern Ontario’s palladium, copper, gold, silver, iron ore and chromium are fueling the economic growth of developing countries such as India and China which account for 33% of the world’s population. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin in an interview on the CBC’s Doc Zone documentary series “The 8th Fire” stated that there was an estimated $200 billion of projects in various stages of approval or construction
in Canada which are located largely on Aboriginal lands. According to a report entitled “Worldwide Outlook for Metals & Mining Construction Spending” by Industrial Information Resources, there is an estimated $63 billion in planned North American construction starts in this sector for 2012. This equates to $41 billion (65%) in Canada with the balance (35%) invested in the U.S.! Other countries particularly Greece, Portugal, Ireland whose economies have recently undergone cataclysmic meltdowns look at Canada in awe because we not only fared much better than other countries, during the recent recession but we are so well positioned today because of our coast-to-coast-to-coast abundance in mineral wealth. So what has all of this got to do with Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario? Quite simply the resource that is going to be in greatest demand and the one that is most critical for the foreseeable future by Thunder Bay and other resource rich areas across Canada are human resources, skilled trades, mining professionals and an educated workforce. The unemployment
rate for Thunder Bay declined to 5.2% in April 2012 which compared to 7.8% for Ontario and 7.3% for Canada. Today the five producing mines in Northwestern Ontario employ 3,545 staff and contractors. Among the estimated 13 new mines coming on stream between 2013-2017, eight of the companies/projects which are the most mature (first producers) responded directly to a Thunder Bay CEDC survey with employment forecasts. Based on this feedback, it is estimated that 3,955 skilled labourers and tradesmen will be required for the construction phase and 3,301employees for the operational phase of these projects alone. Using an Ontario Mining Association Multiplier of 4:1, this infers 13,204 indirect jobs (based on the operational phases) for a total of 16,505 direct and indirect jobs once the mines are in production. This forecast bodes very well for the future growth and development of the region…..provided that we are prepared for the opportunities at our doorstep. In order to capitalize upon these future employment opportunities, we must develop our local and regional talent and aggressively market and brand Thunder Bay and the region as a choice Canadian
destination to move to and raise a family not only because of the employment opportunities, but because of the enviable quality of life. Great areas like Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario must market themselves aggressively both nationally and internationally in order to realize their economic potential. We must let Canada and the rest of the world know that not all of the employment opportunities are going to be in Alberta and Saskatchewan! In order for us to realize our anticipated economic potential, we will need to thoroughly comprehend the labour and skill requirements of industry and we must fully engage all of our academic and educational institutions and community partners to ensure we are fully prepared to meet the skilled labour challenge and realize the coming opportunities. Steve Demmings, CEO Thunder Bay community Economic Development Commission
Social Media and Your Job Hunt © 2012 Brian Babcock Social media can be a powerful tool, but it can also wreak havoc on your job hunt. Use your Facebook page, and other social media tools, to support your applications. Do not let indiscrete social media postings
Legal Matters sabotage your chances. Well over 50% of employers check applicant’s Facebook accounts as part of the hiring process. With many qualified applicants competing for limited opportunities, decisions often come down to character. People freely provide a wealth of information about “character” on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media. Applicants make their “private” selves public – as if posting their life stories on a billboard. Recent studies suggest the following reasons why employers do not extend job offers, after reviewing a candidate’s social media profile: · posting inappropriate or provocative information or photographs · posting content about an applicant’s drug or alcohol habits · criticizing a previous employer,
co-worker, or customer/client/patient · lying about qualifications · making racial or other discriminatory comments · exhibiting poor communication skills · sharing confidential information from previous employers. Employers most likely to search social media sites are those in the technology. medical, legal, and educational sectors, but it occurs in all sorts of fields. The legal and ethical issues involved are complex and evolving. At this moment nothing prevents a prospective employer from looking at public postings. Some employers are also demanding that applicants give employers complete access
Engineering Northwest Ltd. CONSULTING ENGINEERS FULL RANGE OF ENGINEERING SERVICES - Project Management, Feasibility studies, Preliminary and Detailed Design, Engineering and Construction Surveys, Contract Administration and Site Inspection FIELDS OF SERVICE - Water and Sewer Systems, Land Development/Subdivisions, Highways and Roads, Traffic Studies, Bridges, Water and Sewage Treatment, Landfill Sites, Airports, Marinas, Environmental Assessments. Phase 1 Site Assessments
Ph: 807-623-3449 Fax: 623-5925 #301-200 s. Syndicate Ave Thunder Bay, Ont P7E 1C9 www.enl-tbay.com
(passwords, etc.) to an applicant’s social media sites, as part of the hiring process. Many people view prospective employers “mining” online information as an infringement of privacy. There are challenges pending about employer’s rights versus privacy rights, with the final outcome still in flux. The legal concerns about this practice may be of little comfort to an applicant who is asked for this information during an interview. Still, you do have considerable control – exercise it wisely: · clean up your social media
BEFORE you begin your job hunt · update your security settings · ensure that anything connected to your cyber-self is POSITIVE · use Facebook to highlight your recent accomplishments, associations and activities which put you in a positive light. · vet your friends list. We are judged by the company we keep. For more information, please visit our website at www.weilers.ca, where my partner Garth O’Neill discusses this issue in detail, or contact Garth at 625-8877 or goneill@wmnlaw.com .
THUNDER BAY BUSINESS JULY 2012
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CANADIAN CAR & FOUNDRY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF CANADA Canadian Government Honours Canadian Car & Foundry and Dr. Elsie MacGill Historic site and person crucial to the Second World War Effort and national development Thunder Bay, Ontario, June 28, 2012 -- On behalf of the Honourable Peter Kent, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Ms. Eve Adams, Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Brampton South, today unveiled two Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaques commemorating Elsie MacGill as a person of national historic significance and the Canadian Car & Foundry as a National Historic Site of Canada. “Canadian Car & Foundry employed thousands of men and women in the production of close to 2300 fighter planes for Allied efforts during the Second World War. Elsie MacGill oversaw the design of the famous Hawker Hurricane. This ‘Queen of the Hurricanes,’ paved the way for women’s acceptance into professional engineering ranks and contributed immeasurably to aircraft design and international air-worthiness regulations,” said Ms. Adams. The ceremony was held today at the Bombardier facility in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the site of the former “Can Car” plant, where Elsie MacGill worked as a senior engineer during the Second World War. Can Car represents a watershed period in Canadian history, in which thousands of women gained new skills and confidence that would carry them into a chang-
early women’s movement. Elsie MacGill received a degree in electrical engineering in 1927, and her entry into the field of aeronautics came about when her first employer, the Austin Automobile Company in Pontiac, Michigan, went into aircraft production. Developing an interest in this field, MacGill obtained a Master’s degree in 1929 from the University of Michigan and pursued further studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, which led her to be employed by the Fairchild Aircraft Limited in Longueuil, Quebec.
ing post-war workplace and society. “Our Government is committed to celebrating places and people in Canadian history that are of profound importance to our national character and unique identity, like the iconic Canadian Car & Foundry in Thunder Bay, Ontario and its wartime aeronautical engineer, Dr. Elsie MacGill,” said Minister Kent. “They made significant contributions to national security, innovative new technologies, and the development of our great country.” Created in 1919 and supported by Parks Canada, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Government of Canada, through the Minister of the Environment, regarding the national historic significance of places, people and events that have marked Canada’s history. Parks Canada manages a nation-wide network of national historic sites that make up the rich tapestry of Canada’s cultural heritage and which offers visitors the opportunity for real and inspiring discoveries.
Here, at the main plant of Canada's largest manufacturer of combat planes during the
Second World War, thousands of men and women expertly constructed 1,451 Hawker Hurricanes for the British Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force, and 835 Curtiss Helldivers for the American Navy, thereby expanding the Allied forces' air strength. Ten per cent of the world's production of the reliable and long-serving Hurricane, an aircraft that played a pivotal role in winning the Battle of Britain, were built here. This aircraft production facility is representative of the wartime contributions made by thousands of women, some newly arrived from other regions of Canada, who quickly and effectively demonstrated that women could do non-traditional jobs, such as riveting, welding, precision drilling and much more, guided in part by the technical leadership of pioneer aeronautical engineer Elsie MacGill. "Can Car" speaks eloquently to a watershed period in which thousands of women gained new skills, confidence and forged workplace alliances that would carry them into a changing postwar workplace and society bringing issues of equality in pay and conditions to the attention of industry, government and unions. This complex, which retains many elements from the first half of the 20th century behind its current exterior, has played an important role in the mass-transit manufacturing industry, its products ranging from railway cars to buses and subway cars. Initially built in 1912, this plant has been reopened, retooled, and renovated several times since then under different owners, all transport vehicle manufacturers. The most substantial expansion occurred in 1944 for warplane construction: at the time the factory employed 6,000 workers, and had special on-site accommodations for the many women in its wartime workforce. Canadian Car and Foundry in Thunder Bay crystallizes the vital impact of Canada's Second World War home front – the critical role of its manufactures in enabling Allied success, the severe pressure to gear up for essential production, the drastic social change embodied in the process. By stepping forward to fill a gap in the wartime workforce, Canadian women set the stage for assuming a more substantial role in the nation's postwar economy. ELIZABETH MURIEL GREGORY “ELSIE” MACGILL (1905-1980) Elizabeth Muriel Gregory “Elsie” MacGill was born on March 27, 1905 in Vancouver to James Henry MacGill, a well-known lawyer, and Helen Gregory MacGill, declared a person of national historical significance in 1998 because she was the first female judge in British Columbia and a prominent advocate of suffrage and the
MacGill’s work on aircraft design, stress analysis and aerodynamics brought her to the attention of the Canadian Car and Foundry Company, which had decided to enter the field of aeronautics. Her employment as chief engineer started in 1938 when she successfully designed the Map le Leaf Trainer II, the first aircraft ever designed by a woman. She also made significant contributions to the field of aeronautical engineering through the introduction of practical mass-production techniques for the Hawker Hurricane during the Second World War and later, to international air-worthiness regulations. Her career paved the way for women’s acceptance into the professional engineering ranks. Through her work for the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, Elsie MacGill made significant contributions to the recognition and promotion of Canadian women’s equality. MacGill was also very active in the work of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. In the various positions she held in these and other organizations, she made numerous presentations to prime ministers Diefenbaker and Pearson, and to the premiers of Ontario, requesting changes to the Income Tax Act, and promoting equal pay for equal work.