Headlines & Frontlines

Headlines & Frontlines comes out twice a month with the latest news of interest to job seekers, career changers, employment specialists and those interested in the world of work.

Calling All Would-Be Entrepreneurs
If you've got a great business idea, come out and hear about the Ontario Self Employment Benefit Program (OSEB) Program [1], which can provide entrepreneurs with up to 42 weeks of business advisor counselling services and income support. The Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC) is hosting two OSEB information sessions. The first is Feb. 14 at at TBDC's west location at 105 Judge Rd. in Etobioke and the second is on March 8 at the 1 Yonge St. location.

You may be eligible if you have a business idea and are:

• Currently collecting Employment Insurance (EI) benefits
• Unemployed and have received EI benefits within the last 36 months
• Unemployed and received maternity/paternity leave EI benefits that started within the last 60 months, withdrew from the workforce, and are seeking to re-enter the labour force

You can register for an info session by calling 416-233-5287 (Judge Road location) or 416-345-9437 (Yonge Street location).

2012 Summer Internship Program
The 2012 Summer Internship Program is seeking students who want to be involved in the political process, work in government and develop organization, communication, leadership and research skills. According to the Frontline Partners With Youth Network [2], youth can submit a resumé and cover letter to summer.internship@liberal.ola.org [3]. Interns will be placed in the Premier's Office, Ministers' Offices and the Liberal Caucus Service Bureau. The internship program runs from May 7 to Aug. 24 and the salary is $12.50 to $15 per hour. The deadline to apply is Feb. 3.

Job Help to Come for 50 Youth
Through the federal Skills Link program, Tropicana Community Services will help 50 youth develop skills and experience. Project participants will work with counsellors to develop individual employment action plans. Based on their needs, goals and job readiness, participants will be assigned job placements with local businesses such as restaurants, daycares, hair salons and auto mechanic shops, says this government press release [4].

The Home Depot Career Fair
The Home Depot will be recruiting part-time and temporary sales and lot associates, cashiers and night crew at a career fair on Feb. 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Warden Woods Community Centre, 74 Firvalley Court in Scarborough. Call JVS Toronto at 416-929-4331 ext. 0 to register. This company, which needs to hire over 5,000 employees, will be hosting career fairs across the country. We'll keep you posted as we hear about other career fairs.

NappCanada Job Fairs
NappCanada [5] is offering four free job fairs in February and March:

• Feb. 15 at the International Centre, 6900 Airport Rd. in Mississauga
• March 15 at Centennial College Residence & Conference Centre, 940 Progress Ave. in Scarborough
• March 21 at the Hamilton Convention Centre , 1 Summers Lane
• March 28 at Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St.

All of the job fairs take place between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Study and Go Abroad Fair
Meet with universities and colleges offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs all over the world at the Study and Go Abroad Fair [6]. Visit the Travel Pavilion to find out about exciting travel opportunities; semesters abroad, work programs overseas, internships, volunteer programs and adventure travel. It takes place March 4 from noon to 5 p.m. Free admission.

Bilingual Job Fair
The Bilingual Job Fair and Training Expo [7], takes place March 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building, 255 Front St. W. Entrance fee $2.

Conference for International Engineers and Employers
This unique conference [8] brings together international engineers and employers affiliated with bridging programs in Ontario. It takes place March 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the MaRs Discovery District, 101 College St. Register online [9]. Free admission.

Focus on Food Project Internships
FoodShare Toronto is now hiring 10 youths for a 24-week full-time paid internship for its Focus on Food [10] project where they will get work experience in either a food distribution warehouse or a kitchen. This program also includes weekly sessions that provide certifications such as WHIMIS [11] and food handling. Participants also will learn how the food system works plus they will receive anti-oppression programming, employment counselling, creative arts exploration, and more. The positions pay $10.25/hour for a 37.5-hour work week starting March 19. To register for an orientation session, please call 416-363-6441 ext. 238 by Feb. 3. (For more on other food training programs see this Poss.ca article [12].)

Bridge Training Program for Environmental Professionals
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is recruiting clients for the Mentoring to Placement (M2P) for Environmental Professionals Program, a bridge training program for internationally trained professionals. The program is geared to newcomers with work experience in green building & energy, planning or ecology. Participants will be offered employment counselling, job search workshops, technical and soft skills training, mentoring and a work placement. Interested candidates are encouraged to register for and attend an information session. For more about the information sessions, to find out if you're eligible for this program, and to apply, go to the M2P website [13]. Application deadline is Feb. 17.

Pre-Apprenticeship Carpentry Training for Women
A free 35-week program with a paid 12-week work placement that prepares women for paid general carpentry apprenticeships begins Feb. 20. The program is funded by the Government of Ontario in conjunction with George Brown College trainers. For information or to register for an orientation session call 416-964-3883.

Women Speak Out Training Program
Low-income women, learn how to use your personal experiences with homelessness, poverty, immigration, violence and legal issues to educate the public and push for social change. The Women Speak Out [14] program run by Voices from the Street offers a 12-week intensive training course in public speaking, leadership, conflict resolution and diversity issues. The program, which provides a cash honorarium of $60 per week, will run every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from March 19 to June 8. Please submit a letter explaining why you would like to join the Women Speak Out program. Email your letter to lubna@ocab.ca [15], fax it to 416-504-8063 or send by regular mail to: Women Speak Out c/o Working for Change, 1499 Queen St. W., Ste. 203, Toronto M6R 1A3. Deadline is Feb. 23. For more information, call 416-504-1693.

Volunteer as an Income Tax Preparer
If you have a basic understanding of income tax and need some work experience, consider volunteering to prepare income tax returns for the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP). You will receive training, free tax software and a kit of reference material. Note that volunteers do not deal with complex situations such as returns for deceased persons or for individuals who file for bankruptcy. Register online [16] (scroll down to the bottom). To become a CVITP volunteer, you need to be associated with a community organization. If you're not, a local CRA coordinator will try to connect you to an organization.

Get Your Tax Return Done for Free
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) provides free volunteer tax clinics [17] for low-income persons. To see if you are eligible for this service check out the CRA website [18]. Also, until Feb. 24, participating H&R Block locations are preparing tax returns for free [19] for Canadians who earned received all of their income from social assistance and/or the Universal Child Care Benefit. Contact H&R Block at 1-800-561-2154 to find locations. In addition, you can file for free using H&R Block at Home online [20] if you earned less than $20,000 in 2011.

Children's Arts Tax Credit
Speaking of tax time, this year you can claim the children's arts tax credit [21] if your children participate in paid artistic, cultural, recreational, and developmental programs. In addition to the existing fitness programs covered by the children's fitness tax credit [22], you can now claim money spent on programs that focus on fine arts, music, performing arts, outdoor wilderness training, learning a language, studying a culture, tutoring, and more. When parents claim the children's arts tax credit -- up to a maximum of $500 of the cost of programs -- they save as much as $75 at tax time per child claimed. The new tax credit does not include additional expenses, like supplies or uniform, says Brenda Bryant in her post for the H&R Block blog [23].

Game Design Competition
Take part in GameChangers [24], a game design competition where diverse teams can collaborate, network, and share and develop skills in software and game development. Participation is free and teams will be a mix of women and men studying or working in software development and game design. To get started come to an open house that will include game demos, a mix and meet and a game design jam improv at the Centre for Social Innovation on Feb. 4 from 4 to 6 p.m., 720 Bathurst St. 
For more information, email gamechangers@socialinnovation.ca [25].

Keep Track of Toronto City Council
Follow Toronto City Council and its committees with a new e-update service [26]. You can subscribe to over 30 specific committees, such as the Board of Health, the Executive Committee or the Affordable Housing Committee.

Major Job Losses Hit Toronto
January was a hard month for Toronto workers -- a flood of employees learned they were losing their jobs as several major employers each made hefty cuts including Toronto Hydro [27], which will cut as many as 1,000 contract workers as well as up to 340 permanent staff. Also in the energy sector, Direct Energy decided to move its corporate headquarters to Houston, eliminating 500 jobs in Toronto, according to this Toronto Star article [28]. The company will continue to operate in Ontario, where it employs about 2,000 people.

As well, Bell Mobility cut positions at its Mississauga call centre last month. According to the Toronto Star [29], Bell confirmed positions had been cut but would not provide a number; however, several employees who contacted the Star said between 300 and 500 people lost their jobs. Finally, the Star [30] also reported that almost 300 security screeners are being laid off at Pearson International Airport. In a memo to staff last month, Garda Security Solutions -- the private company with the contract to provide airport screeners at Pearson -- said it was planning a "temporary" lay off of 299 junior employees effective Jan. 25. That's on top of another 80 who have been laid off in recent weeks, a source told the Star. The company says it hopes to "probably" recall 231 workers on a part-time basis.

Construction Projects Offer Job Hope
Ontario is starting construction on a new waterfront community in the West Don Lands, creating 5,200 direct and indirect jobs, says this press release [31] from the Ontario government. The new community will become the temporary home to more than 10,000 athletes and officials participating in the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games. Following the Games, the newly revitalized West Don Lands [32] will contain new condominiums, affordable housing, a YMCA recreation centre and George Brown College's first-ever student residences. According to this press release, the Games will create more than 15,000 jobs and will be the single largest economic driver in the region in the next four years.

The McGinty government also put out this press release [33] late last month stating that the Province's contribution to the revitalization of Union Station (begun two years ago) and the new GO train shed roof is supporting nearly 3,700 jobs.

On a smaller scale, as reported by the Toronto Labour Market Monitor [34], several construction projects have started up. At its peak, more than 1,200 workers will be on site daily for the construction of the new Humber River Regional Hospital, which should be complete in the spring of 2015. Construction of the new Forensic Services and Coroner's Complex, which should finish in another year, will have about 450 workers on construction site daily at its peak. The building of the Hanlan Water Project in Mississauga, the largest watermain project undertaken by the Regional Municipality of Peel, is expected to wrap up by the end of 2015.

On a related note, the federal government announced [35] last month new investments of approximately $250 million, over the next five years, in public infrastructure projects across the country, for a total of $320 million in funding for these assets, as part of Canada's Economic Action Plan.

New LMI Site Geared to Newcomers
The new Routes TO Employment [36] website offers Toronto-specific labour market information for internationally educated professionals. The site, which was created by the Toronto Workforce Innovation Group, profiles nine of the city's different employment sectors including financial, health care, and information communication and technology.

Roundtable on Immigrant-Employment lssues
You still have three chances to come out to York University and participate in the Toronto Immigrant Education Data Iniative (TIEDI) project's roundtable sessions [37]. They will discuss the policy and program implications arising from TIEDI's research findings and recent immigration trends.

• Filling the Data Gap: A Conversation on Coordinating and Using Program Data - Feb. 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., York Lanes building, Room 280N
• Immigrant Transitions From Underemployment to Skills-Commensurate Employment - Feb. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., York Lanes building, Room 280N
• The Gender Gap in Labour Market Outcomes for Immigrants - March 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., York Research Tower, Room 519

WORKFORCE ONE-STOP 2012
WORKFORCE ONE-STOP 2012: Connecting the Skilled Workforce with Workplaces and Marketplaces [38] will present the latest ideas, research, tools and strategies on finding and developing skilled workers for employers and their workforce development partners. The three-day conference includes plenary presentations and interactive workshops as well as lots of networking opportunities. WORKFORCE ONE-STOP will be held April 23 to 25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. W.

Personality Dimensions Level I Certificate Training
ONESTEP presents a three-day training session [39] that will certify you to facilitate Personality Dimensions workshops. The training takes place Feb. 29 to Mar. 2 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 3100 Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 503 in Concord. Fees are $950 plus HST or $850 if you're a ONESTEP member. Contact Sangeetha Karalamoorthy at 905-669-1679 ext. 225 or skaralamoorthy@onestep.on.ca [40].

Toronto Top City for Economic Activity
The growing economic diversity of Toronto has once again seen the city take the top spot among the country's major cities in CIBC World Markets' latest Canadian Metropolitan Economic Activity Index rankings. The city's index of economic momentum is currently at its highest level in more than 10 years led by growth in population, employment and housing starts, according to the Jan. 19 CIBC Metro Monitor [41] (PDF). Since bottoming out in the third quarter of 2009, Toronto's population has risen by 3.9 per cent compared to the 2.5 per cent national growth rate, points out the Metro Monitor. Employment growth across the same period is up by 4.6 per cent in the city vs. 3.4 per cent nationally.

Quantity and Quality of Jobs Not Looking Good
The pace of job creation is currently weaker than any non-recessionary period and the quality of the jobs created last year declined, according to a recent report [42] (PDF) by the CIBC. The report says that well-paying full-time jobs rose by only 0.4 per cent, only a quarter of the pace seen among low-paying jobs. Several higher paying sectors, including public administration, chemical manufacturing, computer and electronic manufacturing, and transportation experienced a net job loss. On the other hand, the report finds strong growth rates in relatively low-paying sectors such as accommodation services, restaurants and personal care. As well, self-employment, which generally pays 10 to 15 per cent less than regular jobs, rose 2 per cent, the report said. Employment quality in Ontario declined the most, while Alberta made the greatest gains.

Study: Cutbacks Will Result in Job Loss
Federal cutbacks announced in the 2010 and 2011 budgets will result in more than 60,000 job losses, says a study released last month by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Any additional cuts in the upcoming federal budget would result in even more job losses, according to The Cuts Behind the Curtain: How Federal Cutbacks Will Slash Services and Increase Unemployment [43]. The study identifies key areas that are already seeing cuts from previous waves and may see more of the same: programs for Aboriginal on-reserve housing, training, and primary health care; support for low-income families, seniors, and the unemployed; environmental programs; workplace and food safety inspectors; and Canada's international profile.

Free Food for Google Workers
In Fortune's recently released 2012 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For [44], Google, came in at number one up from number four in 2011. According to CNNMoney, "Employees rave about their mission, the culture, and the famous perks of the Plex: bocce courts, a bowling alley, eyebrow shaping (for a fee) in the New York office. Then there's the food: some 25 cafés companywide, all gratis."