OTTAWA - The federal government is tightening Employment Insurance eligibility with new rules on what kind of work jobless Canadians will need to accept in order to receive benefits. The government says it will put strict definitions on what constitutes "suitable employment" and what the unemployed must do to find a job in order to get off EI. The changes means Canadians will be treated differently depending on how often they have collected EI benefits in the past, or how long they are currently receiving benefits. For so-called long-tendered workers who have been mostly employed the past 10 years, they need to accept a job within their usual occupation as long as it pays at least 90 per cent of their previous hourly wage. The ... Continue reading →
PhotoJOHN DeMONT I get my hair cut in a swanky place. They give you an espresso while you wait. Everything smells great. The folks who work there do about all that can be done with this unpromising canvas. But I am a simple man. And every now and then I long for basic pleasures. A hot chicken sandwich with gravy and peas. A Dutch Leonard paperback with a lurid cover. A barbershop with one of those candy-striped poles out front. Or, barring that, one that boasts “the best lousy haircut in town” in a sign taped to the mirror. They were lined up six-deep at Phat’s Barber Shop on Windsor Street when I strolled in last week. Phat Luong, formerly of the Mekong Delta, now ... Continue reading →
Imperial Oil plans to shop its refinery in Dartmouth and related supply agreements to prospective buyers in the coming months. Imperial says the move is part of a review that could see the Dartmouth operation converted to a terminal or some other alternative. Company chairman Bruce March says Imperial realizes the importance of the refinery to the local community and that the decision has been a “difficult” one. However, he said the company remains committed to providing service to its customs and pledged to keep employees and the community updated on developments as the review process moves forward. March says the company hopes to make a decision on the sale or some other alternative by early 2013. Continue reading →
A new study from the Human Resources Department suggests Ottawa is looking at ways to get people receiving employment insurance to move to other regions with more jobs.Such measures would go beyond the Harper government’s new policy that appears to require that some EI recipients take unfilled jobs but only in their own region. More related to this story A focus group study, completed in January, asked 75 people on EI in Quebec and Atlantic Canada what would it take to get them to move to regions where there are more jobs available.The research, ordered last June shortly after the Conservatives were elected with a majority, required the survey company to determine “what type of migration incentives could encourage EI clients to accept a job ... Continue reading →
In a recent written response to questions tabled in Parliament, Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s answers reveal that 2006 federal Conservative promises for 5 Wing Goose Bay are no longer part of the military’s plans. Prior to the election that brought the Tories to power, Stephen Harper promised to station a new, 650-member rapid reaction army battalion at CFB Goose Bay, plus a new long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron at the base. The Conservatives also pledged to create a new territorial defence battalion of about 100 regular force and 400 reserve force personnel in St. John’s. “Overall, the Conservative plan for national defence will result in a significant increase in employment in Goose Bay and the St. John’s area, resulting from a significant expansion of ... Continue reading →
Nearly five years after promising greater protection for civil servants, the Newfoundland and Labrador government is no closer to tabling whistleblower legislation, and the minister in charge is not sure it ever will. “We continue to monitor and look at other jurisdictions that have whistleblower legislation in place,” Justice Minister Felix Collins told reporters on Wednesday. Collins says there are problems with the legislation everywhere else the province has looked. And he believes the existing legislative regime in Newfoundland and Labrador may provide adequate protections for government workers. “There’s all kinds of coverage already we have in our jurisdiction,” he said. The Tories first promised whistleblower laws in 2007, before that year’s provincial election. On Wednesday, Collins deflected questions about the election promise, instead contending ... Continue reading →
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION RCMP conducted five-month national security probe into leaked F-35 story By: The Canadian Press Posted: 4:16 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies) OTTAWA - Documents show the Harper government called in the RCMP to investigate a politically embarrassing story involving the decision to sole-source the purchase of the F-35 stealth fighter, claiming it was a breach of national security. The Mounties conducted a five-month review into an alleged leak of cabinet documents under the Security of Information Act, which was recently used to charge a naval intelligence officer in an apparent spy case. Records obtained by The Canadian Press under the access-to-information law show investigators had doubts almost from the outset in July 2010 that any laws were broken ... Continue reading →
