Unfortunately, many job seekers don't stop to consider the fact that the problem might not be them. It's you.

You don’t understand. You updated your résumé, you’re applying to jobs every day, you’ve cleaned up your digital dirt and you network every day. Yet here you still are on the unemployment list. What is wrong with employers?

Unfortunately, many job seekers don’t stop to consider the fact that the problem might not be them. It’s you.

It’s a hard concept that most job seekers have trouble wrapping their heads around, but applicants frequently (and inadvertently) display signs that tell an employer that you’re not the best fit for the job.

According to a 2009 CareerBuilder survey, 47 percent of employers said that finding qualified applicants is their biggest hiring challenge. When asked to identify the most valuable characteristics in new hires, employers cited multitasking, initiative and creative problem-solving.

Do you lack what employers want? Yes, there are fewer jobs and there is more competition, but are you doing everything you can? Here are 10 reasons why employers might have looked you over.

1. You lie

Any lies you tell in your job search, whether on your résumé or in an interview, will come back to haunt you. In a 2008 CareerBuilder survey, 49 percent of hiring managers reported they caught a candidate lying on their résumé; of those employers, 57 percent said they automatically dismissed the applicant. Everything you tell an employer can be discovered, so it behooves you to be honest from the get-go. If you’re concerned about something in your past, invention is not the answer. Use your cover letter to tell your story, focusing on your strengths and accomplishments and explaining any areas of concern if needed.

2. You’ve got a potty mouth

It’s certainly tempting to tell anyone who will listen how big of a (insert expletive word here) your current boss is, but a hiring manager for a new job is not that person. A 2009 CareerBuilder survey showed that 44 percent of employers said that talking negatively about current or previous employers was one of the most detrimental mistakes a candidate can make. Find a way to turn those negative things job into positives. If you can’t get along with your co-workers, for example, tell the prospective employer that you’re looking for a work environment where you feel like you’re part of a team and your current position doesn’t allow for that kind of atmosphere.

3. You don’t show long-term potential

Employers want people in their organization to work their way up, so it’s best to show that you want to and can grow with the company. If you were asked where you see yourself in five years and you gave an answer that wasn’t related to the position or company you’re interviewing with, kiss your chances goodbye. Ask questions like, “What type of career movement do you envision for the most successful candidate in this role?” It shows that you have envisioned your future at the company.

4. You have serious digital dirt

Social networking sites and online searches are the newest way that many employers are checking up on prospective hires. A 2009 CareerBuilder survey showed that 45 percent of employers use social networking sites to research candidates. Thirty-five percent of those employers found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate. Make sure to remove any photos, content or links that can work against you in an employer’s eyes.

5. You don’t know … well, anything

In two separate 2009 CareerBuilder surveys, 58 percent of employers said that coming to the interview with no knowledge of the company was a turnoff, and 49 percent said that not asking good questions cost candidates a job offer. Plain and simple, do your homework before an interview. Explore the company online, prepare answers to questions and have someone give you a mock interview. The more prepared you are, the more employers will take you seriously.

6. You acted bored, cocky or disinterested

A little enthusiasm never hurt anyone, especially when it comes to a potential new job. Forty-five percent of employers in a 2009 CareerBuilder survey said that the biggest mistake candidates made in the interview was appearing disinterested and 42 percent said appearing arrogant cost applicants the job. Every business wants to put their most enthusiastic people forward with important clients and customers, so acting the opposite will get you nowhere.

7. You were a little too personal

Seventeen percent of employers said that candidates who provided too much personal information in the interview essentially blew their chances at the job, according to a 2009 CareerBuilder survey. Not only does personal information offend some people, but anytime you talk about topics such as your hobbies, race, age or religion, you’re setting yourself up for bias. Though it’s illegal for employers to discriminate against applicants because of any of these factors, some will do so, regardless.

8. You were all dollars, no sense

As a general rule of thumb, you should never bring up salary before the employer does. Doing so is tacky and makes the employer think that you care about the money involved, not about helping the employer succeed. If the topic does arise, however, be honest about your salary history. Employers can verify your salary in a matter of minutes these days, so lying only makes you look bad.

9. You didn’t — or can’t — give examples

Hiring managers want people who can prove that they will increase the organization’s revenues, decrease its costs, or help it succeed in some way. If all you give to an employer is a bunch of empty words about your accomplishments, you don’t show them how you can help them. In fact, 35 percent of employers said that the most detrimental mistake candidates make is not providing specific examples in the interview. The more you can quantify your work, the better.

10. You don’t have enough experience

Managers don’t have as much time as they used to train and mentor new employees. The more experience you have, the more likely you are to hit the ground running without a lot of hand-holding. The best way to show that you know what you’re doing is to give the employer concrete examples of your experience in a given job duty, as stated above.Tweet

Recently a small cargo ship named the MV Sun Sea arrived in British Columbia carrying nearly 500 Tamil migrants.

With Parliament  due to return in mid-September, one of the first tasks sitting MPs will be asked to act on is new legislation aimed at deterring human smuggling operations.

It seems that at least three measures aimed at combating people smuggling migrants into Canada are being considered.

• giving Canada the legal authority to stop illegal boats in international waters before they enter Canadian territory
• imposing tough criminal penalties for human trafficking on captains, crews and owners of ships carrying illegal migrants
• and seeking agreements with other nations, such as Sri Lanka, to interdict boats before they sail into the high seas.

Federal cabinet ministers will be examining the proposed legislation next week. News of the proposed changes come as senior officials warned of another boat in Sri Lankan waters that is expected to transport a group of Tamils to Canada. The officials said it’s possible that other boats may be preparing to make the same voyage.

These proposed changes follow on from last month when a small cargo ship named the MV Sun Sea arrived in British Columbia carrying nearly 500 Tamil migrants. The MV Sun Sea was the second vessel to arrive in Canada since a long-running civil war in Sri Lanka between the central government and Tamil rebels came to a violent end last year.Tweet

Jason Kenney encouraging officials in countries such as India, China and the Philippines to consider following its steps to crack down on crooked consultants.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is going straight to the source of most of Canada’s immigration to attack fraud in the system, encouraging officials in countries such as India, China and the Philippines to consider following its steps to crack down on crooked consultants.

Kenney will spend three days this week in India, where he will ask officials to focus more law-enforcement resources and share more information with Canada on “immigration fraudsters’’ who often charge applicants thousands of dollars and use fake documents to bolster their cases.

Mr. Kenney will also discuss ways to improve co-operation on finding and prosecuting crooked consultants when he visits China and the Philippines, which along with India make up the three largest sources of immigrants to Canada.

The Canadian provisions are designed to close a loophole that has been exploited by unscrupulous immigration consultants here at home. To allow the government closer oversight of the industry, Ottawa has simultaneously launched a public process to choose a new regulator for immigration consultants. But because much of the fraud and “exploitation’’ of vulnerable applicants happens abroad, Mr. Kenney said the government needs help from countries that make up the bulk of requests to visit or immigrate to Canada.

The government is also looking to keep tabs on what’s being done by Canadian and local officials in countries such as the Philippines, a well-known transit point for human smuggling, to stop ships of migrants from leaving ports in Southeast Asia for Canada undetected.

While he wouldn’t go into specifics, Mr. Kenney said he expects the issue will come up during his visit to Manila. Canada is seeking better co-operation in the region after the MV Sun Sea last month carried nearly 500 Tamils to British Columbia, where many are being detained as they seek refugee status.Tweet

Universities across the country are offering workshops, seminars and tipsheets on social media etiquette to new students

Universities across the country are offering workshops, seminars and tipsheets on social media etiquette to new students, warning them of the potential consequences of posting every drunken moment online.

“They should think about what they do online as something they have to be comfortable talking about with their grandkids, 50 years from now,” said Jason Nolan, an assistant professor at Toronto’s Ryerson University.

“I’ve been working with youth who are making (online) statements and I’m thinking, ‘man, this is going to be around forever. What if you end up running for prime minister?’ ”

Nolan then laughed as he remembered reading a post by one teenager who wrote to another — in jest — “I’ll kill you.”

It’s just those kinds of flippant online comments that’s a concern for schools wanting their students to succeed.

Ryerson has offered a tipsheet for new students this year, with recommendations such as “keep your social networks separate from your professional networks.”

There’s also this terse reminder: “the Internet is timeless; a photo you post on the web will probably outlive you.”

Ryerson isn’t the only school to embark on teaching web etiquette.

The career centre at Toronto’s York University offers a workshop to students wanting to learn how to use social media to find jobs, which includes a component on how to present oneself professionally online. Carleton University in Ottawa offers a similar program through its career centre, and — at the request of faculty members — offers presentations to classes.

At Dalhousie University in Halifax, students who log-in to their internal email see an article posted to the web portal about online media titled, “Facebook: Don’t be so trusting.”

“Facebook has become so ubiquitous, that I think, ‘well, who doesn’t know about it?’ ” said Dwight Fischer, assistant vice-president of information technology services at the university.

“But we have a lot of students who are new to a large network, and being away from home, well those are the ones you got to be careful of.”

Dalhousie students are told to be “very, very careful.”

“It’s forever. Screw up and they can end up hurting their reputation,” Fischer added.

The University of British Columbia has dubbed the danger the “digital tattoo.”

The school has a website offering tips and workshops to help students think about their permanent presence online.

The University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., trains and encourages peer mentors to warn new students about the dangers of uploading compromising photos or tweeting libellous comments.

“We also let them know that it’s OK to approach a first-year student and say ‘hey, you know what, those pictures that you posted from your weekend maybe aren’t appropriate. They can come back and haunt you later in life,’ ” said Leslie Gloor Duncan, Western’s co-ordinator of university transitional programs.

But Sidneyeve Matrix, a professor of media at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said students are aware of privacy issues online and they realize parents, professors and future employers are scouring these sites.

“The Internet has a memory and there’s no do-overs in cyberspace, but what I focus on is how to use these tools so that you have a footprint online that is professional,” said Matrix, explaining how she encourages her own students to use social media.

Matrix said it’s unfortunate that Queen’s doesn’t have workshops or seminars to teach students how to harness the usefulness of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

“Generation Y is adept at using social media for entertainment and leisure, so maybe our job as educators is to encourage their digital literacy,” said Matrix.

For Nolan, young people may have been online since childhood, but they still need to learn how to negotiate privacy and personal information.

“I don’t think young people are nearly as tech savvy as they’ve been told they are,” said Nolan.

“You can’t see (social media) as a small, little private space for me and my own friends. You have to see it as something embedded in a much larger context.”Tweet

Looking for a home can be an exciting and exhilarating experience. But before you start your search, you first need to figure out where you want to live and what your housing needs will be both now and in the future.

To help you find the home that’s right for you, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) suggests you ask yourself the following questions:

• How large a home do you need? Do you need several bedrooms, more than one bathroom, a home office or a two-car garage?
• Are you planning on making any lifestyle changes in the near future, for example, are you planning on having children? Do you have teenagers who will be moving away soon? Or are you close to retirement, and looking to downsize to a smaller home? By clearly setting out your priorities in advance, you can help save yourself a great deal of time and trouble later.
• Are there any special features you’d like your home to have, such as air conditioning, a swimming pool or a spare room for a hobby?
• What kind of neighbourhood do you want to live in? Remember to take into account such features as how easy it will be to commute to work, whether your children will have a school close by, and how close you will be to family, friends and safe recreational areas and facilities.
• Would you prefer to live in a new home or a resale? New homes offer such advantages as more personalized choices, up-to-date appliances and finishings, and often lower maintenance costs. But resale homes can provide easier access to more established services and mature landscaping, and may save you from having to pay GST/HST on your purchase.
• What type of home would you feel most comfortable living in? The choices available on the market today range from single-family detached houses, semi-detached and duplexes to townhouses, modular homes and condominiums.

When you’re ready to start looking for a home, some good sources include newspapers, real estate magazines, the Internet, real estate agents and word of mouth. If you’ve decided which neighbourhoods you’re interested in, you can also spend a few days driving around them to look for new development sites or “For Sale” signs.

For more information on what features to look for and other factors associated with buying a home, visit www.cmhc.ca, search Homebuying Step-by-Step or call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642. For more than 60 years, CMHC has been Canada’s national housing agency and a source of objective, reliable housing expertise.

Source: CMHCTweet

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley

The federal government rushed through a last-minute change in its student loan funding in order to make sure 50,000 post-secondary students would have enough money to go to school this fall.

Legislation caps the amount Ottawa can have outstanding at any one time at $15 billion, and that limit was about to be breached this month, federal documents showed.

So Human Resources Minister Diane Finley quietly and quickly used an order-in-council on Aug. 20 to have the wording of that limit changed.

“Had this amendment not been made, the economic and social implications for those who would have been unable to pursue post-secondary education as a result could have been quite significant,” the minister’s analysis statement says.

The change fiddles with the wording of the $15-billion lending limit so that it no longer includes risk-shared loans that the government used to disburse in the 1990s.

So now, Ottawa has room to lend out an extra $2 billion as students head back to school next week. Federal officials figure they’ll only need about $300 million of that — enough to fund about 50,000 students, the government documents say.

But the documents also make it clear that the change is not a long-term fix for inadequate funding set aside to cover growing demand for student loans.

New legislation may be necessary, the documents say.

The sudden increase in demand for student loans was not foreseen. In an actuarial analysis of the Canada Student Loans Program, tabled just two months ago, officials did not expect to bump up against the $15-billion cap until 2015.

The actuaries’ report foresees a gradual rise in demand for loans, partly because tuitions are increasing, and partly because there are more students — especially in the wake of the recession.

But the report does not mention a sudden surge this summer.

Nor does the order-in-council explain why federal officials saw outstanding loans spike from $12.3 billion on July 31, to more than $15 billion less than two months later.

Officials pointed to the recent recession prompting more people to return to school for training as part of the reason for the unanticipated rise in loans outstanding.

Despite the last-minute reprieve for students, the Canadian Federation of Students is upset.

Issuing more loans on an ad-hoc basis does nothing to resolve the growing financial burden placed on students, and is only a temporary fix, says David Molenhuis, the association’s national chair.

“They’re trying to sweep the situation under the rug,” he said. “It’s telling that it was done at the absolutely last minute.”

He would rather see government make post-secondary education more affordable than increase students’ already huge debt loads.

“It’s a situation that’s increasingly unsustainable. It’s bad policy begetting bad policy,” said Molenhuis.

A spokesman for Finley, however, says the raising of the loan cap is just one more thing the federal government is doing to foster a better-educated workforce.

“As a result of the programs that our government has introduced, more students now have access and the flexibility they need to government programs so they can attend post-secondary education,” said spokesman Ryan Sparrow.Tweet

Alberta workers still fighting for rights

While Albertans enjoy this Labour Day weekend, recent news reports reveal there is still much to be done to protect vulnerable workers in the province.

“The Alberta government has once again missed an opportunity to save lives and prevent injuries to workers with its watered-down website on employer safety records,” says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, which represents 140,000 workers.

After nearly a decade of inaction, earlier this year Employment Minister Thomas Lukaszuk vowed to create a website to post the full safety records of employers, including violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Code. What the minister announced last week fell a long way short of his pledge by allowing code violations to remain clouded in secrecy.

Farm workers are likely to remain at risk in the workplace with reports that the government is set to ignore a provincial judge’s recommendations to include them in health, safety and employment standards legislation. After being asked by the Premier to investigate the workplace death of Kevan Chandler, Justice Peter Barley recommended that farm workers must be included in Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to prevent future workplace injuries and deaths.

The government appears to be favouring a safety-education campaign rather than providing the same protection in law offered to workers in other industries. Farm workers also have no access to the Workers’ Compensation Board and no right to join a union.

“Alberta remains the only province where farm workers are excluded from occupational health and safety laws, as well as legislation governing hours of work and overtime, statutory holidays, vacation pay, the right to refuse unsafe work, being informed of work-related dangers and compensation if they are injured on the job,” says McGowan. “In the nine years the Alberta government has said it is ‘consulting’ on how to improve safety for agricultural workers, 160 people have died on farm worksites.”

Meanwhile, a flawed Temporary Foreign Worker program that doesn’t work for foreign workers vulnerable to exploitation, for Alberta workers or employers continues to operate. “This program is so dysfunctional it probably has to be scrapped and replaced with something that works for employers and immigrants, instead of creating a disposable workforce,” says McGowan.Tweet

This pilot demonstrates an excellent partnership between the City, Toronto Community Housing and the residents

Residents of a Toronto Community Housing building will have easier access to the Internet under a year-long pilot project that is a collaboration between the City of Toronto and Toronto Community Housing.

“This pilot demonstrates an excellent partnership between the City, Toronto Community Housing and the residents. Through the hard work of staff in the Information & Technology division, Toronto Office of Partnerships and Toronto Community Housing, residents can enjoy free Internet access. I hope that we get a lot of positive input from this pilot so the City can explore the possibility of rolling this out to other Priority Investment Neighbourhoods,” said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East). The councillor brought the idea to the City after seeing a similar initiative implemented in San Francisco.

The City transferred the ownership of 30 retired laptops complete with licensed software to the Toronto Community Housing tenant group at 155 Sherbourne St. and established a wireless hotspot allowing residents to access the Web in and around the building. Tenant representatives have developed an internal process to sign out the laptops and established acceptable use policies.

Residents will also receive computer and software training.

“For some residents, this is their first real exposure to computers and the Internet, and this pilot is very exciting for them.  As they socialize with neighbours in the common area, they will be able to develop and improve computer skills, research job and training opportunities, and access information and services most of us take for granted. Computers and the internet are an important part of today’s world, and it is vital that no one is left behind,” said Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale).

“Toronto Community Housing is committed to supporting tenants so they can maintain successful tenancies. One of the best ways to achieve that success is by connecting tenants to opportunities like Internet access and computer training that can lead to gainful employment, career development and lifelong learning. We are delighted to be partners with the City of Toronto on this pilot project. What we learn will surely help our efforts to find new and innovative ways to build healthy communities,” said Mitzie Hunter, Chief Administrative Officer of Toronto Community Housing.

This initiative is part of the City of Toronto’s “Public Policy” Pilot Projects to provide free or low-cost Internet access to residents in Priority Investment Neighbourhoods. The 155 Sherbourne St. pilot will help determine the feasibility of possible future City of Toronto efforts to provide free or low-cost Internet access to residents of the 13 Priority Neighbourhoods for Investment.Tweet

Throughout the trial, researchers followed which group was more likely to influence people

People adopting new health practices are more likely to be influenced by close connections, including people they know well, than by social networks such as Facebook, research suggests.

Researchers at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted an elaborate experiment that involved trying to convince people to sign up for an internet-based health community.

Study leader Damon Centola, an assistant professor at MIT, says the result flies in the face of conventional wisdom.

“For about 35 years, wisdom in the social sciences has been that the more long ties there are in a network, the faster a thing will spread,” he said.

“It’s startling to see that this is not always the case.”

Centola placed 1,528 people into one of two distinct social networks. One network featured so-called long ties, a large group of relatively unrelated people, the other a more tightly focused group with people who shared common interests.

Throughout the trial, researchers followed which group was more likely to influence people to join an online health forum website and how quickly it took participants to join. In the more focused group, 54 per cent joined the forum compared to 38 per cent in the other group. The rate of adoption was also four times faster in the focused group.

Centola says his work shows that groups built around closer ties work best at disseminating information or behaviours than larger, more random groups.Tweet

Most Canadians surveyed did say they see good times ahead, but there was little agreement about when that will happen.

Canadians grew even more uncertain about their finances in August as job losses mounted and the U.S. economy appeared to remain on shaky ground says new survey.

The August Harris-Decima and Investor’s Group consumer confidence index fell to 82.4 from the last reading of 85.9 in May.  About 26 per cent said in August they expected to be better off financially in a year, with only 14 per cent expecting to be worse off. That was slightly worse than in May, when 27 per cent said they were optimistic about things getting better during the year ahead.

Most Canadians surveyed did say they see good times ahead, but there was little agreement about when that will happen. A majority of 55 per cent said they believe there will be good times financially for the Canadian economy in the next five years, with only 32 per cent saying they think things will get worse.

Canadians were, however, more optimistic than their southern neighbours, where the confidence index dropped to 68.9 from 73.6 recorded in May.Tweet

As the kids return to school police throughout the provinces are asking drivers to make smart decisions

As a new school year begins, ICBC and police throughout the province (s) are asking drivers to make smart decisions: plan ahead, drive with extra caution and watch out for children. Every year in B.C., there’s an average of 16,655 crashes, 5350 injuries and 36 deaths involving children.*

“The most important thing to remember is that these crashes are preventable, which means we can all play a role in making our roads safer,” said Nicolas Jimenez, ICBC’s director of road safety.

“Back to school is an exciting time for kids,” adds Jimenez. “As parents, we can help by reviewing our kids’ daily routes, the rules of the road and how they can make smart decisions.”

Jamie Chung, RCMP media relations officer agrees, “We really need drivers to do their part, slow down and watch out for kids. Police will be out in full force, monitoring the 30 km/h school zones throughout the province to make sure that kids get off to a safe start this school year.”

Drivers should also be aware that starting Sept. 20, new changes to the Motor Vehicle Act will trigger a seven day impoundment of their vehicle if they are caught speeding 40 km or more over the posted speed limit.

Teachers have also been contributing to road safety awareness – last year more than 1,600 teachers in B.C. ordered ICBC’s free school-based curriculum materials for students in kindergarten to grade 12. ICBC has invested in road safety education for the past 30 years, and this year all school materials have been updated.

“We’re excited about the new materials – teachers can order these free materials which provide age-appropriate, fun and interactive road safety lessons,” said Jimenez. “We focus on pedestrian and bike safety for children and incorporate more hard-hitting messages about the risks of impaired or distracted driving for teens.”

In addition, ICBC has designed a new youth contest, “YOUR AD HERE”, enabling high school students and schools to get involved by designing a road safety ad to be featured on next year’s high school agendas.

Here are ICBC’s smart driving tips for drivers and parents:

Tips for parents and students

Consider posting these safety tips somewhere in your home and review them with your kids – even older children need to be reminded about road safety.

No. 1: Remove your headphones; put away your phone, MP3 player or other gadgets when crossing a street. Focus your full attention on the road so you can see, hear and respond safely.

No. 2: Use designated crossing points and follow pedestrian traffic signs and signals. Make eye contact with drivers, so you both know you see each other. The most common road safety error made by kids is not finding a safe place to cross. Teach your child to cross at intersections that have a pedestrian crossing light or a marked crosswalk whenever possible.

No. 3: Dress to be seen. Wear bright or light coloured clothing. In dark or bad weather, wear reflective material on clothes or accessories.

No. 4: Always walk on the inside edge of the sidewalk – away from the road. This way, you’re further away from the traffic. If there is no sidewalk, always walk facing traffic so you can see oncoming vehicles and drivers can see you.

No. 5: Be aware of parked vehicles in parking lots and on the road. Drivers may not see you between parked vehicles and you may not see them moving. Before crossing or walking through a parking lot, stop and look left-right-left around the parked vehicle and avoid taking unnecessary shortcuts through parking lots.

Tips for drivers

When school is in session, a 30 km/h school zone speed limit is in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every school day, unless otherwise posted. Also, remember that vehicles approaching from both directions must stop for school buses when their lights are flashing.

No. 1: Plan ahead and be alert. Driving routes with less traffic in the summer may now face congestion, so give yourself extra time to get to your destination. Take your time and don’t rush – especially through intersections. Look for children especially near or around crosswalks and intersections.

No. 2: Always yield to pedestrians – it’s the law.

No. 3: When dropping off children in a school zone, stop and allow them to exit on the side of the car closest to the sidewalk. Never allow a child to cross mid-block.

No. 4: If a vehicle is stopped in front of you or in the lane next to you, they may be yielding for a pedestrian, so be prepared to stop.

No. 5: Always watch for pedestrians when you’re backing up. Before you get into your vehicle, make it a habit to walk around your vehicle to ensure no small kids are behind it. And remember, children notice your driving behaviour, so set an example and drive smart.Tweet

Aboriginal workers can help sustain labour force growth

As Labour Day approaches, a shortage in the Canadian workforce looms, and it is expected to hit as early as 2012. Increasing the presence of currently underrepresented groups in the Canadian labour force – such as Aboriginal peoples – would alleviate some of the shortfall.

A Conference Board of Canada analysis, however, reveals that even if the rate of Aboriginal participation in the workforce rose to the national average, a significant labour shortage would continue to exist. More effective immigration policies and higher immigration levels should be viewed as crucial ways to support Canadian economic growth in the medium and long term.

“Bringing more members of currently under-represented groups into our workforce is important for the economy as a whole and to the social and economic prospects for those individuals and communities,” said Glen Hodgson, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist, and author of Sustaining the Canadian Labour Force: Alternatives to Immigration.

“Nevertheless, an increased Aboriginal presence will not by itself resolve the coming decline in Canada’s overall potential economic growth.”

Aboriginal peoples represent a rapidly-growing segment of the Canadian population.  If the labour force participation rate among the current Aboriginal population increased to the national average, it would eventually add 46,000 people to the workforce, based on the 2006 census. Achieving this objective would require an array of policy actions that encourage education and skill development, starting with efforts to raise the high school graduation rate among Aboriginal peoples to the national average.

The Conference Board’s long-term economic forecast assumes that immigration levels will reach about 350,000 by 2030, compared to current levels of about 250,000. Even if the number of immigrants increases to this level, significant growth in productivity is required to grow Canada’s potential output beyond 1.7 per cent annually by 2026.

Read the full reportTweet

Hair shows chronic stress link to heart attacks

A report shows that chronic stress plays an important role in heart attacks, according to an Israeli-Canadian study of stress hormone levels in hair.

Ongoing psychological stressors such as job strain, marital problems and financial stress have been linked to a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease including heart attacks, but not all studies have found such links.

Some studies used questionnaires that asked people to recall stress levels, which might be difficult to remember accurately. Scientists have been looking for a biological marker to test the role of chronic stress in heart attacks.

Cortisol, a hormone secreted in higher levels during times of stress, is traditionally measured in blood, urine or saliva. But those measurements reflect stress only at a certain period of time, not long stretches.

Hair, however, captures cortisol levels over a longer period, said study author Dr. Gideon Koren, who holds the Ivey chair in molecular toxicology at the University of Western Ontario in London.

Since hair grows one centimetre per month on average, a six-centimetre- long hair sample can show cortisol levels over six months, he said.

“It gives us for the first time a biological marker for chronic stress,” Koren said.

The hair shaft records cortisol levels through time, similar to the way tree rings reflect age.

Managing stress

In the study, published in the online issue of the journal Stress, researchers collected three-centimetre-long hair samples from 56 men admitted to the Meir Medical Centre in Kfar-Saba, Israel, suffering heart attacks or acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

A control group of 56 who were treated in hospital for reasons other than a heart attack also provided hair samples.

“In conclusion, hair cortisol concentrations were found to be elevated in the three months prior to the event in patients admitted with AMI, than in controls,” the study’s authors wrote.

“Hair cortisol measurements can be used to identify patients at high risk for AMI who may benefit from strategies targeted to manage chronic stress, and as an impetus for more aggressive treatment of other modifiable risk factors.”

Risk factors like hypertension, smoking and family history were similar in both groups, but the heart attack patients had more cholesterol problems.

After taking known risk factors into account, hair cortisol levels was the strongest predicator of heart attack, the researchers said.

The study has implications for doctors, since stress can be managed with lifestyle changes and psychotherapy, Koren said.

Lou Eisen, a Toronto man who had a heart attack five years ago, said he felt under so much stress at the time that his hair “may have exploded.”

Eisen said the test sounds simple to do and likely well worth it.

The researchers also plan to test cortisol levels in the hair of women.

The study was funded by Physician Services Inc. and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The test is not patented.Tweet

With the fall upon us, now is a good time to start planning that next adventure.

With the fall upon us, now is a good time to start planning that next adventure. Whether preparing to embark on a great fall drive or a relaxing weekend getaway, Days Inns – Canada offers some useful tips for a hassle-free journey.

Plan Ahead: Research your destination and remember to book hotel reservations well in advance. Look for national hotel chains like Days Inn that cater to seniors, with amenities including a free Daybreak Café breakfast at most locations and free high-speed Internet access.

Give Yourself A Budget: Your next vacation doesn’t have to break the bank. Simply decide on the type of accommodations that you’ll enjoy and set aside a realistic budget. Be on the lookout for travel deals such as senior discounts, best rate guarantees and vacation packages. Remember to pack your proof of age identity card and any senior club membership cards.

Security On The Road: Before departing, make sure you have enough insurance coverage. Always carry your supplemental travel and health insurance policy with you and review all insurance requirements before you leave. Keep the telephone number of your insurer handy in case of emergency.

Play It Safe: Pack any medications or prescriptions in your carry-on bag and bring along enough medication to last you the entire trip. Visit your doctor to learn about potential travel health risks before you begin your trip and consider preparing a first aid kit for the road.

Stay Connected: It’s a good idea to send your upcoming travel itinerary to a friend or relative so someone will always know your whereabouts. Be sure to carry a prepaid phone card or cell phone so you can keep in touch from the road.

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Albert put's a freeze on two immigration streams

The province of Alberta has put a freeze on two of the streams of its Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)

What’s suspended?
The Family Stream and the US Visa Holder Category have both been temporarily suspended, until further notice.

Why have they been suspended?

The current job market and economic conditions are responsible for this temporary cancelation.

What do I need to do?

If you have submitted your application for one of these streams before 23 August, it will still be processed.

“We will continue to process applications for people who have the skills our growing economy needs,” says Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Employment and Immigration for the province of Alberta.

The province is shifting the focus of the program to nominating people who currently work in permanent jobs and/or who have job offers in occupations that are considered in-demand.

The AINP will continue to accept applications under the following streams of its provincial nomination program:

• Skilled workers
• Semi-skilled workers in certain occupations
• International students
• Compulsory trades
• Engineering occupations
• Self-employed farmers

For more information about the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, visit albertacanada.com/ainp.Tweet

Betty Fox says the spirit of her son lives on in the hearts of many Canadians.

Betty Fox says the spirit of her son lives on in the hearts of many Canadians. The Terry Fox Foundation is marking the 30th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope with a new cancer research fundraising initiative.

An online auction will allow Canadians to bid on 30 pairs of Medallist Edition replica shoes signed by Canadian Olympians and Paralympians from the Vancouver Games.

The shoes, bearing the signatures of such athletes as Kristina Groves, Clara Hughes and Jasey-Jay Anderson, will be on sale on eBay from Sept. 7-21.

Canadians can also buy 30th anniversary shoelaces for $5 at Adidas stores across Canada, or through the foundation. The 30th annual run is set for Sept. 19. When he started out in St. John’s on April 12, 1980, Terry Fox planned to run a marathon a day — about 40 kilometres — until he made it to the West Coast.

Five months later he had reached Thunder Bay, Ontario, where the cancer that had claimed his right leg was diagnosed in his lungs.

Fox died on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22. He is celebrated as one of Canada’s most beloved heroes while his feat is honoured with runs around the globe. His name adorns schools, roadways and statues.Tweet

Biking Canada the top 10 list

You can see a great deal of Canada at highway speed, sure, but imagine how much more of it you’ll see at human speed. Spurred by an increase in awareness of healthy and active living—coupled with a spreading environmental consciousness—more visitors to Canada are bringing their wheels with them when they come. They’re exploring cities, cruising farms and wineries, venturing into the backcountry or sampling our daring lift-serviced downhill parks. Here, 10 places to put some mettle to the pedals.

1. If you live for long, gruelling, bug-chewing, thigh-mashing climbs, don’t bother visiting Prince Edward Island. This is a casual cyclist’s paradise, with long country back roads that thread past ocean beaches and through pastoral farmlands, never rising more than 142 m (466 ft) above sea level. If you don’t want to box up your own wheels, more than 25 rental shops will set you up with any kind of bike, including tandems and trail-a-bike third-wheel rigs for the kids. Visit Prince Edward Island.

2. The Route verte isn’t so much a designed cycling trail as it is a network of trails that crisscross Quebec. Some sections of the 4,000-km (2,485-mi) route wind through city streets; others traverse villages and country lanes along the St. Lawrence River. If you want to sample a bit of the route without bringing your bike, try Bixi, a brand-new system of pay-per-use rental bikes throughout downtown Montréal. Visit Quebec.

3. Cycling in Saskatchewan? Sure; though the prairie is indeed flat as a cake pan, cyclists have long enjoyed the secret that is Highway 56, which winds through the lush 2.5-km-wide (1.6-mi-wide) Qu’Appelle Valley, just a few clicks north of the Trans-Canada Highway. Roadies make their way along the Fishing Lakes chain comprised of Pasqua, Echo, Mission and Katepwa lakes—and through the small communities of Fort Qu’Appelle, Lebret and Katepwa Point Provincial Park. It’s a multi-day tour through one of the nation’s hidden treasures, with Saskatoon berries, bridges, rivers and smiles all along the way. Visit Saskatchewan.

4. Like many backcountry routes, British Columbia’s Kettle Valley Rail Trail follows a long-abandoned right-of-way around gentle curves and up forgiving climbs—the kind of ride where scenery outweighs adrenaline. Well, mostly. The route’s thrilling Myra Canyon segment, about 80 km (50 mi) east of Penticton, ducks into tunnels and crosses 18 high steel-and-wood trestle bridges spanning roaring creeks and gullies. Visit British Columbia.

5. Nova Scotia’s classic Cabot Trail clicks with cyclists for the same reason it’s beloved by motorists: sweeping North Atlantic panoramas, authentic rural fishing villages, beaches and rolling green hills with whales blowing offshore. Note the terrain on this 300-km (186-mi) loop around Cape Breton Island can be quite challenging; this is a touring adventure nonpareil. Visit Nova Scotia.

6. Access museums, galleries, restaurants and public markets, roam forests and farm landscapes, and watch sailboats navigate 19th-century canal locks via the Capital Pathway, a well-developed network of loops and dedicated cycling trails in and around Ottawa, ON. Similarly, the provincial capital of Toronto has an impressive cycling network; the city’s Bikeway Network will have more than 1,000 km (621 mi) of cycling routes that once completed will connect you with greenways, waterfront parks, etc. Visit Ontario.

7. Thanks to The Bike Train, Ontario is emerging as a leading North American cycle-touring destination. The service connects cyclists arriving in Toronto with the wineries and waterways of the Ontario countryside by way of Via Rail—Canada’s passenger railway—which has outfitted several baggage cars to accept bicycles. Take the train, bring your bike, spend a night, explore any number of loop rides, then ride the rails back to town. Visit Ontario.

8. Boréale Mountain Biking—the Yukon’s dedicated bike outfitter—brings knobby tires out onto the tundra. Stay in yurts just across the river from Whitehorse and drop in on hundreds of kilometres of fast single-track. The company also leads trips to Carcross, a historic Klondike Gold Rush town, where mountain biking has become a catalyst for cultural and economic revival with the area’s First Nations residents. Visit Yukon.

9. Spot moose, elk and black bears as you pedal the escarpment, boreal forests and southern boreal plains in western Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park. Try taking the easy Central Trail out to Whitewater Lake to see the remnants of a World War II prisoner-of-war camp, where you can still see concrete foundations and a few dugout canoes—carved by German prisoners to pass away the days. Visit Manitoba.

10. Alberta fat-tire aficionados rack up their rides and head for Kananaskis Country, a region of jaw-dropping Rocky Mountain peaks, lakes and rolling foothills (Hello, “Brokeback Mountain”!) in the province’s southwest corner. On offer: more than 300 km (186 mi) of fire roads and single-track, like the famous Big Elbow-Little Elbow, a 45-km (28-mi) loop around a mountain that follows roller-coaster fire roads over creeks and gullies, with views of the jagged Opal Range. Visit Alberta.

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre & their news staffTweet

Toronto is speed trap capital of North America

Drivers in Toronto should keep their eyes peeled for speed traps around every corner, according to the National Motorist Association’s annual list of “Worst North American Speed Trap Cities“.

Toronto ranked first overall in North America on the list compiled with data from the association’s National Speed Trap Exchange, where drivers from the U.S. and Canada can report locations where police regularly look for speeders.

Toronto has more reported speed trap zones than Los Angeles, New York City and Montreal combined, but Sgt. Tim Burrows of Toronto Traffic Services told CTV.ca that the city also has one of the lowest traffic injury and fatality rates of the top cities on the list.

Sgt. Burrows said of the list: “The more awareness about our officers making Toronto roads safer, the better. After all, heavy speed enforcement makes for safer roads.”

He explained that Toronto police set up speed traps in areas where the public have complained of unsafe traffic, or where analysis of car accidents has determined speed was a factor in the collision.

Canadian Cities that made the list:

Alberta
Calgary (Worst Overall)
Lethbridge (Worst under 100k)

British Columbia
Vancouver (Worst Overall)
Victoria (Worst under 100k)

Manitoba
Winnipeg (Worst Overall)
Portage la Prairie (Worst under 100k)

New Brunswick
Moncton (Worst Overall)
Moncton (Worst under 100k)

Newfoundland
St. John’s (Worst Overall)
Corner Brook (Worst under 100k)

Nova Scotia
Dartmouth (Worst Overall)
Dartmouth (Worst under 100k)

Ontario
Toronto (Worst Overall)
Brantford (Worst under 100k)

Quebec
Montreal (Worst Overall)
Brossard (Worst under 100k)

Saskatchewan
Saskatoon (Worst Overall)
Moose Jaw (Worst under 100k)

To view information on over 60,000 specific speed trap reports by city, state or province, you can visit the Exchange at www.speedtrap.org.Tweet

57 per cent of Canadians feel they have more job security today than they did a year ago

What a difference a year makes. Canadians are feeling more relaxed this Labour Day, with well over half saying they are more secure in their jobs now compared to a year ago, according to the second annual Labour Day poll.

The survey found 57 per cent of Canadians feel they have more job security today than they did a year ago; 29 per cent feel less secure. This is a significant increase from a year ago, when just 46 per cent of those surveyed by Monster said they felt more secure in their jobs, and 38 percent less secure.

“We’re seeing much higher comfort levels than we did a year ago,” said Peter Gilfillan, Senior Vice President of International Sales and General Manager of Monster Canada. “Canadians are satisfied with their jobs and are feeling more secure, although many are still a little uneasy about the economy.”

Job Security Levels Way Up Ontario

• Canadians living in Manitoba and Saskatchewan enjoy the highest feeling of job security at 69 per cent.
• Ontario saw the biggest improvement in job security. As many as 55 per cent of Ontarians say they are more confident in their job security this year compared to 41 per cent who said the same last Labour Day.
• Across the rest of the country, 63 per cent of Quebecers, 56 per cent of Albertans, 54 per cent of people living in Atlantic Canada, and 52 per cent of those in B.C. feel more secure about their jobs now than they did a year ago.

The biggest risk to Canadians’ sunny sentiment this Labour Day is the fear of recession. Almost 1 in 2 Canadians (46 per cent) think Canada will slide into another recession next year, while 47 per cent are more hopeful.

The fear factor is highest in Ontario and B.C. at 52 per cent and the lowest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan where only 35 per cent are worried about another recession.

Whine of the Times

The economy has picked up, but so has the whining from a generation of younger workers. A majority, (69 per cent) of workers aged 18 to 24 say single people are more likely to be asked to work nights and weekends than married people. However, more than half of married people surveyed say they do not feel employers discriminate against single or childless people in either formal or informal ways.

“Work-life balance is becoming priority one for more Canadians,” said John Kervin, Sociology Professor at the University of Toronto. “But there’s a price, and it seems young, single workers may be the ones paying it by picking up the slack.”

Balance the Biggest Pay Off

Canadians across all income brackets put a high price on work-life balance. The vast majority of Canadians, 82 per cent, say they’d take a pay cut to guarantee a job with work-life balance. When Canadians were asked what’s most important in their job, one in three (34 per cent) said work-life balance is most important.

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84 per cent of the country's small businesses agree that employees should be protected from being forced to pay union dues

A survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has found that 84 per cent of the country’s small businesses agree that employees should be protected from being forced to pay union dues in unionized workplaces. These views are consistent with those of most Canadians who favour an employee-led approach to union dues, and suggest that it’s time to reconsider the laws that govern workplaces in Canada.

“When it comes to forcing workers to join the union and to pay union dues Canada increasingly stands alone,” said CFIB President Catherine Swift. “In virtually all other major economies, including Europe and the United States, workers have the choice, a fact that often surprises Canadians who believe our approach to mandatory union dues is in the international mainstream.”

Employees in virtually all unionized workplaces in Canada are required to pay full union dues regardless of whether or not they want to be an actual member of the union. In some provinces, paying dues where a union exists is mandatory. In most jurisdictions, however, legislation gives unions a guarantee upon demand that dues be deducted by an employer or is negotiated by unions and employers.

“It’s high time that we took a closer look at our laws that seem to cater to the wishes of union leaders, but rarely, if ever, to the rights of employees – ironic given they are the most affected party,” added Swift. “In fact, a poll taken in 2008 found that most Canadians support the European model, where employees who choose not to belong to a union either pay less dues or none at all.”

In countries where the individual rights of employees are respected the benefits include a more satisfied and productive workforce and a stronger economy. With Labour Day upon us, CFIB is calling on governments across Canada to engage in meaningful consultations aimed at giving all workers the opportunity to fully exercise their individual right to associate and, as importantly, not to associate.Tweet