Alberta Facing ‘Two Years of Tough Times,’ Conference Board of Canada Says

In January, the Conference Board of Canada warned that Alberta could slip into recession and today, opinion regarding the province’s economy remains unchanged. Speaking to the board’s Western Business Outlook event on Tuesday in Edmonton, the conference board chief economist Glen Hodgson said, “My fear is that the forecast is still a little bit too
Read more
No Comments

Alberta Criticized for Using Secret List to Assess TFW Applicants(Audio)

Alberta’s nominee program has been criticized for its lack of transparency while choosing temporary foreign workers who would be allowed to stay in Canada permanently. The province had used a confidential list of 34 occupations last year to determine which workers will stay on. According to Clarizze Truscott of the Temporary Foreign Workers Support Coalition,
Read more
No Comments

Critics Demand More Transparency Around New Temporary Foreign Worker Measures(Audio)

Due to one-time bridging measures quietly rolled out this week, only a small fraction of temporary foreign workers in Alberta will qualify for an extended stay in Canada, the federal government says. A lack of clarity is causing heightened anxiety among the thousands of vulnerable workers that want to find a solution before the looming
Read more
No Comments

Canada’s Job Market Battles Uncertainty

Canada’s job market is expected to see a flat growth rate, with oil companies shedding jobs as other sectors create new ones. The layoffs in the oil sector are going to significantly impact the unemployment rate in the province, say experts. The Canadian economy has been nearing recession in Alberta due to collapsing prices of
Read more
No Comments

Alberta to Face Critical Labor Shortage Due to Changes in Temporary Foreign Workers Program

Experts have warned that Alberta, which accounts for 26% of the country’s employment growth, may face a shortage of up to 96,000 workers by 2023 due to the changes introduced in the Temporary Foreign Workers Program in June 2014. Alberta’s unemployment rate stands at just 4.7% and it even has 100,000 workers from other provinces.
Read more
No Comments

Alberta Job Vacancy Rate the Highest in Canada

Alberta had the highest rate of unfilled jobs in the country in the third quarter of this year, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. In a new report, the group said 66,700 positions in the private sector were unfilled in the quarter, for a job vacancy rate of 3.9 per cent. Saskatchewan’s vacancy
Read more
No Comments

Alberta Wants Ottawa to Lift Cap on Number of Immigrants Nominated for Permanent Jobs

Alberta wants the federal government to allow nomination of a greater number of economic immigrants for permanent residence so it can better meet its growing labour needs. According to Jobs Minister Ric McIver, the province has sent a letter to federal Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. “I would like the federal government to take
Read more
No Comments

With Strongest Projected Growth, Alberta is Most Favorable for Small Businesses

According to a report by CIBC World Markets, Alberta has the strongest projected growth along with good demographics and immigration trends, making it the most favorable place in Canada for small businesses to flourish. The Deputy Chief Economist at CIBC Benjamin Tal believes that these characteristics “offer a steady stream of future entrepreneurs and workers
Read more
No Comments

Clarifying the Responsibilities of Service Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency in regard to Assessing a Temporary Foreign Worker’s Eligibility to Work in Alberta in a Compulsory Certification Trade Position

Operational Bulletin 434 – July 09, 2012 Clarifying the Responsibilities of Service Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency in regard to Assessing a Temporary Foreign Worker’s Eligibility to Work in Alberta in a Compulsory Certification Trade Position Summary This Operational Bulletin (OB) provides information about the manner in which officers
Read more
No Comments

Alberta’s ‘red hot economy’ needs more temporary foreign workers to meet demand, Jim Prentice says

   Alberta Premier Jim Prentice says time is becoming a critical factor in solving the temporary foreign worker shortage, but he dismissed criticism that an exploitative province is to blame.Prentice plans soon to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss, among other issues, the temporary foreign worker changes that he says have hit Alberta’s
Read more
No Comments