Factories are desperate for skilled workers
The shortage of skilled workers in Canada's industrial sector is reaching a new intensity, with many factory owners saying the lack of talent is hindering the growth of their companies.
"It's getting worse every year," says Doug Kamphuys at Ellesmere Fabricators Ltd., a custom steel fabricator that makes massive smokestacks and other metalwork for hospitals and waste-water treatment plants.
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The difficulty in finding workers such as welders, tool and die makers, machinists and millwrights has long been a problem for industrial companies, such as those clustered along Nugget Ave. in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, where Ellesmere Fabricators is located. But now, as the industrial work force turns increasingly grey, the skilled-worker shortage has become the top concern for many factory owners. A recent survey by the Ontario Skilled Trades Alliance reported that 41 per cent of employers would hire more people if they could find those with the skills they needed. Full story
Indigenous entrepreneurs collaborate at B.C.'s Songhees Innovation Centre
For Ojibwa technology entrepreneur Jeff Ward, finding a reasonably-priced space to work and collaborate with fellow Indigenous programmers hasn't been easy. Office space in Victoria, where his digital communications and software company Animikii Indigenous Technology is based, can be expensive for startups. There are few dedicated spaces in the city, or in the entire province for that matter, for tech-focused First Nations entrepreneurs. Full story
Major revamp gives Interac a chance to compete against rivals
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After more than a decade of frustration and false starts, Canadian payments processor Interac has succeeded at overhauling its corporate structure in an effort to funnel more money toward developing new ways to pay. Full story (Globe subscribers)
Cancer forces Suzanne West, CEO of clean-energy startup, to put plans to change world on hold – temporarily
Suzanne West's story has been one of reinvention, for herself and for the energy industry she's sought to make more environmentally sustainable. Now the Calgary-based entrepreneur faces a new and difficult chapter after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Full story
Alberta moves to block B.C.'s wine imports in dispute over Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
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Premier Rachel Notley has instructed Alberta's alcohol regulator to block about $70-million worth of wine imports from British Columbia in retaliation for proposed rules that would effectively prevent Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Full story
Bags, pouches, boxes – cannabis packaging offers opportunity
Kevin Bryldt and Carol Alexandruk are confident their packaging firm is ahead of the game in the recreational marijuana market, even though the rules of that game haven't yet been set. Full story
City approves 10% cap on property tax hikes for business
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City council has approved a 10-per-cent cap on property tax increases for businesses, following an outcry from shop owners on Yonge Street and elsewhere that were slapped with skyrocketing tax hikes based on soaring assessment values. Full story
Minimum wage hike 'right' thing to do, minister tells skeptical Cambridge business owners
Ontario's economic development minister told a roomful of Cambridge employers on Thursday that raising the minimum wage was the right thing to do, but a business leader says local companies are struggling to cope with its impact. Full story
Tokyo Smoke goes public as cannabis companies eye retail
In six months, buying a gram of weed won't be that much more difficult, for adults in some provinces at least, than picking up your morning cappuccino. What company becomes the Starbucks of the industry, however, remains to be seen. Full story