Canada – OECD Better Life Initiative part-1


Canada performs exceptionally well in measures of well-being, as shown by the fact that it ranks among the top countries in a large number of topics in the Better Life Index.
Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Canada, the average household earned 27 015 USD in 2008, more than the OECD average.
In terms of employment, nearly 72% of people aged 15 to 64 in Canada have a paid jobPeople in Canada work 1699 hours a year, less than most in the OECD. 71% of mothers are employed after their children begin school, suggesting that women are able to successfully balance family and career.
Having a good education is an important requisite to finding a job. In Canada, 87% of adults aged 25 to 64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school diploma, much higher than the OECD average. Canada is a top-performing country in terms of the quality of its educational system. The average student scored 524 out of 600 in reading ability according to the latest PISA student-assessment programme, higher than the OECD average.
In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Canada is 80.7 years, more than one year above the OECD average. The level of atmospheric PM10 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs – is 15 micrograms per cubic meter, and is lower than levels found in most OECD countries.
Concerning the public sphere, there is a strong sense of community but only moderate levels of civic participation in Canada. 95% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in a time of need, higher than the OECD average of 91%. Voter turnout, a measure of public trust in government and of citizens' participation in the political process, was 60% during recent elections; this figure is lower than the OECD average of 72%. In regards to crime, only 1% of people reported falling victim to assault over the previous 12 months.
When asked, 78% of people in Canada said they were satisfied with their life, much higher than the OECD average of 59%.
These findings are based on data from 2008 or later.
In many OECD countries, home ownership is an important dimension of individual well-being. It protects owners from fluctuations in rents and ensures families a stable and secure shelter. Additionally, the value of a property represents a major source of wealth for households. Over 65% of occupied dwellings in Canada are inhabited by the owners themselves, close to the OECD-23 average of 67%. In addition to measuring home ownership rates, it is also important to examine living conditions, such as the average number of rooms shared per person and whether households have access to basic facilities.The number of rooms in a dwelling, divided by the number of persons living there, indicates whether residents are living in crowded conditions. Overcrowded housing may have a negative impact on physical and mental health, relations with others and the development of children. 
In addition, dense living conditions are often a sign of inadequate water and sewage supply. In Canada, the average home contains 2.5 rooms per person, more than the OECD average of 1.6 rooms per person and the highest rate in the OECD. In terms of basic facilities, only 0.9% of dwellings in Canada lack private access to indoor flushing toilets, much less than the OECD average of 2.8% dwellings.
While money may not buy happiness, it is an important means to achieving higher living standards and thus greater well-being. Higher economic wealth may also improve access to quality education, healthcare and housing.Household net disposable income is the amount of money that a household earns each year after tax. It represents the money available to a household for spending on goods or services. In Canada, the average household disposable income is 27 015 USDa year, higher than the OECD average of 22 284 USD.
Household financial wealth is the total value of a household’s financial worth. Ideally, measures of household wealth should include real assets (e.g. land and dwellings), but such information is currently available for only a small number of OECD countries. In Canada, the average household wealth is estimated at 59 479 USD, higher than the OECD average of 36 808 USD. While the ideal measure of household wealth should include real assets (e.g. land and dwellings), such information is currently available for only a small number of OECD countries.
Having a job brings many important benefits, including: providing a source of income, improving social inclusion, fulfilling one’s own aspirations, building self-esteem and developing skills and competencies. In Canada, nearly 72% of the working-age population aged 15 to 64 has a paid job. This figure is higher than the OECD employment average of 65%.
Unemployed persons are defined as those who are not currently working but are willing to do so and actively searching for work. Long-term unemployment can have a large negative effect on feelings of well-being and self-worth and result in a loss of skills, further reducing employability. In Canada, the percentage of the labour force that has been unemployed for a year or longer is currently at 0.97%, lower than the OECD average.
Humans are social creatures. The frequency of our contact with others and the quality of our personal relationships are thus crucial determinants of our well-being.A strong social network, or community, can provide emotional support during both good and bad times as well as provide access to jobs, services and other material opportunities. In Canada, 95% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in a time of need, higher than the OECD average. 66% reported having helped a stranger in the last month, the highest figure in the OECD.A weak social network can result in limited economic opportunities, a lack of contact with others, and eventually, feelings of isolation. Socially isolated individuals face difficulties integrating into society as a contributing member and fulfilling personal aspirations. Nearly 6% of people in Canada reported ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ spending time with friends, colleagues or others in social settings; this figure is low. A well-educated and well-trained population is essential for a country’s social and economic well-being. Education plays a key role in providing individuals with the knowledge, skills and competences needed to participate effectively in society and in the economy.  Most concretely, having a good education greatly improves the likelihood of finding a job and earning enough money. Across OECD countries, men with university-level degrees are 16% more likely to find jobs, and women are 30% more likely.   Lifetime earnings also increase with each level of education.
Following a decline in manual labour over previous decades, employers now favour a more educated labour force.  High-school graduation rates therefore provide a good indication of whether a country is preparing its students to meet the minimum requirements of the job market.   In Canada, 87% of adults aged 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, much higher than the OECD average of 73%. Among younger people – a better indicator of Canada’s future – 92% of 25-34 year-olds have earned the equivalent of a high-school degree, again much higher than the OECD average of 80%.
But graduation rates, while important, speak little to the quality of education received. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reviews the extent to which students have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies.  In 2009, PISA focused on examining students’ reading ability, as research shows that reading skills are more reliable predictors of economic and social well-being than the number of years spent in school.
Canada is a top-performing OECD country in reading literacy, with the average student scoring 524 out of 600. This score is higher than the OECD average of 493, making Canada the 3rd strongest OECD country in reading skills. Additionally, students performed well in mathematics and science, with more than 11% reaching the two highest levels of proficiency.

Better Policies for Better Lives

Since 2000, Canada has become a world leader in its professionally-driven reform of its education system. Not only do its students perform well, they perform well despite their socio-economic status, first language or whether they are native Canadians or recent immigrants. In particular, Ontario’s approach to educational reform adheres to important practices, including: 

Commitment to education and to children

The strong cultural commitment to education seems to be an important underlying national value that helps explain Canada’s overall strong performance despite the absence of a national governmental role in education. The commitment to the welfare of children, as expressed in Canada’s strong social safety net, helps explain why Canada’s achievement gaps, while still worrisome, are nowhere near as profound as those in the United States.
Cultural support for universal high achievement
The extraordinary performance of Canada’s immigrant children is largely a reflection of the high expectations immigrant families have for their children, and of the high expectations also held by educators as well. Because Canada has historically seen its immigrants as crucial assets for the continuing development of the country, and because its immigration policies reflect those values, schools see it as their role to integrate children into the mainstream culture as rapidly as possible. If anything, the value placed on high achievement for immigrant children seems to have positive spill over effects for expectations for native-born children, rather than vice versa.
Teacher and principal quality
Teaching has historically been a respected profession in Canada, and continues to draw its candidates from the top third of secondary school graduates. Additionally, the city of Ontario has paid special attention to leadership development, especially for school principals. In 2008 the government initiated the Ontario Leadership Strategy that spells out the skills, knowledge and attributes of effective leaders. Among the elements of the strategy are a strong mentoring programme that has now reached over 4 500l lower than in most OECD countries.
Most OECD countries have enjoyed large gains in life expectancy over the past decades, thanks to improvements in living conditions, public health interventions and progress in medical care. In 2007,life expectancy at birth in Canada stood at 80.7 years, more than one year above the OECD average of 79 years.
Higher life expectancy is generally associated with higher healthcare spending per person. Total health spending accounted for 10.4% of GDP in Canada in 2008, more than one percentage point than the OECD average of 9.0%. Canada also ranks above the OECD average in terms of total health spending per person, with spending of 4,079 USD in 2008 compared with an OECD average of 3,060 USD.
Between 2000 and 2008, health spending per person in Canada increased in real terms by 3.4% per year on average, a growth rate lower than the OECD average (4.2% per year). In Canada, 70.2% of health spending was funded by public sources in 2008, below the average of 72.8% in OECD countries.
Throughout the OECD, tobacco consumption and excessive weight gain remain two important risk factors for many chronic diseases.
Canada provides an example of a country that has achieved remarkable progress in reducing tobacco consumption, with the rate of daily smokers among adults having been cut by nearly half since 1980 (from 34% in 1980 to 17.5% in 2008). Much of this decline in Canada, as well as in other countries, can be attributed to policies aimed at reducing tobacco consumption through public awareness campaigns, advertising bans and increased taxation.
Obesity rates are high in Canada, relative to most OECD countries, but they have not increased substantially in the last 15 years. Two out of 3 men are overweight and 1 in 4 people are obese in Canada, but the rate of increase has been one of the slowest in the OECD. The proportion of people overweight is projected by the OECD to rise a further 5% during the next 10 years. Obesity’s growing prevalence foreshadows increases in the occurrence of health problems (such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and asthma), and higher health care costs in the future.
When asked, "How is your health in general?", 88% of people in Canada reported to be in good health, higher than the OECD average of 69%. Despite the subjective nature of this question, the answers have been found to be a good predictor of people’s future health care use.


Canada – OECD Better Life Initiative

Canada – OECD Better Life Initiative

Foreign-trained nurses get helping hand by Canadian agency

More than ten per cent of Ontario’s registered and practical nurses have received their training from outside of Canada. Creating Access to Regulated Employment, or CARE, was created to help these nurses get accredited to work in Canada.
CARE receives funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada and has already helped more than 1,000 foreign-trained nurses from countries such as the Philippines, India, and China.
“CARE provides support to international nurses who immigrate to Ontario and want to pursue the profession,” says Zubeida Ramji, executive director of the organization.
Case managers at CARE assess a nurse’s education and experience and provide advice on how to obtain a license to practice in Ontario. CARE also provides language and communication training, specifically in the nursing and health context and provide exam preparation courses.

Nova Scotia wants more immigrants

By 2020, the province of Nova Scotia hopes to double the number of immigrants arriving in their province per year.
Nova Scotia is planning to attract approximately 7,200 immigrants a year. Nova Scotia’s Premier, Darrell Dexter, says that the province will need to issue at least 1,500 certificates under the Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program.
Currently, the Government of Canada has limited the number of certificates that Nova Scotia can issue to only 500. To meet the targeted number of immigrants, Nova Scotia will have to work with Ottawa to increase the number of certificates available in its provincial nominee program.
Nova Scotia has already launched a strategy entitled “Welcome Home to Nova Scotia.” This strategy is being supported by $790,000 in additional funding for immigration efforts.
"Welcome Home to Nova Scotia is the province's most ambitious and focused immigration plan ever and one of the most comprehensive strategies in the country," said Premier Darrell Dexter. "It will compliment jobs here by targeting international workers with the technical skills and international contacts the province needs to become more innovative, productive and competitive. It will ensure potential immigrants understand they are welcome and valued in Nova Scotia and that this province wants them to stay and build a life here."
This new strategy will also include improved settlement programs, quicker recruiting of temporary foreign workers for Canadian employers, add more protections for temporary foreign workers and enhance programs which encourage workers to make Nova Scotia their permanent home.



Alberta successfully attracting immigrants

According to the Alberta Immigration Progress Report 2011, over the past five years, Alberta has successfully implemented programs to help immigrants find jobs which meet their skills and experience.
More than 120,000 immigrants have settled in Alberta over the past five years. 85 per cent of those immigrants stay in Alberta once they arrive and immigrants accounted for more than 20 per cent of Alberta’s work force in 2010.
Alberta is welcoming increasing numbers of immigrants to the province, thanks to many of its government’s initiatives. Some of the initiatives introduced by the province in the past five years include:
•A Foreign Qualification Recognition Plan (FQR) introduced in 2008 that includes online facts sheets for 31 regulated occupations and compulsory trades and provides funding for professional regulatory organizations to increase their capacity to assess and recognize foreign qualifications.
•The launch of the online tool Working in Alberta that helps newcomers find the jobs they are trained to do and helps Alberta employers find the labour they need manage their businesses.
•Completed international education guides for the Philippines, China, United Kingdom, Russia, India, South Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan and Columbia. The guides provide comprehensive profiles of the educational systems in other countries and show how they compare to educational standards in Canada.
•The International Qualifications Assessment Services (IQAS) issued 6,234 assessment certificates to immigrants. Since 2005, 25,559 assessments have been completed. IQAS issues certificates to immigrants in Alberta to indicate how foreign education compares to Canadian educational standards for entry into the labour market.
• Temporary foreign worker information booklets, available in 14 languages, were developed for both employers and foreign workers to ensure they have a better understanding of their workplace rights and responsibilities.*

Learn if you qualify for Alberta’s Provincial Nominee Program by taking our free immigration assessment!
*Source: Canadian HRReporter

Housing prices climb to global heights for latest Olympics host

BY GILBERT MOHTES-CHAN, TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2011



Home prices in Greater Vancouver, Canada, continue to rise as the region's spring homebuying season got off to a strong start. 
Buyers flocked to the market during the first quarter, fueled by heavy sales volume in the Richmond and Vancouver West areas. Although housing sales slowed in April, the benchmark housing price increased, topping $620,000.
Recent changes in mortgages rules could make it even tougher for first-time homebuyers to enter the market, considered one of the priciest housing markets in the world.
  

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This report highlights real estate market statistics and trends in the Vancouver metro area and includes a chart with detailed market data and commentary from local real estate professionals.
Overview
Greater Vancouver housing sales cooled off in April after moving at a red-hot pace the previous two months.
Canada's third-largest metropolitan area saw residential sales of single-family detached, attached and condominium properties decline 21 percent to 3,225 year-over-year, according to the latest report from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Sales were off 8.2 percent from March. The board attributed the April sales decline to a slowdown in condo sales.
The board's benchmark Housing Price Index for all residential properties rose to $622,991 in April, up 5 percent from $593,419. The benchmark represents the sales price of a typical property within the market and is considered a more accurate reflection of prices.
A sales spurt of multimillion-dollar homes in some parts of Vancouver skewed the average sales price of a home nationally, pushing it up to $372,544 in April, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.
An influx of homebuyers from mainland China in the past six months has triggered a wave of seven-figure housing sales, especially in the Richmond and West Vancouver locales.
The Canadian Real Estate Association reported the average sales price in April for a Vancouver residential property at $815,252, easily outpacing the average sales price tracked for 15 other major Canadian cities.
Neighboring Victoria ranked second nationally, at an average sales price of $508,005, followed by Toronto at $477,406. Vancouver real estate officials say April's residential sales reflect typical spring activity and indicate a better balance between the supply of housing on the market and demand from homebuyers.
In fact, sales were up 8.8 percent compared to the same period in 2009, and were unchanged from 2008.
In contrast, the number of homes sold and added to the market moved at a near-record pace in February and March.
Fewer new properties came onto the market in April than the year-ago period -- 5,847 compared with 7,648 in April 2010, a 23.5 percent drop. New listings were down 14 percent from the previous month.
"We are sitting on a good, strong, stable market. The consumer out there is always more comfortable with a normal, stable market," said Rosario Setticasi, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. "Right now we are sitting at that edge. If sales pick up, it's a seller's market again."
Here's the April sales breakdown by housing type:
  • 1,402 single-family detached homes, up 2.3 percent from a year ago; the benchmark price of $879,039 is up 7.4 percent year-over-year.
  • 1,201 condos, down 21.3 percent from a year ago; the benchmark price of $409,242 is up 2.9 percent year-over-year.
  • 622 attached homes, up 1 percent from a year ago; the benchmark price of $514,670 is up 2.4 percent year-over-year.
Unlike many of their counterparts in the U.S., Vancouver real estate professionals are seeing a steady housing market in a post-recession recovery. Because of tighter and more conservative lending practices by the nation's financial institutions, Canada's housing market isn't burdened by a glut of distressed properties as in the U.S.
"Our banking system tends to be a little more conservative in providing loans for homes. That (mortgage) meltdown did not have any affect in our banking industry." Setticasi said.
"Bank foreclosure properties are not spiking. There's the usual amount of bank foreclosures that seem to be related just to personal issues," said David Hutchinson, an agent at Century 21 In Town Realty in Vancouver.
"Foreclosures rarely are really good deals in Vancouver. There is a system in place to ensure market value of the sales price."
In British Columbia, only 0.49 percent of all residential mortgages were at least three months in arrears in February, according to the latest figures from the Canadian Bankers Association. That's up slightly from 0.41 percent during the same period a year ago, 0.27 percent in 2009, and 0.16 percent in 2008.
Canada's economy sputtered in the second half of 2008, fell into a recession, and then began to rebound by the end of 2009. Last spring, the British Columbia Business Council predicted the province would become one of the country's growth leaders over the next couple of years.
The council's British Columbia Economic Index continued to rise in the first quarter of 2011, signaling moderate growth for the province.
"Our economy seems to be clicking pretty good out here," Setticasi said. "The West Coast is a desirable area."
Desirability comes with a price, as Vancouver is one of the world's least affordable housing markets.
In a February Housing Trends and Affordability report, Royal Bank of Canada senior economist Robert Hogue wrote, "In our view, the area's poor affordability -- the RBC measures for Vancouver are still far above their long-run average -- will continue to weigh on local demand and cause a high degree of stress within the market."
Compounding the affordability issue, Hogue said, is the cost of borrowing, which is expected to rise in the next two years.
"With prices rising, there is always a concern about affordability," Setticasi said.
Yet Vancouver and British Columbia, in general, remain attractive markets for Canadians looking for better job prospects or a place to retire. Statistics show more Canadians are moving to the province than leaving, the British Columbia Business Council reports.
Considered Canada's gateway to the Pacific, Vancouver increased its global visibility as host to the 2010 Winter Olympics. It has seen a recent wave of foreign investors, especially homebuyers from mainland China, who are purchasing properties in areas such as Richmond and the west side of Vancouver.
To seize this opportunity, some brokerages have formed Mandarin-speaking real restate teams.
"The Vancouver West detached home market is red-hot with mainland China foreign investment. Some homes (are selling at) a half-million dollars over asking price," Hutchinson said.
"The Vancouver West market is now pushing the same trend eastward to traditional blue-collar East Vancouver. It's now pushing these usually affordable, older-type homes into the $1 million range."

Vancouver, Canada, market data

Vancouver Metro Area 
Population (2010 estimate)2,374,628 million
Population growth (2001-10)+19.5%
Total closed sales (2010)30,595
% change closed sales (2009-10)-14.2%
% change closed sales (April '10-April '11)-8.2%
Sales per person1 sale per 78 people
Benchmark sales price (April 2011)$622,991
% change benchmark sales price (April '10-April '11)+5%
% mortgages in arrears (British Columbia, Feb. '11)0.49%
% of sales distressed (March 2011)+60%
% household income needed to afford a house77.8%
% unemployment (April '11, 3-month moving avg.)11.8%
Walk Score72
Rent-vs.-ownership ratio (% households in 2006)35%/65%
Sources: Statistics Canada, British Columbia Ministry of Citizens' Services, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, Canadian Bankers Association, Walk Score and RBC Economics Research.

ECONOMISTS PIERRE FORTIN AND PIERRE EMMANUEL PARADIS URGE QUÉBEC TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF IMMIGRANT INVESTORS


QUÉBEC CITY, May 31, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - The many economic and human benefits resulting from the arrival of thousands of financially independent immigrant families in Québec and elsewhere in Canadafully justify a sizable increase in the number of immigrant investors.
This is among the recommendations in the brief submitted today by economists Pierre Fortin and Pierre Emmanuel Paradis to members of the National Assembly Committee on Citizen Relations looking into Québec immigration planning for the 2012-2015 period.
"Immigrant investors still account for only 3.5% of new immigrants, and their number could be increased substantially without hindering the arrival of immigrants with other characteristics," they write in their brief.
Messrs. Fortin and Paradis also urge the Québec government to take the necessary means to clear the backlog of outstanding files, which they see as the key weakness in current management of the Québec Immigrant Investor Program. Waiting times under this program are having a negative effect on the number and quality of applications. "In 2009," they say, "the average wait was two-and-a-half years, compared with 14 weeks in the United Kingdom and one year in Australia. (…) As of December 31, 2010, a total of 11,843 files were still being processed - in Québec alone!"
The two economists also want the government to continue its efforts to encourage immigrant investor families to settle in Québec through integration and mentoring programs, following the example of a program recently launched by Investissement Québec, and to continue canvassing abroad. Many of these families are settling in British Columbia (49% compared with 22% in Québec), because that province is closest to Asia, the primary source of immigrant investors. But a majority of immigrant investors in Canada first arrive in Québec (about 60% since 2005). The financial assistance brought by the 60% of immigrant investors in Québec thus ends up entirely in Québec SMEs.
Referring to Investissement Québec data, the economists also remind the committee of the "substantial contribution to the economy" by immigrant investors. From 2001 to 2011, the total value of financial contributions under the program reached $500 million, benefiting 3,126 companies all across Québec. In 2009-2010 alone, projects implemented led to the creation of 2,600 jobs and the maintenance of 1,355 others.
Messrs. Fortin and Paradis say that having immigrant investor families settle here is the main source of the program's immediate economic impact. "Most immigrant investors are well educated and head active companies," they explain. "Many of them move and establish their families in Canada while pursuing their business activities at the international level. (…) The usual pattern is for their children to enter the Canadian school system, probably achieving high levels of education."
Québec's Immigrant Investor Program
The program was created in 1985 following successive efforts by then-ministers Gérald Godin and Louise Robic. It seeks to attract experienced businesspeople and their capital as a way of promoting economic growth. Immigrant investors provide Québec with funds for a five-year period. They do not decide where or how their money will be used. The three main conditions for benefiting from the program are:
  • having a net worth of at least $1.6 million;
  • agreeing to invest $800,000 at 0% interest for five years;
  • having adequate management experience.
In writing their brief, Messrs. Fortin and Paradis relied on their own studies in this area and on studies by Marc Van Audenrode, Managing Principal of Analysis Group and an adjunct professor at Université de Sherbrooke; Roger Ware, professor of economics at Queen's University; and Natalia Mishagina and Anne-Catherine Faye, economists at Analysis Group.
Pierre Fortin is professor emeritus of economics at Université du Québec à Montréal and an affiliated expert at the Montréal office of Analysis Group (www.analysisgroup.com), an international firm that has been providing economic, financial and business strategy consulting services to law offices, private businesses and government organizations since 1981. Pierre Emmanuel Paradis is senior economist at Analysis Group.

Construction Sector Council launches tool for hiring immigrant workers

Canadian construction employers have a new resource from the Construction Sector Council to assist in hiring immigrant workers to meet growing labour needs.
“We know from our labour market information work that looking into future immigration will play a big role in employment growth in Canada and construction will not be immune to that,” said George Gritziotis, executive director of CSC.
“We will be relying on all sorts of labour. Also, in some parts of the country, the industry looks at dealing with short-term peak demand by using temporary foreign workers.”
The Construction Employer’s Roadmap, is designed to help employers and others involved in human resources (HR) management navigate government programs, assess foreign credentials and help immigrant workers “put their best foot forward” when seeking opportunities Canadian construction.
“Foreign workers are playing a role not just in a temporary but also a permanent basis,” said Gritziotis. “What kind of capacity do our contractors have to hire and retain foreign trained workers? This road map will help industry where a majority of employers are small to medium businesses with less than 15 employees and do not have HR departments who take care of this.”
It provides information on the role of employment agencies and immigration consultants and an overview of Canada’s immigration programs. The guide also explains options for permanent residents, temporary residents and workers outside of Canada.
Simplicity, accuracy and efficiency about information and processes available were deemed most important by small to medium contractors consulted during the roadmap’s development. The roadmap also offers advice on how to assess experience obtained in other countries, make job offers, develop orientation programs and retain workers.
“It’s a ready-made approach and process contractors can use when they are looking to hire foreign workers,” added Gritziotis.
Development of the roadmap was funded by the Foreign Credential Referral Office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The guide is available in hard copy and electronically with hyperlinks to other useful resources and websites.
“Attracting and retaining the best international talent to address existing and future labour market challenges is critical to our economic success...we know that within the next few years, most of Canada’s labour force growth will come from immigration,” said Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism.
Gritziotis said immigrant workers bring “many benefits to the industry” such as the ability to speak different languages, cultural knowledge and a network of connections which all can strengthen employer’s competitiveness.
“When construction was headed towards the 2008 boom, we were getting a lot of contractors asking for help with recruiting foreign workers,” added Gritziotis. “Now that activity is heating up, people are looking for this information.”
Visit www.csc-ca.org for more.

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