All posts by Emanuela Campanella

Immigrants still recovering from economic recession

Database assignment three
Share

From 2008 to 2013 the unemployment rate for recent immigrants increased by 17 per cent in Ontario, according to an analysis of labour force survey data.

“Given that the majority of immigrants come to Ontario, and the Ontario economy has had difficulties in the recent years, it’s becoming more and more difficult for immigrants to integrate into the labour market,” said Gilles Grenier, economics professor at the University of Ottawa.

It also increased by five per cent for the whole country.

Unemployment rate in 2013
Unemployment rate in 2013.

According to Grenier, immigrants who arrived to Canada five or less years ago have still not recovered from the economic recession. “The recession had affected recent immigrants a lot more than Canadian born,” said Grenier.


Currently the Canadian immigration system works on a point system. If immigrants have enough points based on education, experience and language proficiencies, they are granted permanent residency. “Usually we see very highly educated immigrants, highly skilled immigrants, but they cannot find jobs in their field.” Although these individuals have outstanding education, it is not valued as much as Canadian education, said Grenier. “Most of the immigrants have university degrees that they got in their own countries and most of them look for professional jobs.” He said that most recent immigrants look for jobs in the engineering, health and education sector. “But most of the time their credentials are not recognized.” Canada receives over 200 thousand new immigrants per year. It is considered one of the most welcoming countries in the world. But Grenier said that over the past couple of years the recession has really caused a decrease in demand in the job market. There ended up being more immigrants than the job prospects. “The demand for them was smaller than the supply.” Grenier said this happened in the information and technology sector in the early 2000s when the industry was booming. It attracted a mass amount of foreign professionals who were under the impression that jobs were plentiful. But there weren’t as many jobs as the amount of newcomers that were flowing into the country and the recession caused the striving industry to slow down. Grenier said we have to re-think immigration policy so it focuses on the demand of the labour market. Kelly McGahey is a manager at Hire Immigrants Ottawa, an organization that works with employers to help them integrate immigrants into their work force. She recognizes that skilled immigrants face difficulty entering into the Canadian labour market, but said we also need to focus on the challenges employers are facing. Employers are sometimes not sure how to evaluate credentials and, “they have challenges in terms of effectively managing and increasingly diverse workplace.” She also said a lot of employers she works with in Ottawa have a hard time connecting with immigrants who are not in their networks. McGahey said if we can’t to keep the unemployment rate down for recent immigrants it’s important to address these perceived challenges employers face. “Were really spending a fair bit of time and effort just trying to inform and educate Ottawa’s employers about the changing demographics, and helping them to see that this is a talent pool they need to be considering.” They offer training on managing a culturally diverse work force and try to bring employers and recent immigrants together during networking and training events. “It’s all about chipping away at those various barriers.” For immigration lawyer Joel Sandaluk, the problem lies in Canada’s rapidly changing immigration policies. “Part of the problem is that immigration policy changes so rapidly now that it makes it incredibility difficult to predict and understand,” said Sandaluk, Mamann, Sandaluk & Kingwell LLP. He agrees that highly skilled immigrants ¬– who come into the country on the point system – are at a disadvantage. “Despite the fact that their credentials were outstanding, they didn’t have Canadian experience.” He said the government recognized this and created the Canadian Experience Class in 2008, to meet the demand of the labour market needs. The program was created for temporary foreign workers who wish to gain permanent resident status after working in Canada for a year. “Instead of rewarding people for their credentials, you are rewarding for their work they have already done,” said Sandaluk. He thought that the program would have helped the situation for recent immigrants and was shocked to hear the unemployment rate increased from 2008 to 2013. But the Canadian Experience Class has become much more restrictive over the years, said Sandaluk. Sandaluk who has worked with a lot of immigrants said that a lot of newcomers sacrifice a lot to come to Canada. “Immigrants are not generally thinking about themselves when they immigrate.” Most of the time they are thinking about their kids. “The government perceives immigration as a huge opportunity, and it is. But not for the people who are immigrating. He said that these families want their kids to get a better education so they come to Canada, but they don’t find jobs in their field. “They are not able to do the work that they are qualified to do.” The government announced it’s going to change the immigration system on Jan. 1. Under the new online express entry system, skilled immigrants will be matched with vacant jobs in at least 50 occupations based on skills and an individual’s ability to succeed in the Canadian economy. Only those with the highest ranking will be invited to apply for permanent residency and applications will be processed in six months or less.

Cannabis offence rate skyrockets in Ottawa’s capital ward

Database assignment two, , , , ,
Share
Bank St., one of the main streets in Ottawa's capital ward.
Bank St., one of the main streets in capital ward. Photo: Emanuela Campanella

The cannabis offence rate in Ottawa’s capital ward almost doubled in 2013 compared to 2012, according to an analysis of Ottawa police reported crime data.

Sgt. Jeff Pilon of the Ottawa Police Drug Unit said this might be the result of the shifting Canadian attitude towards marijuana possession.

The cause was definitely not due to increased enforcement, he added. “We work all across the city and we do have targeted areas but we haven’t had any there.”

The hike is most likely then, the result of more people committing cannabis offences in the Capital ward, he said.

According to a poll commissioned by the federal Justice Department earlier this year, 70 per cent of Canadians want to see the current marijuana laws become more relaxed, at the very least, and one-in-three back full legalization.

Click the play buttons below to hear what residents of the Capital ward  had to say about marijuana possession.

Bill Singleton, retired.

Cynthia Scoop, public servant.

Frans Verenicen, Crane operator.

Hannah Smith, Carleton University Student.

John Bert, Public Servant.

Here is a breakdown by ward of cannabis offence rate changes in 2013.


 

In Ottawa, there are more than 1,000 police-reported cannabis offences and out of those, 67 were in the Capital ward. These numbers are small compared to Ottawa’s top criminal offence  – thefts of $5,000 and under – which stand at approximately 12,000 this year. Still, Ottawa’s cannabis offence rate is on the rise and Capital ward had the sharpest increase in pot arrests. The map below shows the percent change by ward. 

Criminal defence lawyer Paul Lewin said he is shocked with the high increase of Capital ward’s cannabis offense rate.

“I would think that a fairly urban Ottawa ward would have more serious matters to concern themselves with,” said Lewin who is also the Ontario Regional Director of Norml Canada, an organization advocating for the reform of marijuana laws.

Offences related to cannabis possession are victimless, he said. “These are not victim offences where someone was raped or someone was beaten up.”

As we approach next year’s federal election, legalization of marijuana has become a heated debate. Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau, made legalization one of his campaign priorities. And as Canadians move closer to casting their ballots, the legalization debate will intensify further.

Lewin said legalization would free up police resources to pursue other criminal activity. “Huge police manpower goes into investigating marijuana offences.”

It’s also a waste of money, said Lewin. “When I show up for the first day of a marijuana trial, let’s say it’s three days or four days long, it’s common for me to see a dozen or 14 or 16 cops all standing around in suits, and they are all getting paid at a very lucrative rate, waiting to be called as witnesses.”

Just a year ago, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police proposed a ticketing option for simple possession cases, saying that the procedure of sending cases to criminal court was straining the justice system.

According to a 2013 report by Statistics Canada, over the past decade, there’s an increase in police-reported drug offences. The debate for and against legalizing marijuana continues to rage and will become more prominent to Canadians as we reach next year’s federal election. 

Report by Statistics Canada on police reported crimes in Canada 2013:


Experts warn new prostitution law will push sex workers into the dark

Database assignment one
Share
Photo courtesy of Blemished Paradise, under creative commons.
A sex worker walks up the stairs in a hotel. Photo obtained through Creative Commons.

Street prostitution arrests rose 2000 per cent between 1985 and 1986, according to an analysis of national crime data, and some experts fear that if Bill C-36 becomes law, it could set back prostitution to that time.

Experts predict we could see a similar rise in prostitution arrests if the bill is passed, bringing us back to a time when street workers were fleeing underground and putting themselves in danger in order to avoid arrest.

They are concerned that this new legislation, proposed by Justice Minister Peter MacKay, will have that same effect and put sex workers at risk.

The new prostitution control measure that came into effect in 1985 caused a drastic rise in arrests. While pre-1985 laws prohibited any soliciting of clients, the 1985 law criminalized any communication in a public place for the purpose of buying or selling sexual services. Similarly, Bill C-36 contains a communication offence.

The main difference between today’s proposed law and the 1985 law is that Bill C-36 targets clients only; If clients are found communicating for the purpose of sexual services they can be arrested. Sex workers can only be arrested if they are found doing the same close to a school, day care or place of worship.


Janine Benedet, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, said the 1985 communication law was effective because for the first time, it targeted customers as well as sex workers. But she said clients didn’t take the brunt of enforcement.

“It allowed the police to place all their attention on street prostitution and the most marginalized women, women who were disproportionately aboriginal who were more likely to be heavily addicted to drugs,” said Benedet.

“This kind of fit in the idea that so long as prostitution was out of sight, it wasn’t a problem, but really all that does is push the abuses out of public view.”

Some experts predict that if Bill-C36 is passed, the law will have the same effect as the 1985 legislation. Katrina Pacey, the litigation director of the Pivot Legal Society thinks sex workers will be moving farther away from city streets and into industrialized areas.

“Street based workers will be forced to work in more dangerous circumstances and take less time to screen clients and have less time to negotiate transaction because they will be afraid of being caught by police or their clients being caught by police.”

The government argues that the new law will protect sex workers by targeting those who buy sexual services. According to MacKay, his legislation ­– slated to become law in December ­­– will reduce demand for prostitution and eventually abolish it, marking a “fundamental shift towards the treatment of prostitution as a form of sexual exploitation.”

Frances Shaver, an expert who has been researching the sex industry for 20 years said sex workers need to make a living and will do whatever they can to protect their clients from arrest. Shaver said this would then put sex workers in more isolated and dangerous situations, similar to the 1985 communicating law.

“They have to go to where the clients aren’t going to get arrested which means into darker corners,” she said. “Organized crime might get involved and might set up some presumably safe way for the clients to meet with the street basis worker in a way in which they can’t get arrested.”

Shaver believes Canada doesn’t need any more laws. “What we need are better social programs and better education programs.” Other laws like sexual and physical assault can protect sex workers rights, she said.

Mackay tabled Bill C-36 in June in response to a December 2013 Supreme Court of Canada decision known as Bedford, that found three of Canada’s prostitution laws unconstitutional. Those rules penalized sex workers and were deemed to violate Section 7 of the charter, which guarantees security of the person.

Benedet said she supports Bill C-36 and thinks the law fundamentally treats prostitution as a form of sexual exploitation. “I think that the law does something very important in re-classifying the purchase of sex as an offence against the person,” she said.

“It creates a framework in which we can now start to lobby for kinds of social supports that women need to avoid to resort to prostitution.” The government has pledged $20-million over five years to help sex workers get out of the trade.

Although, historically the 1985 communication law allowed police officers to crack down on street prostitution, Benedet said she is still worried that when Bill C-36 is passed the most vulnerable women will be targeted.

For details on Bill C-36:


Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire top employers using government youth employment program

Access-to-information story
Share

According to records obtained through an access to information request, Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons are the companies making use of the Ontario’s Youth Employment Fund most frequently.

Launched on Sept. 23 by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the fund is a wage-subsidy program for job placements of four to six months that aims at helping young workers transition into permanent employment.

But critics doubt the kind of jobs obtained through the government program will lead to real careers. “The program is enabling them to find these jobs but I don’t see this as a long-term employment solution,” says Hashmat Khan, economics professor at Carleton University.

So far, seven employers have had 20 or more placements. Included in those are Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons, Paragon Security and Mucho Burrito. Records also show that 76 per cent of the financial support granted through the program was spent on either transportation or clothing. Only 5 per cent was spent on training activities.

Khan says this data is alarming because it shows that young employees are easily replaceable. “Suppose that there is a massive downturn in the economy, almost all kinds of jobs are at risk but potentially these jobs would be at a greater risk because there is no skills specificity that is being acquired through this program.”

The program targets disadvantaged youth, and data shows that almost 30 per cent are on social assistance and come from rural areas. Khan says that this explains why so much money is being allocated to transportation and clothing.

“My sense is that it is helping the youth from this particular social economic background and it looks more and more like an income subsidy rather than an employment scheme.”

The program is part of the Ontario government’s youth jobs strategy. The government is investing $295 million over the next two years to create new job opportunities for 25,000 young people.

Those between the ages of 15 and 29 who are unemployed, not in school full time and resident in Ontario are eligible for the program. Employers can receive up to $6,800 to help cover the cost of wages and training for new hires when they provide a job placement. Employment centers throughout Ontario work directly with young people to connect them with job placements.

When asked how the employment center at St. Lawrence College in Ottawa is trying to ensure young people are gaining skills and have a chance at long-term employment, coordinator Heather Morrison said, “Well sometimes it’s a hit and miss.” “What we try and do is go to employers that we had good working relationships with in the past.”

Morrison said the employment centre is keeping a close eye on all job placements, with monthly visits to make sure everything is going well. “We do an exit interview and we have to have an outcome.”

But although outcomes are being tracked, Khan says it does not tell us whether or not the placements were successful.

So far, the program has reached its target in providing almost 6000 job placements. “Yes they are meeting their target but in some sense their potential is not really being honed or developed through this,” says Khan.

But then why would the Ontario government put money into basic job placements like Tim Hortons that can easily be obtained by anyone?

Khan says its politics.  “A lot of people may have a lot of questions about why my tax dollars is going to this particular cause… but because it is couched as an employment scheme it may sound more positive.”

Data on whether or not the job placements are leading to long-term employment is not yet available.

Provincial Request (Text)
 

Please look at annotated document to see how the records were helpful.

ATI requests at the Federal, Provincial and Municipal level.

Previously released requests: Request 1. Request 2. Request 3.

Email correspondence: Email 1. Email 2. Email 3. Email 4.

Nintendo Game Boy turns 25

Whatever-Happened-To? Assignment
Share

Twenty-five years ago Nintendo released its  handheld video game player that bred characters from Super Mario to Pokémon and sold 200 million units worldwide.

When the original Game Boy was first launched in 1989, the Energizer Bunny was introduced to the world, Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” reached international charts, and Chinese students were protesting on Tiananmen Square.

Snapz Pro XScreenSnapz001
Nintendo Game Boy commercial from the 80s, marketed as “playing with portable power.” Click to watch.

The Game Boy was the first portable console with changeable game cartridges and batteries, marketed as “playing with portable power.”

“The Game Boy was very influential,” said Robert from EB Games who has been working in the gaming industry his whole life. “It really kicked off the relevance of the handheld market, especially to be able to play different games on the fly.”

“But man that thing sucked up my batteries,” he recalled.

The Game Boy line, which includes the original, pocket and colour versions, have since sold 118 million units, while the follow-up Game Boy Advance series sold 82 million consoles.

Robert said the original Game Boy player, known for games such as Tetris and the boundless adventures of Mario in the mushroom kingdom, has since then kicked off a revolution in the handheld market.

Twenty-five years later, the 3DS is the new generation of hand held game consoles by Nintendo made to complement the Game Boy Advance series.  The first touch screen model, the DS, sold a little over 150 million units since its release in 2004.

Robert said the 3DS series have extra features like Internet browsing and built in-social media tools. He said gamers are always connecting and looking for gaming strategies, but the 3DS series are not the same as the originals for diehard fans.

Theoriginalgameboy
Rebecca Besnos, long time gamer, still has her original Game Boy.

For Rebecca Besnos, an eighties baby who considers the Game Boy as a part of her childhood says nothing would replace the original.

“I think the 3DS is better in terms of graphics but game boy is always going to have a special place in my heart.”

She says her little sister and friends, who play with new generation of Nintendo portable game consoles are not as obsessed as she was with the original back in the day.

“I was pretty obsessed with it. All of us were. I used to bring it to school and played at lunch, after school and before bed.”

Besnos remembers when she used to blow into her game cartridges to get rid of the dust before playing religiously. “It was a sort of cult,” she said.

“Ask anyone who used to play with the Game Boy and they can tell you they did the same thing.”

“Kids now a days don’t remember the old school ways. They just download the games online. There’s no fun in that,” she said.

Despite its popularity, the Game Boy line was discontinued in 2008. In fact in 2006, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said, “I would have a second thought about using our resources on what would be the next generation of Game Boy Advance, considering the strong support DS is now enjoying.”

Although gamers around the world now enjoy touch screen devices, the Game Boy with its  buttons labeled A, B, SELECT and START, holds an iconic status.

It was inaugurated into the National Toy Hall of Fame at Strong National Museum of Play. According to the Rochester Business Journal, “Nintendo’s Game Boy transformed electronic gaming by popularizing handheld games, and its simultaneous multiplayer gaming and slate of games such as Tetris and Super Mario Land were cited as innovations.”

All data used comes from Nintendo’s consolidated sales report.

Documentation available here and here.

Big losses and big investments for Bombardier

Business Assignment
Share

Net income for Bombardier Inc., Canada’s biggest manufacturer of planes and trains decreased by 290 million dollars in 2012. According to their annual financial statement, this represents a 29 per cent loss.

Noted in Bombardier’s annual financial statement, slow economic recovery has weakened sale results. And cash flow is down 741 million. Although the company is not generating expected revenues, their financial reports show a significant growth in investment.

 

Pierre Beaudoin, President and CEO of Bombardier acknowledged the losses and says the low order intake and overall market conditions were a disappointment.

But the Montreal manufactuer is trying to make a comeback with their newly designed CSeries aircraft. The aircraft has been designed to burn 20 per cent less fuel than its competitors like the Boeing and Airbus. However, its release has been delayed and the plane won’t be ready until the second half of 2015.

The flight-testing phase is taking longer than expected. “We are taking the required time to ensure a flawless entry-into-service. We are very pleased that no major design changes have been identified, this gives us confidence that we will meet our performance targets,” said Mike Arcamone, President of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

Zafar Khan, an analyst at Societe Generale SA says Bombardier faces fierce competition in the transportation industry because the economy is still recovering and business and private buyers are spending less.

“Bombardier had a major decline in sales in the transport business and although the aerospace revenue was broadly flat, even in that division, they suffered quite a big fall in profitability.”

Khan says the decrease in income also have to do with a series of bad contracts. Contracts implemented through 2012 cost Bombardier more money than expected. Additionally, the cost of higher exchange rates for the Canadian dollar affected revenues. However, Khan says it’s nothing to worry about as the company is developing new aircrafts and money will be rolling in when they reach the market. The company still has 6.3 billion dollars in liquidity.

In January, Bombardier announced in an internal email it will cut 1,700 employees from its aerospace division to deal with its financial setbacks. Around 1,100 jobs will be cut in Canada and 600 in the United States.

According to Business professor Amr Addassays from Concordia University, Bombardier is trying to reduce current operational costs by cutting employees. But once the Cseries is ready, higher profitability and job creation is expected.

In addition to the CSeries, Bombardier is developing several other aircraft, including the Challenger 350, the Learjet 70 and the global executive jets to gain competitive advantage.

Bombardier’s 2013 fiscal year ended Dec. 31, and the results will be available mid February. Analyst Khan predicts, the results won’t be that different from 2012.

 

You may find statistics and findings below by searching. Or  click the publications then notes to be brought to the relevant pages.

Food inspection lengthy process in Montreal

Database Assignment
Share

Eggspectation in Old Montreal has the highest number of food violations, according to an analysis of Montreal’s restaurant-inspection database.

The violations include complaints of insects and rodents, contamination, and improper food storage. The 201 Saint-Jacques St. location has been forced to shut down.

Head office intervened and closed the franchise, but not before a long court battle.

According to a food-safety expert, this court case exposes a weakness in the city’s restaurant inspection system; it is too difficult to close down repeat offenders, and there is no way to warn customers.

Eggspectation on 201 Saint-Jacques Street closed down in January 2012. Photo under creative-commons licence.
Eggspectation on 201 Saint-Jacques St. closed down in January 2012. Photo under creative-commons licence.

That restaurant ­– part of Canada’s Eggspectation Franchise – closed down last January.

It took three years to close it down and half a million dollars in legal fees, said Pradeep Anand, head office manager. “It took so long because he legally resisted.”

After several complaints from employees and customers, head office decided to bring the franchise owner to court.

In 2008, head office was legally able to stop the franchise owner from operating the restaurants. But the owner appealed and obtained permission to continue operating.

Anand is disappointed the city did not try to permanently close down the restaurant.

He said the city should make a greater effort to close down repeat offenders. “It should be something that is incremental depending on the severity of infestation. If there seems to be no attempt to rectify then they should close down.”

The city fined the restaurant $26,000 in food violations, the second highest total amount.

The $26,000 is more than 14 times higher than the median fine of $1,400.

A city spokesperson Valerie Degnagner said there’s little it can do to permanently shut down repeat offenders, the real power rests with the province.

“If they don’t confirm to what Montreal city inspectors are asking, we can close down their establishment for five days. But over that is has to be the Quebec government.”

The city did close down the restaurant for two to three days at a time.

Food safety expert, François Décary-Gilardeau said Montreal needs a better restaurant inspection system, perhaps one modelled on Toronto’s Dinesafe program.

The current system is a lengthy and difficult process. He said it can take years before the city has the power to temporarily close down restaurants.

And because of that he said Montreal should look at cities like Toronto and make food inspection violations more readily available to the public.

With DineSafe, each inspection results in a pass, a conditional pass or a closed notice. “It’s really great because you have a Google map and you have all the little dots. Green for pass, yellow for conditional and red for closed.”

Décary-Gilardeau said this kind of system is one step ahead because the results are publicized even before they receive a fine. “I think it will give a lot of interest for restaurants to improve the management of their food.”

As of now Montreal does not have this kind of system in place.

A map of restaurants that have received food violation fines in Montreal. Source: City of Montreal.

The map shows a large portion of food violations in Montreal are in Chinatown.

In 2012, there were over 10,000 food inspections in Montreal and over 2000 infractions.