Ladysmith is located on the eastern shores of beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia. With a population of over 8,000, it has a thriving downtown business community centered around historic First Avenue.
The LDBA actively works to cultivate an environment of economic and cultural vibrancy in the Ladysmith downtown core. The meeting schedule is:
Downtown Ladysmith.
Some of the best things in life are right in front of us and in our own back yard. I was on a cruise a few years ago and was on the Island of Roatan in the Caribbean. The island is about the size of Salt Spring Island. A local guide whom I had hired, informed me of a Roatan gentleman while building a septic field in his backyard, discovered a trunk of buried treasure left by pirates who visited the island. The estimated value of the find was approximately $4 million. I am not encouraging anyone to venture into the back yard with a hoe and shovel. However, this month’s article is about a different kind of treasure and one that is readily found in our back yard if one wants to look for it and seek it out. The treasures I am speaking of are tied to creating a stable base in our local economy.
Why not read the rest of this article?
Posted by Teddy McCrea under: Articles.
Submitted by: Ann MacGillivray
Employment Navigators
The Labour Market Project was implemented at the end of September 2008 and ran to the end of February 2009. The focus was to research issues around the business capacity for human resource planning in the Ladysmith area. With employers reaching out to local employment service providers for assistance not only with recruiting the right talent for their businesses, but also in an effort to evaluate their policies and procedures to ensure they are operating in a manner that is ethical, supportive and conducive to long term employment.
The LMP researched the human resource planning needs of the business community, then prepared and presented the information and tools specific to these topics, encompassing the unique challenges faced by individual communities.
Employment Navigators subcontracted the project to Toro Marketing Research who, in turn, conducted research with local employers to identify the gap between employment and employee retention.
After initially sharing the findings with the Steering Committee; two excellent presentations were given:
- To the Ladysmith Downtown Business Association
- To the Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce
The Labour Market Project makes for interesting reading identifying specific needs of both employees and employers in the Ladysmith area. In the coming 12 years, the current estimates provided by WorkBC indicate half of the new jobs will result from economic growth and the other half will replace retiring workers.
Labour activity, as we have seen in recent months can shift dramatically from shortage of skilled workers to an abundance of qualified people looking for work. When the LMP was launched it was classified as an “employees market”, with an abundance of positions available for prospective employees, within six months the market shifted to an “employers market” with many over qualified workers applying for positions.
It is important employers remain informed, prepared, and proactive to the current market trends no matter which shift pattern they are currently experiencing.
Ann MacGillivray
Executive Director
Employment Navigators
Funded in whole or part through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement.
Posted by LDBA Admin under: Articles.
Submitted by: Jack Tieleman
Global Vocational Services
The Wage Subsidy Program is designed to assist eligible individuals in gaining on-site work experience which will lead to continued employment upon completion of the contract.
The contract arrangement establishes a partial reimbursement of wages to the employer while the individual learns new skills through supervised instruction. The employer is able to offset labour costs and benefit from a capable employee.
Note: Employers must apply and receive approval before hiring the participant.
Objectives
To assist employers in offsetting the cost associated with hiring new employees and developing their skills in order to create long-term employment opportunities.
To assist unemployed persons in gaining employment where they can build on their existing skills or develop new ones.
Who We Are
We are a private company contracted by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to deliver the wage subsidy program.
Our staff is located in Parksville, Nanaimo and Duncan and they are trained in job development and employer/employee relationships.
Who Is Eligible
Unemployed individuals:
- who are currently receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. OR
- whose EI benefit period ended within the last three (3) years. OR
- who received EI Maternity or Parental benefits within the past five (5) years and are now returning to the work force.
Eligible Employers
Employers who are registered with Canada Customs and Revenue Canada for the payment of source deductions and with WCB and who are:
- Businesses
- Non – Profit Organizations
- Municipal Governments
- Bans / Tribal Councils
- Public and Educational Institutions
Steps for the Client
- The client needs to create a “Return To Work Action Plan”
- Client gets refered to the Wage Subsidy Program where the client will need to do an eligibility check and fill out some paper work before starting the job. The timeline for the application process is approximately 72 hours.
- If the client has an employer in mind, then he/she can ask the employer to contact Global Vocational Services to request participation in the program.
Steps for the Employer
- An employer contacts one of our offices and asks to speak to a Job Development Coordinator.
- Either the employer has a potential employee in mind or would like us to post a position.
- The employer would then need to fill out some paperwork and this must be completed before the participant starts work. The timeline f or the application process is approximately 72 hours.
- The employer and the Job Development Coordinator negotiate a wage reimbursement percentage and the length of the contract based on the amount of skill development the participant requires.
- The minimum number of hours the employer must offer the participant is 30 per week.
- We reimburse the agreed upon percent of the wage on a monthly basis and our commitment is to have the cheque out of our office within five working days of receiving the claim.
- Upon completion of the claim, the employer is asked to submit a short survey regarding their experiences with the program. The survey will be provided.
Note: Paperwork and procedures have been streamlined to ensure an efficient and timely development of the Wage Subsidy contract and reimbursement of claims.
The Job Development Coordinator will assist and support both the employer and the participant with the necessary documents.
Contract Parameters
The duration and percentage of reimbursement of each contract is determined by the skill development needs of the participant.
Hourly wages must meet industry standards.
Jack Tieleman
Job Development Coordinator
Global Vocational Services
#101-155 Skinner Street
Nanaimo BC V9R 5E8
P: (250) 753-3667
F: (250) 753-3676
Posted by LDBA Admin under: Articles.
Entry-level purchasers are now the engine driving home-buying activity in almost every major centre in Canada, according to a recent report released by RE/MAX.
The 2009 RE/MAX First-Time Buyers Report, highlighting first-time buying activity in 32 residential housing markets across Canada, found that improved affordability is prompting many first-time buyers to get off the fence, out of the rental, and into the market. While a sense of caution still prevails, more and more first-timers are finding it hard to pass up the chance to become homeowners in today’s buyer-centric real estate climate. Increased inventory and longer days on market, coupled with the lowest lending rates ever, are presenting opportunities that have not been seen in almost a decade
While the current economic crisis has caused some first-time buyers to either take it slowly or apply the brakes, home ownership remains a top priority for those who are able to take advantage of reduced carrying costs, rock bottom interest rates and lower house prices. Affordability has greatly improved and buyers are firmly in the drivers’ seat in just about every market we surveyed. The new reality is that homeownership remains well within reach for most first-time buyers.
Although the year got off to a slow start, February home sales were well ahead of those reported in January. The upward trending is expected to continue as more and more first-time buyers enter the market in the weeks ahead. The flurry of activity in the lower-end may also serve to kick-start sales in the mid-to-upper end of the market, which have, as expected, been relatively sluggish in recent months. While inventory and days on market was up virtually across the board, it’s noteworthy that several markets reported tighter conditions in the lower end of the market, where demand and buyer activity remains quite healthy.
Warm Weather a Good Indicator
In Ladysmith, 11 of the 14 total homes sales (January 1st to March 13th 2009) have been at $255,000 or less. Canadian markets from coast-to-coast are ripe for a reawakening as the weather warms up. First-time buyers seem more acclimatized to economic factors, even though the barrage of bad news continues to flow. Those who are secure in their jobs, have accumulated good down payments, and have acceptable credit ratings are continuing to venture forward, undeterred by tighter lending criteria.
According to the RE/MAX Report, buyers are clearly in control in most Canadian markets. Of the 32 markets surveyed, 22 (69 per cent) remain firmly in buyer’s market territory. These include Vancouver, Surrey, Port Coquitlam, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Ottawa, Peterborough, London-St. Thomas, Niagara Falls, Mississauga, Metro Toronto, Northern GTA, Kingston, Windsor, Hamilton-Burlington, Barrie, and Halifax-Dartmouth. Ten (31 per cent) report more balanced conditions: Winnipeg, Kitchener-Waterloo, Sudbury, North Bay, St. Catharines, Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton, St. John’s, and Charlottetown.
Forty per cent of markets offered single-detached homes priced under $200,000, including Charlottetown, Saint John, Moncton, Peterborough, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Windsor, Fredericton, Halifax-Dartmouth, London, North Bay, Kingston, Saskatoon and Winnipeg. More than two-thirds (71 per cent) offered condominiums starting under $200,000, (Moncton, Fredericton, Halifax-Dartmouth, Sudbury, North Bay, Peterborough, Mississauga, Burlington, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Windsor, Surrey, Chilliwack, Victoria, Kelowna, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, and Winnipeg).
The most affordable markets for detached homes, based on starting prices are: Moncton ($115,000), Charlottetown ($120,000), and Saint John ($130,000) in Eastern Canada; Windsor ($75,000), Niagara Falls ($119,000), and St. Catharines ($125,000) in Ontario; Winnipeg ($185,000), Saskatoon ($190,000), and Regina ($210,000) in Western Canada.
. . . .
RE/MAX is Canada’s leading real estate organization with over 17,000 sales associates situated throughout its more than 670 independently-owned and operated offices across the country. The RE/MAX franchise network, now in its 36th year, is a global real estate system operating in more than 70 countries. Over 6,800 independently-owned offices engage nearly 100,000 member sales associates who lead the industry in professional designations, experience and production while providing real estate services in resident, commercial, referral, and asset management.
Information provided by John Surtees, RE/MAX Ocean Pointe Realty & RE/MAX of Western Canada (1998) Inc. First Time Buyers Report, issued March 11, 2009.
Posted by LDBA Admin under: Articles.
