Job Market Trends and News

Source: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_bulletin.do?cid=3373&AREA=25262&INDUSTRYCD=&EVENTCD=

Week of Mar 23 – Mar 27, 2015

• Human resources companies in Calgary are reporting an increase in business dealings with the recent layoffs from the energy sector
• The City of Calgary is conducting an annual census from April 1 to 24, 2015. While respondents have the option to complete the census on-line, the city has also hired door-to-door census takers.
• Enerplus, a Calgary-based oil and gas producer, has introduced OURtime, a flexible work program that has no formal maximum vacation time for its 700 employees. The multi-faceted human resources program intends to help employees with their work-life balance.
• The Government of Canada is providing $230,300 to Grande Prairie Regional College for upgrades to its power engineering lab housed at the Fairview Campus. The enhancements to the steam lab capacity will allow more students to become certified.
• Trican Well Service is laying off employees at its Redcliff facility. The company did not disclose the number of layoffs, but stated that a substantial number of its 180 employees will be affected.
• Essential Energy Services is cutting 10 to 15% of its workforce in Medicine Hat/Redcliff, Brooks, Red Deer, Nisku and Grande Prairie. The number of employees at each location varies between 50 and 150.
• Homeward Trust has opened a new supportive-housing complex in Edmonton for people with severe mental illnesses. The facility, with capacity for 21 tenants, provides support staff on duty 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
• Shoppers Drug Mart is opening a new location on Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton at the former Standard Life Centre. The store is expected to open in November 2015.
• The Government of Alberta is providing $15M for 12 flood mitigation projects to conservation groups and municipalities under the Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program
• The Government of Alberta is providing funding to improve access to high-speed internet for residents of Lacombe County and the Montana First Nation
• The Government of Alberta is providing $500,000 to improve access to high-speed Internet in Saddle Hills County. The funding will be used to build four new towers and associated infrastructure.
• The Town of Barrhead is hoping to begin construction on the new aquatic centre in May 2015. Advertisements for a project manager position are expected to be launched during April 2015.
• Neerlandia Co-op held an official opening for its new building on March 13, 2015, in Neerlandia. The old Co-op Home and Farm Centre was destroyed by fire in June 2013.
• The China National Offshore Oil Corporation recently announced that it is closing Nexen Energy’s Calgary-based oil trading operation, resulting in the loss of 100 jobs
• Canadian Rockies Public Schools is planning to start construction in the fall of 2015 on the $8.4M first phase of the Banff Elementary School modernization
• The Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada are jointly funding a $7.8M affordable housing complex in Raymond. The funding will support 40 units in a new 53-unit lodge for low-income seniors.
• The Government of Alberta has announced $7.9M to add 42 units to the North Ridge Lodge in St. Albert. Three other senior’s facilities in St. Albert are receiving almost $1.4M for fire safety and sprinkler upgrades.
• The Government of Alberta has announced $12.2M for a new 65-unit seniors lodge in Red Deer. The region is also receiving funding for 180 new long-term care beds and fire safety upgrades at two lodges.
• The University of Lethbridge is introducing new combined degrees, the Bachelor of Fine Arts (New Media) and Bachelor of Education, to provide teachers with new skill sets
• Medalta, a ceramic artist studio facility and factory in Medicine Hat, is assuming control of Plainsman Clays effective May 1, 2015. Plainsman provides clay and pottery supplies across Western Canada and owns retail outlets in Edmonton and BC.
• The Target location in Medicine Hat closed its doors on March 22, 2015. The store had 142 employees at its peak after opening in July of 2013.
• The City of Medicine Hat begins its 2015 Census on April 15, 2015. The city is offering an online option, while door-to-door enumerators will start on May 18, 2015.
• The Town of Drayton Valley is proposing a cost-sharing agreement with Brazeau County for policing, the Early Childhood Development Centre and a new bus hub. The $500,000 bus hub would serve over 1,300 students in the Wildrose School Division.
• Millennium Stimulation Services, a Calgary-based fracturing company, recently held information sessions in Grande Prairie which focused on its long-term goal of a liquefied natural gas plant for the region
• The Government of Alberta is introducing mandatory watercraft inspections stations at commercial vehicle inspection stations and points-of-entry. Specialized canine inspection teams will be deployed to combat invasive aquatic species.
• Career centres at post-secondary institutions in Calgary are reporting similar job posting numbers as in 2014, but with the slump in energy prices, the employer profiles have changed to other sectors
• The Town of Innisfail has awarded a contract of almost $500,000 to Apollo Landscaping of Red Deer for landscape work around the Napolean Meadows subdivision
• Bilton Welding and Manufacturing is making plans to ship two 190-ft. pressure vessels to the Rimbey Gas Plant in June 2015. The vessels require up to 20 employees during construction and specialized equipment for loading and transportation.
• The Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada are jointly funding a $17.6M affordable housing complex for seniors in Innisfail. The facility will consist of a 60-unit lodge and a minimum of 30 units of self-contained apartments.
• The City of Lloydminster has awarded contracts to Double D Bobcat Services and Contracting Ltd, as well as Pioneer Landscaping, to recycle concrete and woodchips, respectively
• Boutique La Vie en Rose plans to expand Bikini Village stores across Western Canada with up to 75 new locations by the end of 2016, pending approval of the purchase of the insolvent swimwear retailer
• Service Alberta has issued a public warning to job seekers after fraudulent websites have appeared that offer non-existent jobs in Alberta’s oil patch
• The Glen Allen Recreation Complex in Strathcona County is set to begin $14M in renovations in April 2015. The modernization project aims to convert the facility to year-round use.
• Ardrossan Family Centre, an out-of-school care service in Ardrossan, is closing on June 30, 2015. The care service is seeking a new space for operations due to demolition at its current location.
• The City of St. Albert has approved a mobile food vendor pilot project that will allow food trucks on public land within the city during the summer. Previously, food trucks have been restricted to private land.
• The Government of Alberta has announced plans to reduce services at the Calgary Young Offender Centre and close the Calgary Maintenance Enforcement Program. The move could affect 51 employees, according to the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.
• The Edmonton Buddhist Research Institute has received funding for 106 supportive living spaces from the Government of Alberta. The funding provides for immediate construction of the new facility in Edmonton.
• CBC/Radio-Canada will cut 37 positions in Alberta as part of a national reduction of 240 jobs across all areas of operation. According to the company, while some affected employees may be reassigned to other positions, there will be job losses.