Job Bank’s latest market trends, news in Alberta

source: jobbank.gc.ca

Week of Jun 22 – Jun 26, 2015

• The Government of Alberta has introduced Bill 3, the Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, which restores funding to health-care and human services, and freezes post-secondary tuition. The previous government had proposed cuts to funding in these areas.
• A recent report from Statistics Canada has found that Alberta is continuing to attract people from other provinces, in spite of slumping oil prices. Alberta had the strongest population growth rate of all the provinces.
• The oil sands industry in Alberta is projected to have strong growth, but at a reduced rate according to a new report from RBC Dominion Securities. Production from the oil sands and capital investments are expected to occur at a slower rate than previously forecast in 2014.
• Retail trade in Alberta declined 2.5% in the first three months of 2015 over 2014, according to a recently released report from Colliers International. Alberta led the country in retail growth in 2014, with sales rising 7.7% to $78.7B.
• TELUS is investing $1B in Edmonton to connect more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses directly to the company’s fibre optic network over the next six years. TELUS also announced a $120,000 investment in the Edmonton Public Library system.
• Wood Mackenzie is predicting that $100B is at risk for Canadian oil producers in the absence of significant pipeline construction by 2030. Transportation bottlenecks and increased production are expected to push more oil to the railways.
• Simons, a major Canadian fashion retailer, is planning a $200M expansion, including new stores in Calgary and Edmonton by 2017. The family-owned company currently operates nine stores, all in Quebec, except for one at West Edmonton Mall, which opened in 2012.
• The City of Airdrie is seeking a new tenant for the Airdrie Town and Country Centre after the current lessee decided against further renewal. The city is open to both non- and for-profit organizations as tenants.
• A program called BaseToBusiness was launched by the Government of Alberta tasked with encouraging employers to tap into the skillsets of veterans who are transitioning from the Canadian Armed Forces
• The Town of Crossfield has approved rezoning for a parcel of land that will allow Dream Developments to build housing for 2,900 residents. The first phase of Vista Crossing, planned for early 2016, will include about 140 homes.
• Deerland Equipment is planning for September 2015 to finish the first stage of the Landing Park Development in Athabasca. The area, zoned for highway commercial development, is expecting to attract restaurants and retail businesses.
• The Alberta Chambers of Commerce has recently released a report suggesting that a proposed increase in the Alberta minimum wage would result in fewer jobs and cuts to workers’ benefits. The results come from over 1,500 responses to a business survey.
• The Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association is concerned about proposed increases to the Alberta minimum wage. The association is also asking that the current liquor-server wage differential be retained.
• TransCanada Corp. has laid off 185 people, mostly stationed in Calgary, from its major projects department in a bid to cut costs and improve efficiency. Approximately 100 full-time employees and 85 contractors, were affected.
• The City of Edmonton has approved construction of a funicular, pedestrian bridge and outdoor elevator in the river valley. Construction on the $24M project could begin in the summer of 2015, pending financing agreements.
• Edmonton Public Schools has approved a budget of approximately $1.1B for the 2015-2016 school year. The budget includes funding for 67 additional full-time teaching jobs and 51 extra full-time support staff positions, such as educational assistants and library technicians.
• Dynastream Innovations, a Cochrane high tech company, has been rebranded under Garmin Ltd. The Cochrane office, which is set to expand, has been an important design and engineering centre for Garmin internationally.
• The new Cold Lake Elementary School is slightly behind schedule in construction, but plans are in place to open by September 1, 2016
• Encana Corp., a Calgary-based energy company, is warning of further job cuts in the wake of low oil prices and structural reorganization. The company currently has 3,500 employees and contractors.
• The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is testing new technology at the Edmonton International Airport to streamline passenger flow and security screening. Four new gates have been installed that automate several functions previously handled by staff, including scanning boarding passes and assigning passengers to lanes.
• The River Cree Resort and Casino, on the Enoch Cree Nation, is breaking ground on its new entertainment venue with construction scheduled to start July 7, 2015. The facility will have a capacity for 2,600 patrons.
• The City of Lethbridge has ratified a new collective agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 672 city employees. The four-year agreement provides for guaranteed wage increases and a lump sum payment.
• The City of Lethbridge is dispersing more than $432,000 from the Community Capital Project Grant to thirteen local not-for-profit groups. The funds will support facility upgrades and expansion.
• Bos Scapes Inc. has been awarded a $3.67M contract to develop and landscape sports fields at two school sites and the Keystone Park Fitness Loop in Lethbridge
• The University of Lethbridge has been awarded a record $3.9M in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The funding supports research programs, faculty and students.
• Lemon Tree Pole Fitness, a pole fitness studio, has recently opened in Grande Prairie
• The new Canadian Tire store in High River, currently under construction, is on target to open in late October 2015. The store hosted a hiring fair on June 24, 2015.
• Lakeland College, in Vermilion, has signed an agreement to establish a special purpose fund of $130,000 for awards for Métis students. Bursaries and awards will be distributed each year worth between $2,500 and $3,500 to students of Métis heritage.
• The Lloydminster RCMP is seeking support from the City of Lloydminster for four additional members for the detachment. The employees would be plain-clothes officers, who would aid in investigative duties as needed
• Mountain Top Foods has started construction on a new food processing plant in Nanton. Equipment in the facility will allow the company to work double shifts and increase production.
• Edmonton Economic Development Corp. has launched the Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Edmonton. The pilot project, with some funding from the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, is primarily aimed at businesses with annual revenues of more than $1M.
• The Town of Okotoks has received a development permit application to build a Save On Foods location, but no information was provided on a construction timeline
• TransCanada Corp. has plans to build a rail terminal on a property recently acquired in the Industrial Heartland Area in Strathcona County. In addition, the company currently has three projects worth $1B approved for the county.
• The Pawn Shop, a music venue in Edmonton ceased operations on June 27, 2015. The owners cited increased rent and a downturn in the local economy as reasons for the closure.
• The University of Alberta has received $5.4M in funding from the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Li Ka Shing Institute of Applied Virology, to research cancer therapies. The five-year project anticipates beginning human trials in 2020.
• Ducks Unlimited, an international conservation group, is hiring staff for a recently opened office in Strathmore
• Ferus Natural Gas Fuels Inc. has plans to build a $50M liquefied natural gas plant just south of the Hamlet of Villeneuve in Sturgeon County