Here are some tips every owner needs to keep in mind:

Culture counts. While company culture may sound like a buzzword used by a fad-obsessed tech giant, don’t be so quick to brush it off. Culture is a major contributor to job satisfaction, which in turn leads to increased productivity and profit. Make sure your business encourages teamwork, rewards effort and has a mission your employees can believe in.

Learn the rules. There are many laws and guidelines for companies to follow that cover everything from filing taxes to sending emails. These rules can change, especially those that cover technology, so take steps to keep your business up to date and compliant. Don’t be afraid to hire a bookkeeper, lawyer or human resources consultant to help, as penalties can be hefty.

Lead by example. It can be hard to take the boss seriously when they have a “do as I say, not as I do” mindset. Practise the dedication and hard work you want your employees to put in, and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Clean your restaurant’s tables and jump in to cover a last-minute shift on a Saturday night.

Have a backup plan. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, and that’s okay. Knowing what you’ll do if Plan A fails is just as important as having a plan in the first place. For example, research what resources are available should you need a new loan or line of credit. One of your options could be the recently improved and expanded Canada Small Business Financing Program. You can now use the program to fund eligible practical costs like rent, payroll, franchise fees, permits, printed materials, cloud storage and more.

(Source : News Canada)

L’article What any small business owner needs to know est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The scene occurred around 4:16 p.m., time of the 911 call, yesterday afternoon, in the busy sector of Laval-des-Rapides.

An 81-year-old man, with a 54-year-old passenger by his side, was trying to park his car at the supermarket.

Wanting to position himself to immobilize his car in a parking space, the man first backed into a car, already parked behind him, and inside which was a lady.

In panic, the driver then made a turn, and pressed the accelerator, hitting a 41-year-old woman who was on the road.

She ended up on her hood, while the 81-year-old man then hit two other vehicles, as well as a 68-year-old person. He then hit the two posts installed in front of the main entrance to the business.

It propelled the 41-year-old woman to the ground, the latter finding herself in an unfortunate position, partially lying under the engine block of the vehicle, which then smashed the front doors in its tracks.

Intervention

Arriving on site at 4:20 p.m., barely four minutes after the 911 call, the eight firefighters required for the intervention, two units from Laval’s Fire and Safety Department, quickly gave first aid to the victim.

In addition to experiencing severe nervous shock, the victim suffered very serious arm fractures, and facial lacerations.

After stabilizing the victim, firefighters were able to hand her over quickly, at 4:23 p.m., to the Urgences-santé paramedics, so that she could be transported to a hospital. Luckily, her condition remains stable.

As for the other two people injured, they were both treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The scene was then entrusted to officers from the Service de police de Laval (SPL), to investigate the circumstances of that spectacular accident.

translated by Alec

L’article Three Injured and Smashed Supermarket Doors in Laval-des-Rapides est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

A sheet stuck on the door awaited customers on Tuesday morning. The note, from the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec, indicates that patient files of pharmacist Luigi Villaggi are now in the possession of pharmacists Émilie Larivière and Jean-Michel Dubeau.

Patients will now have go at the pharmacy located two kilometers further, on René-Laennec Boulevard.

Surprise

Although the files will be transferred to another pharmacy nearby, the decision will cause some problems for patients, especially for those who can’t drive to get there.

“We find it hard to understand the present situation,” said Dominique Palardy, a former customer of the pharmacy. “This is unheard of in the history of the company. At the same time, I greatly esteem Villaggi, who’s been there for me all my life as a patient. He’s an extraordinary pharmacist, and there for his customers.”

All customers met by Courrier Laval have a similar speech, as they don’t understand the current situation, but have only good, positive words for Villaggi.

Explanations

For its part, the Jean Coutu Group has confirmed the case has gone to court. Questions sent by the Courier Laval had yet to be answered when writing this piece.

The official reasons behind the closure therefore remain unknown for the moment. The pharmacy is no longer displayed on the company’s website, as if it had vanished overnight.

“After all those years of work, dedication and relentlessness, my father was kicked out of his pharmacy and all his employees were laid off,” said Andrea Villaggi, daughter of the pharmacist owner, through her Facebook profile. “In less than a few hours, more than 30 years of work were destroyed.”

Two security guards from the Maxi Security and Protection Agency have had the mandate to watch the front of the pharmacy since Thursday, Nov. 10. Apparently, there was a strike that day, which would justify the presence of increased surveillance.

Since the sudden closure of the business, the pharmacy taking over has been overwhelmed. In addition to having a smaller space, employees working there seem overwhelmed, drugs shelves are stripped, and the waiting lines are getting longer.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Sudden Closure of Vimont’s Jean Coutu est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The Honorable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, presented Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2023–2025, which outlines immigration as a strategy aimed at helping companies find workers, and to attract qualified people in key sectors.

Last year, Canada welcomed more than 405,000 newcomers – the most ever in a single year. The Government continues that ambition, by setting itself 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 in 2025. The plan places greater emphasis on the settlement of newcomers in different regions of the country, including small towns and rural communities.

“Last year, we welcomed the largest number of newcomers in a single year in our history,” said Fraser. “This year’s plan will help businesses find the workers they need, set Canada on a path that supports our long-term success, and enable us to deliver on our key commitments to vulnerable people fleeing violence, war and persecution.”

That plan builds on ongoing work to strengthen the immigration system, and bring the benefits of immigration to communities across the country. That includes supporting the vitality of Francophone communities outside of Quebec. (J.L-B\IJL)

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article An Immigration Plan to Help Grow the Economy est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The closure, scheduled for December 30, can be explained by persistent labour shortage problems.

Claude Brière, Vice President Sales and Development of the business, says Whyte’s has difficulty with the labour shortage since more than two years.

“For the past few years, we’ve been working extremely hard, deploying many resources, some of which are solely dedicated to hiring,” Brière said. “However, we’re unable to fill our vacancies.”

After some time, the business came to the decision to close the factory.

Over the next weeks, the company will move its production and equipment to other factory in Quebec (Saint-Louis de Richelieu), and Ontario (Wallaceburg). However, the company’s headquarters will remain in Quebec, being relocated to the Sainte-Thérèse distribution centre.

The factory has approximately 75 employees. Although the news probably didn’t surprise the majority, Brière specifies that employees were met individually, being offered a transfer to the Saint-Louis de Richelieu factory. He thinks around fifteen of them could accept the transfer.

Brière adds that Whyte’s is sad for its employees.

“We are a family business, and very close to our employees,” he concluded. “Making such decisions, it’s obvious that we find it very sad for them. We’ll wish our employees the best of luck for the future, and will do everything in our power to help them.”

L’article Whyte’s: A Difficult Decision est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

The company, that is now 112 years old, will now be owned and managed by Jeffrey and Robert Courey.

Jeffrey Courey is now the President and CEO of the family-owned linen and textile business, although he got promoted to that position in 2020. For his part, his brother was promoted to Vice President this past May.

Familiy members, workers, and many more were there for the evening of celebrations. Partners from the United States of America were also present.

In a press release from the company, it’s said that during the pandemic, George Courey Inc. “became an essential partner of the government in providing and supporting the healthcare industry through the provision of personal protective equipment, amid the massive shortage”.

Jeffrey Courey concluded that this transition means George Courey Inc. is “well-positioned to govern the company into the next century through our focus on people, planet and progress”.

L’article Jeffrey and Robert Courey Accept Transition of Fourth Generation est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

“We knew the labour shortage had a very negative impact on leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),” said by press release François Vincent, vice-president for Quebec at the CFIB. “They have to work more hours, and their employees as well. They’re forced to refuse contracts and business opportunities.”

Vincent adds that those SMEs could have benefited from these sums to recover, grow and revitalize their regions. For him, the labour shortage issue is very bad news for SME leaders.

CFIB’s assessment is based on data from a survey conducted last March. The results relating to the losses suffered by SMEs were calculated using the average total income of a Quebec SME, published by Statistics Canada for the year 2020, by sector of activity. Let’s note that the analysis only takes into account SMEs with revenues between $30,000 and $5 million, in order to have a conservative assessment.

All Sectors

In a report published last April, the CFIB revealed how the labour shortage was affecting all industries, and leading to an explosion of job vacancies, thus putting a lot of pressure on SMEs.

Today’s research note also highlights the economic impacts by activity sector.

The construction and professional and administrative services sectors are registering losses of more than $2 billion. SMEs in the lodging/food and retail sectors are experiencing losses of nearly a billion. In the wholesale trade and transportation sectors, these losses total $1.2 billion.

Measures

The lack of employees is cited by 86 per cent of small business owners in Quebec as the most difficult issue to overcome in 2022, just behind the increase in costs, mentioned by 87 per cent of them.

“The Government of Quebec has adopted several measures to support companies seeking employees, and has just made changes so that all SMEs have access to tax credits to attract workers,” explained Vincent in the press release. “That said, more actions are possible and necessary to help those businesses, especially in terms of taxation, where Quebec is the country’s champion.” (A.B.)

L’article Nearly $11 Billion Lost Due to Labour Shortage est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.