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.

This friendly competition between businesses and institutions from all Quebec regions is a way to raise public awareness about the use of sustainable means of transport.

Moreover, since this year, the challenge offers its services through a free app, that can be downloaded on any smartphone.

The latter will make it possible to count the total kilometers travelled, as well as the kilograms of greenhouse gases.

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article A challenge to Encourage Sustainable Mobility est apparu en premier sur Courrier Laval news.

As for the city of Laval, the citizen relations desk, the sales counter for cat and dog permits, tax, assessment, engineering and urban planning counters, the municipal court and social emergencies will all be closed tomorrow.

Citizen reception counters, neighbourhood police stations and the gendarmerie will be open, while the police headquarters will not be accessible.

The 311 telephone service will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cultural and Sports Facilities

The libraries, the Maison des arts de Laval, and the Salle Alfred-Pellan will be closed tomorrow, as will the community centres.

The park and Centre de la nature facilities will remain open, according to the usual schedule. The same goes for the arenas and water playgrounds in Laval, with some exceptions. City-owned indoor pools will instead be closed.

Other Establishments

Across the province, most grocery stores, retail businesses, shopping centres and SQDC branches will be closed. The same applies for banks, as well as federal and provincial service points,

However, small grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, convenience stores, bars, gas stations and SAQ branches, unless they’re in a mall, should all be open.

Transport

The Société de transport de Laval (STL) will change its schedule on Labour Day. Buses will offer Sunday service.

This will also be the case for the suburban train, while the exo2 Saint-Jérôme line will offer the weekend schedule. That line goes through the Sainte-Rose, Vimont and de la Concorde stations. (N.P.)

translated by Alec Brideau

L’article Labour Day: Open or Closed? 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.