Giving Tuesday, unemployment drops, Marine City/Sombra Christmas

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Today – Mainly sunny. Wind south 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming southwest 40 gusting to 60 late this morning. High 14.

Tonight – Increasing cloudiness then 40 percent chance of showers late this evening and after midnight. Becoming partly cloudy after midnight. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Low plus 2.

‘Paint The Town Red’ event today for ‘Giving Tuesday’

The Paint The Town Red event is taking place on ‘Giving Tuesday’ in support of the United Way of Chatham-Kent.

Participating restaurants will be donating 25% of their daily pre-tax food sales.

“Dine out on Giving Tuesday and help to change lives in Chatham-Kent,” United Way officials said on social media.

“Participating restaurants will be donating 25% of their daily pre-tax food sales in support of United Way to help bring hope, strength, joy and belonging to those in need throughout Chatham-Kent. Please invite some friends and come and join us for a great meal on Tuesday, November 28th and let’s change some lives together.”

Participating restaurants:

Wallaceburg:

– James Street Eatery

– The Black Goose Grill

– The Clubhouse at Baldoon

Chatham:

– Casa Bella on the Thames

– Frendz Restaurant & Lounge

– Mike’s Place Chatham

– Rossini’s Restaurant

– SONNY’s Sandwich Emporium

Blenheim:

– Dana’s Kitchen

Pain Court:

– Central Tavern

More details, here:

Unemployment drops below 6% in Chatham-Kent

For only the second time in the last 11 years, Chatham-Kent’s unemployment rate has dropped below six per cent.

Statistics have Chatham-Kent’s September unemployment rate at 5.9%, Municipal officials stated.

Stuart McFadden, Chatham-Kent’s acting director of economic development services, said equally important is the fact that the local economy added 1,700 jobs during the past four months.

“Having our unemployment rate drop to 5.9 per cent is good from a symbolic basis, but the fact that we have 49,700 people working is key,” McFadden said in a press release.

“We focus on the number of people working more than we do the actual percentage.”

The number of people employed is the highest it’s been since December of last year.

McFadden said the figures mirror what economic development staff have been hearing throughout the municipality.

“Employers are telling us they are looking for employees in a variety of sectors especially skilled trades,” he said.

“Helping these companies promote the available jobs they have today, and the jobs they are projecting will be required in the future, is a focus of ours right now.”

Statistics Canada to conduct survey in Lambton County

From November 27th, 2017 to December 1st, 2017, Statistics Canada will conduct a voluntary telephone survey on behalf of the Sarnia Lambton Workforce Development Board as part of its Survey Skills Development training program.

The purpose of this survey is to better understand the main work activity, job satisfaction, and training requirements of Lambton County residents.

Statistics Canada interviewers will be contacting approximately 2,000 randomly selected households in Lambton County. They will also be informing the selected households of this survey by letter in the mail prior to the collection.

Should survey participants have any questions or comments, they are asked to contact Statistics Canada toll-free at 1-888-634-2360.

Anyone receiving this phone call survey, who has not been informed by mail prior to the collection, should hang up the phone and contact Statistics Canada to confirm their participation in the survey.

Merrytime Christmas in Marine City and Sombra on Saturday

The 3rd annual Merrytime Christmas will be held in Marine City and Sombra on Saturday, December 2.

Merrytime Christmas in Marine City and Sombra Ontario is a international citywide celebration of an old fashioned river town Christmas.

The journey begins at the historic Mariner Theater located at 430 Water Street in Marine City, where you can pick up your goodie bag filled with coupons, information and surprises from our local businesses and restaurants.

One person from each group will also receive a complimentary round trip walk on pass for the Bluewater Ferry to and from Marine City to Sombra, Ontario.

In Sombra, the Wildly Delish family restaurant is serving up home made turkey on a bun, along with their famous pig tails or sausage on a bun with free coffee with every meal until 11 a.m. Their gift shop will be open along with their tea room, where homemade pastries and pies will be for sale. All of the pop up store vendors and crafts will be located at Wildly Delish, 156 King Street in Sombra as well.

For more information visit their website: www.merrrytimechristmas.com

Here are more details as well:

Royal Assent for Ontario’s Create Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs legislation

Ontario’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, received Royal Assent on Monday.

The broad ranging Act raises the minimum wage, ensures more fairness for part-time and contract workers, and expands personal emergency leave. The minimum wage will increase to $14 an hour on January 1, 2018, and to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019.

“I am happy the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act has now received Royal Assent,” stated Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour.

“Our new legislation addresses the needs of the modern workplace and provides a minimum wage workers can actually live on. We can build a better, fairer Ontario for everyone.”

Key provisions of the legislation that are now in effect include:

– Protection Against Employee Misclassification: The Employment Standards Act, 2000, now expressly prohibits employers from misclassifying employees as “independent contractors.” This is intended to address cases where employers improperly treat their employees as if they are self-employed and not entitled to the protections of the ESA. In the event of a dispute, the employer would be responsible for proving that the individual is not an employee.

– Changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act: The Act now prevents employers from requiring a worker to wear footwear with an elevated heel, for example, high heels, at work, unless such footwear is required for the worker’s safety.

Provisions that come into effect on December 3, 2017, include:

– Critical Illness Leave: An employee will be entitled to take up to 17 weeks of leave in a 52 week period to provide care or support to a critically ill adult family member.

– Parental Leave: The length of parental leave will increase; this leave was up to 35 weeks long if the employee took pregnancy leave, and 37 weeks otherwise. As of December 3, 2017, it can be up to 61 weeks if the employee takes pregnancy leave, and up to 63 weeks otherwise.

The Critical Illness Leave and Parental Leave changes were made to align with federal changes to Employment Insurance.

Employers will be required to pay casual, part-time, temporary and seasonal employees the same rate as full-time, permanent employees when doing the same job. This will also apply for temporary help agency employees doing the same job as permanent employees at the company they are assigned to. These provisions will come into effect on April 1, 2018.

Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change includes raising the minimum wage, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.

More details:

– The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 responds to the final report of the Changing Workplaces Review. It was the first-ever independent review of both the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995.

– The report estimated that more than 30 per cent of Ontario workers were in precarious work in 2014. In 2016, the median hourly wage was $13.00 for part-time workers and $24.73 for full-time workers. Over the past 30 years, part-time work has grown to represent nearly 20 per cent of total employment.

– Studies show that a higher minimum wage results in less employee turnover, which increases business productivity.