Tag Archives: jobs

Benefits of Working On The Front-line in Canada: Lessons From My First Job

As a double immigrant who worked his way through high school and university, I am a big believer in the lifelong benefits of working on the front line, early in life. My first job was an eye opener to say the least.

As a double immigrant who worked his way through high school and university, I am a big believer in the lifelong benefits of working on the front line. My first job was in frontline customer service at age 16 for Canada’s largest sports store chain, Collegiate Sports (now Sport Chek), in a flagship mall in Toronto. I started as a salesclerk selling shoes, retail apparel, ski equipment, and stringing tennis racquets.

As a student athlete, I was fortunate to work in a large sports department store situated in a multicultural city and to serve all kinds of people across various ages and income groups.

Our customers ranged from consummate “old stock Canadian” athletes, who were fanatical about every detail when ordering custom equipment, to wide-eyed gullible immigrants whose children were seeking to learn a new sport like ice hockey or snowboarding. It was a fast paced atmosphere with dense traffic in the evenings and buzzing with energy on the weekends like a casino hotel on the Las Vegas strip.

It was also a very demanding job because it required being on your feet for 8 hours per shift and being constantly “switched on” to anticipate customer needs. Employees engaged in their first front line customer service role developed emotional intelligence through hundreds of daily interactions with customers. Over time, I learned how to read customers’ non-verbal facial expressions and body language, which varied widely by their ethnicities, stage of life, and other factors.

The job required meticulous knowledge of every major sporting activity, current and incoming inventory, and prices for disparate product lines and brands while also including labor intensive tasks such as tagging the products, stocking the shelves, and cleaning the store after hours. Determining the best allocation of shelf space was a key decision. There were no “smart technologies” such as sensors, cameras, big data, and analytics used by retailers today to manage inventories and shelf-space. Hence arranging the optimal product assortment on the floor to generate traffic was an essential part of the job that required teamwork and an entrepreneurial mindset of experimentation through trial and error.

The store manager was a flamboyant French-Canadian named Guy who was a die-hard Montreal Canadiens fan with a profound sense of humor.

Typical of 1980s Toronto, the staff was composed of up-and-comers, including many Asian, European, and Caribbean immigrants. Guy was great at motivating staff, casting people in the right departments, creating internal sales contests, and holding us accountable. He had a keen eye for talent and was adept at identifying and investing in adaptive learners who could conquer a multifaceted department such as ski equipment or hockey skates by efficiently conveying product knowledge to outsell others.

Guy’s greatest skill was building an informal talent marketplace to grow the business in one of the world’s most diverse cities. He understood that a high performing diverse team of employees who felt like the store was their own business would not just generate loyal customers but grow the sports retail business by engaging new communities. Under his leadership, the store became an incredibly diverse meritocracy of over 500 full time and part time employees: Caribbean kids rose from selling track shoes to managing winter sports and Asian women ascended from selling apparel to assistant manager roles overseeing budgets and purchasing. I remember training a Jamaican immigrant, who happened to be the best sprinter in Toronto, how to string tennis racquets at optimal tensions depending on the player’s style, and she taught me about the subtle differences in track and field spikes depending on specific events and surfaces.

Like any store environment, it was not always pleasant. When the store missed its numbers by a wide margin, Guy scolded us for not being sufficiently productive.

He would curse at us with Quebecois nouns, poke fun at our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, and if revenues were under budget, walk us back to his office which doubled as “banc des pénalités” (“penalty box”). His diminutive office was adjacent to the boisterous warehouse receiving truck shipments, welding, and assembling equipment. Here Guy would shout out the disappointing financial results and present the dormant inventory and the blue-collar workers whose strenuous labor made it possible for us to sell these products on the floor. He reminded us that even the most talented players end up in the penalty box and cost their team when they fail to play together and trust their teammates.

Over the course of four years, this job taught me three things I would use in the rest of my career: First, the benefits of building a high-performing team of diverse colleagues who could teach each other through an apprenticeship model rather than formal training; second, how professional development is accelerated by highly demanding customers who make purchase decisions in a matter of seconds; and third, how the real world has a magical way of revealing where your greatest talents reside, even if it contradicts what your teachers and test scores suggest are your perceived strengths.

In my last year on the job, Guy got promoted to regional VP overseeing 100 stores in Eastern Canada.

Still, he sought me out once every few months. In our last few meetings, he expressed his gratitude that I helped recruit tens of what he called “gens talentueux” or highly talented and diverse employees – mostly high school athletes and musicians – that drew waves of new customers into his stores and grew the business. The last few times we met, Guy tried to persuade me to become a store manager and retail executive like he was. As an Asian immigrant with Ivy League dreams, I was not ready to take the store manager career path.

However, years later after graduate school and a stint in management consulting, I joined the hospitality industry where I was able to harness this cross-cultural competence to achieve breakthrough results. And when I became an operating executive and eventually a hospitality CEO, it made an even bigger difference. Thanks to years on the front line, I was able to swiftly unearth customer needs, connect deeply with front line employees and build collaborative cross-cultural teams. My front line experience was most helpful in relating to employees in emerging markets such as Shanghai where I had no prior work experience, did not speak the language, and had to motivate migrant workers, mostly mothers living apart from their children.

It was my years serving on the frontline in retail, sports, and healthcare that taught me to how to collaborate with colleagues, look customers in the eye and resolve their complaints, form teams to solve thorny problems, and meet the litmus test of becoming a leader by identifying and developing other people’s talents.

Service industries are not just the largest employers: they are engines of human development for communities, cities, countries, and entire civilizations. From the United States to China and Saudi Arabia, business, and government leaders “get it” and are investing billions to rebuild human capital in hospitality centric service industries after the pandemic. These diverse stakeholders recognize the critical role of service industries in rebuilding their countries, diversifying their economies, and facilitating meritocracy for domestic and foreign employees of all ages, races, ethnicities, and genders.

Surprisingly, their efforts are increasingly lost on the workforce. Instead, a talent disruption, powered by innovative technologies such as generative AI, changing attitudes towards work-life balance, and a growing mistrust of capitalism and governments is changing the equation. Millions of Gen Xers and Millennials are choosing the gig economy or hybrid jobs where they can effortlessly circumvent human interaction and avoid the discomfort of face-to-face conflicts. Groundbreaking technologies such as generative AI may accelerate this talent disruption, further distancing employees and contract workers and hence brands from their customers.

Consequently, brands that achieved differentiation through personalized service may suffer from commoditization. What is more troubling are the long-term career development implications for individuals, especially Gen Xers and Millennials who are set to become the next generation of service managers and grew up performing these gig economy jobs.

Driving around town and leaving bags at a front door with pictures, communicating via text confirmations, and receiving tips based on algorithms is not an equivalent experience to being on the frontline in a service operation.

It may provide contractors with flexibility and income, but it comes at the cost of a lack of learning and customer contact that will serve to stunt their professional growth. What is the solution here? Given this historic talent disruption, what is the path forward for business and government leaders in industries such as hospitality, retail, and healthcare that are experiencing long-term labor shortages and growing unionization? Should employers, including entrepreneurs such as franchisees, increase their investments in acquiring, developing, and compensating talents? Or should they invest in AI and other technologies to automate and reduce their investments in building human capital? What other alternatives, if any, exist?

My first job was in a sporting goods store.

Out Of Work? You Could Be A Contestant On A Future Game Show

After perusing the many niches of reality TV — well-to-do housewives in multiple major cities, the rugged Alaska lifestyle, and working the dirtiest jobs known to man — employment strategist Richard B. Alman wonders why we haven’t seen a show about a popular and compelling subject: long-term unemployment and drop-outs. (Spoiler alert- Life imitates art, this has in fact become reality…read on)

It’s a numbers game

While unemployment rates ebb and flow, according to various Government agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States or Statistics Canada here at home, there is no reliable data for the long-term unemployed – those who’ve been jobless for 27 weeks or more – and for the underemployed.

“Recent college grads, who are typically saddled with student debt, still struggle to find terra firma in the professional world, and there’s a large blind spot for older unemployed workers, who may have gone back to school or taken a lesser job for which they’re overqualified, or they’re still searching,” says Alman, principal of Recruiter Media, owner of www.RecruiterNetworks.com, the world’s largest owner/operator of career websites.

The 1990 arcade game Smash TV- set in 1999 and with a vague story arc. Officially, the plot of Smash TV revolves around a futuristic game show in which players compete for various prizes, as well as their lives. Urban legend has included references to 'out of work teens and college drop-outs' being some of the principle characters. CP

The 1990 arcade game Smash TV- set in 1999 and with a vague story arc. Officially, the plot of Smash TV revolves around a futuristic game show in which players compete for various prizes, as well as their lives. Urban legend has included references to ‘out of work teens and college drop-outs’ being some of the principle characters. 

“Drama, struggle, learning moments and, yes, hope – that’s what you’d get with an un- and underemployment-themed reality TV show.”

Life imitating art imitating life? The Running Man takes place in the year 2017- and pits ‘society discards against one another in a reality based TV show set in a dystopic future’.

Alman reviews how the first season might play out.

•  Week 1: Job-seekers are happy to have a gig. Since reality show participants are paid, all are happy for this opportunity. Newly graduated college students are grateful to have a place to crash for several weeks with Wi-Fi and other free amenities, and love interests begin to develop. Older professionals, however, will have mortgages and families; for them, the show is a business trip. Underemployed job-seekers tell their stories of working long hours in unfulfilling positions.

•  Week 2: Putting the reality into “reality TV.” “Un- and underemployment touches nearly everyone; we all know someone without enough work,” Alman says. While reality includes fortuitous wealth and fame for a few, it also includes tough times for many. The second week would feature job-seekers sticking to old methods of searching that have not worked in the past and continue to fail them.  

•  Week 3: The reveal – participants find out it’s a competition. While the cameras have sparked renewed vigor in their individual searches – a few participants may have even tried some wildly unconventional tactics – the group has had relatively little success. Producers reveal that it’s not just a reality show about job-seekers, it’s a competition. The group is separated into two teams. Participants from the winning team get legitimate interviews with Fortune 500 companies.

•  Week 4: Job-seekers gain important tips. No matter how much experience, talent, youth or beauty they have, job-seekers still make mistakes with their strategies. While a well-written cover letter, an impressive education and a great resume certainly help – they’re not everything. Professionals give participants tips for staying relevant in today’s market, including the importance of doing volunteer work, preferably in roles that match their talents and training.

“I really cannot overemphasize this tip enough. Volunteering is probably the best way for the long-term unemployed to demonstrate their abilities, initiative and effectiveness in a marketplace that hasn’t given you enough of a chance,” Alman says. “It builds new skills, introduces you to a new network of potential employers, and adds recent experience to your resume.”

•  Final week: All are on their way to gainful employment. After several weeks, most of the participants have made significant progress in landing career positions. While the winning team gains a great opportunity with a guaranteed, high-quality interview, there are no losers on this show. And, those who’ve made an excellent impression on the program are sure to gain additional opportunities.

For the Silo, Richard B. Alman

Supplemental-Following the theme of this story, you might like to consider the US game show “Paid Off”. Accordingly the contestants are graduates competing to have their student loans paid off.

Change Your Life Today By Starting A Fantastic New Career

Lots of people will tell you they’re fed up with work due to the pandemic. Why do something that makes you miserable for the rest of your life? It is possible to change careers right now but you’ll need a little money. 

Unless you invest in your new career, you might end up in the same kind of job you already have. It’s why everyone should seriously consider taking out a loan. Here are some jobs you’ll be able to start after training. 

Drive A Truck Long Distance 

Even if you’re in a tough financial position at the moment, you can get a truck driver’s license. Just find a company that deals with the responsible lending of bad credit loans and you’ll have a much better chance of being approved. 

Once you get your truck driver’s license it’s easy to find a job because North America is desperate for drivers. Would you enjoy making deliveries all over the country? It’s perfect if you love driving and lots of freedom. 

Operate A Forklift In A Yard 

If you don’t want to drive long distances, it’s still possible to use your loan to get a license. How would you feel about operating a forklift in a yard? You’ll spend all day picking things up and carrying them around. 

When you check the loan calculator of money lending websites, it’s clear to see you’ll make enough money to pay everything back within a few months. There are even opportunities to work with bigger machinery in the future. 

Becoming A Personal Trainer 

Even though it’s easy to become a personal trainer you will need a certification. It doesn’t matter if you’ve spent the last decade in the gym. If you don’t have a certification you won’t get insurance and a client could sue you. 

It’s great if you like working out because you’ll be able to train people in their homes. A great way to spend winter when it’s cold. If you find it easy to get clients you’ll be able to pay back a loan fast. 

Learn How To Code At A Camp 

I’m sure you’ve heard it’s possible to get a great job once you know how to code. If you don’t want to study at college, you’ll be able to attend a code camp. It’s somewhere you’ll learn everything you need to get a job. 

Code camps are also good because you get to network with other people with similar interests. It makes it easier to find a job. If you want to pay back the loan quicker, start freelancing at night while you’re at the camp. 

Teach People To Speak English 

Even if you live in English-speaking countries it’s possible to get a job teaching people English. If you want to teach English you will need a TEFL certificate to get started, but you might not need a college degree. 

One of the reasons why it’s a great career is because you’ll be able to teach all over the world when you feel like traveling. Would you enjoy teaching in South Korea, China, or Brazil somewhere down the line? 

It’s Worth Getting A Loan 

If you can find a career where it’s easy to find a job, the loan isn’t going to be a problem. You’ll be able to start working in a new industry within weeks or months. 

Influence of COVID-19 on luxury refurbished market

The luxury market was one of the most adversely affected industries during the pandemic.

Between 2020 and 2021, people were stuck in lockdown to help prevent the spread, and as a result did not have a reason to go out purchasing luxury products.

Tax Implications if you are an NRI stuck in India due to COVID Lockdown -  Tax and accounting services for domestic and overseas Indians | GKMTax.in

This naturally affected the sales of the luxury market, as jobs were being lost and the priority shifting from spending money to saving money. Luxury products are still desired, however getting access to brand new products was not manageable for the vast majority. This is where the business model, coined by Simon Kronenfeld came into play, which helped more individuals get access to luxury products.   

If you’re wondering who Simion Kronenfeld is, he is a business expert known for his revolutionary approach of re-selling refurbished products.

His business model had a strong impact towards the luxury market. Prior to 2001, consumers were only able to gain access to new luxury products and if the products had any damages they would be returned to the company. This created a problem as the company could no longer sell these unpackaged products. Nevertheless, Simon Kronenfeld found a solution. (Kronenfeld is a man with humble beginnings, who came from Israel to Canada and started off as a dishwasher.) In 2001, Kronenfeld founded Electronic Liquidators, which not only revolutionized the electronics market, but the entire resale market, which had a tremendous impact on the luxury market. 

Kronenfeld.

Simon Kronenfeld discovered that up until 2001, nobody was working on repackaging the products that were returned to a company.

Recognizing this gap in the market, Kronenfeld started his very own business focusing on this sector specifically. Simon Kronenfeld started repackaging the products that were returned to a company labeling them as refurbished products. These refurbished products were then sold at the second-tier shops, transforming these financially burdened products into a multi million dollar business in just the span of two years. This same business model was replicated by many other companies following the positive impact this model brought both on a financial level and on an environmental level. In this day and age, sustainability is everything, so this concept has become a multi million-dollar formula for businesses. In fact, most companies are now earning billions of dollars annually by repackaging the return products and selling these refurbished products. 

This had a massive positive effect on the luxury market, as the luxury market was losing millions of dollars every year because of returned products.

Now, however, revenue could be generated from refurbished products, and turn a profit.  There are a lot of platforms online that promote luxury resale at much more affordable costs, benefiting all parties involved, especially now during the pandemic where people are not actively buying new luxury products, opting for refurbished products seems to be the best solution since they come at more affordable prices yet still offer the practicality.  

While a number of industries were negatively impacted, the refurbished market mitigated the losses in the luxury market while also offering sustainability. The refurbished market focuses on a big portion of the population in virtually any country, as in reality a tiny percentage of the population is able to indulge in these luxuries. This model gives more people access to a higher lifestyle for less, while still expanding the business market and creating more jobs as a result of this niche. These refurbished products are much more appreciated in common households and provide a good source of revenue to the sellers capitalizing on this market and offering a win-win situation.  For the Silo, Michael Adams.

Artificial Intelligence Or AI Is Set To Take Over Many Industries

Is there any question that Artificial Intelligence, or “AI”, is going to play a huge role in the future? The short answer is no- it’s already playing a large part today, so let’s delve into this new tech and look at how it is benefiting the energy sector and what we can expect to see from this AI phenomenon in the not so distant future.

AI In Energy Sector

Ontario Basic Income Pilot Begins- Special Advisor Hugh Segal Appointed

The province has appointed the Honourable Hugh Segal to provide advice on the design and implementation of a Basic Income Pilot in Ontario, as announced in the 2016 Budget.

Basic Income MLK QuoteBasic income, or guaranteed annual income, is a payment to eligible families or individuals that ensures a minimum level of income. Ontario will design and implement a pilot program to test the growing view that a basic income could help deliver income support more efficiently, while improving health, employment and housing outcomes for Ontarians.

As Special Advisor on Basic Income, Mr. Segal will draw on his expertise in Canadian and international models of basic income and consult with thought leaders to help Ontario design a pilot.

Mr. Segal will deliver a discussion paper to the province by the fall to help inform the design and implementation of the pilot, on a pro bono basis. The discussion paper will include advice about potential criteria for selecting target populations and/or locations, delivery models and advice about how the province could evaluate the results of the Basic Income Pilot. Ontario will undertake further engagement with experts, communities and other stakeholders as it moves towards design and implementation.

Supporting Ontarians through a Basic Income Pilot is part of the government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

QUOTES

Hugh Segal“Ontario is taking a leading role in piloting a modern Basic Income, and we are thrilled that the Honourable Hugh Segal will be lending us his considerable expertise in this regard. We want to ensure that we are developing a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to test the idea of a Basic Income, and we look forward to Mr. Segal’s advice as we begin this work.”

— Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Community and Social Services

“I am delighted to be working with the government to help lay the groundwork for a Basic Income Pilot in Ontario. The potential for a Basic Income to transform income security in Ontario and across the country is tremendous, and I look forward to contributing to this bold initiative.”

— The Honourable Hugh Segal

QUICK FACTS

  • Finland, Netherlands and Kenya are all looking at developing pilot projects that test the idea of a basic or annual guaranteed income.
  • MINCOME in 1975-78 tested the idea of a guaranteed annual income in Dauphin, Manitoba.

LEARN MORE

 

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L’Ontario va de l’avant avec le Projet pilote portant sur le revenu de base

La province nomme Hugh Segal conseiller special

La province a nommé l’honorable Hugh Segal pour lui donner des conseils sur la conception et la mise en œuvre d’un Projet pilote portant sur le revenu de base en Ontario, tel qu’annoncé dans le budget de 2016.

Le revenu de base, ou revenu annuel garanti, représente un paiement versé aux familles ou aux particuliers admissibles. Il garantit un niveau de revenu minimum. L’Ontario concevra et mettra en œuvre un programme pilote pour confirmer l’hypothèse voulant qu’un revenu minimum contribue à accorder un soutien du revenu de façon plus efficace, tout en améliorant les résultats en matière de santé, d’emploi et de logement pour les Ontariens et les Ontariennes.

En tant que conseiller spécial pour le revenu de base, M. Segal fera appel à sa connaissance des modèles de revenu de base canadiens et internationaux et consultera des dirigeants pour aider l’Ontario à concevoir un projet pilote.

 

  1. Segal remettra un document de discussion à la province d’ici à l’automne sur lequel l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre du projet pilote reposeront et ce, de façon bénévole. Le document de discussion inclura des conseils sur les critères éventuels de sélection des groupes cibles et/ou des lieux, des modèles de prestation et des conseils sur le mode d’évaluation par la province des résultats du Projet pilote portant sur le revenu de base. L’Ontario entamera un dialogue supplémentaire avec des spécialistes, des communautés et d’autres intervenants dans le cadre de l’élaboration et de la mise en œuvre de ce projet pilote.

 

Offrir un soutien aux Ontariens et aux Ontariennes grâce à un Projet pilote portant sur le revenu de base s’inscrit dans le plan économique du gouvernement, qui vise à favoriser l’essor de l’Ontario et à concrétiser sa principale priorité, à savoir stimuler l’économie et créer des emplois. Ce plan en quatre volets consiste à investir dans les talents et les compétences, tout en aidant plus de gens à obtenir et à créer les emplois de l’avenir en élargissant l’accès à des études collégiales et universitaires de haute qualité. De plus, le plan fait le plus important investissement dans l’infrastructure publique de l’histoire de l’Ontario et investit dans une économie sobre en carbone guidée par des entreprises innovatrices, à forte croissance et axées sur l’exportation. Enfin, le plan aide la population ontarienne active à bénéficier d’une retraite plus sure.

CITATIONS

« L’Ontario adopte un rôle de chef de file pour introduire sous forme de projet pilote un revenu de base moderne. Nous sommes ravis que l’honorable Hugh Segal mette son expertise considérable à notre service. Nous voulons nous assurer d’élaborer une approche réfléchie, fondée sur des données probantes, pour tester le concept de revenu de base. Nous comptons sur les conseils de M. Segal dans le cadre du lancement de ces travaux. »

— Dre Helena Jaczek, ministre des Services sociaux et communautaires

« Je suis ravi de collaborer avec le gouvernement pour jeter les bases d’un Projet pilote portant sur le revenu de base en Ontario. Le revenu de base pourrait transformer radicalement la sécurité du revenu en Ontario et dans tout le pays. Je suis heureux de contribuer à cette initiative audacieuse. »

— L’honorable Hugh Segal

FAITS EN BREF

  • La Finlande, les Pays-Bas et le Kenya songent tous à concevoir des projets pilotes qui testeront la notion de revenu de base ou de revenu annuel garanti.
  • MINCOME a testé en 1975-1978 l’idée d’un revenu annuel garanti à Dauphin, au Manitoba.

 

POUR EN SAVOIR DAVANTAGE

 

 

 

 

 

CNNMoney- Millennials Saying No To Credit Cards

CNN Money No Credit Cards For Millenials

 

CNNMoney ‏@CNNMoney 13h

Millennials are saying no to credit cards: http://cnnmon.ie/1uFOSGl  via @blakeellis3 pic.twitter.com/T1U8i7OU2I

What some tweeters are saying:

CalBeach ‏@CalBeach 13h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 They’re smart to avoid debt.

YmeYnot ‏@YmeYnot2011 13h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 Only use charge card when you can pay entire debt completely before you are charged interest.

NETGAINS ‏@Netgains_ 13h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 Great info… Thanks for sharing..

Equality=Peace ‏@angrigarisangri 13h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 Yes to #bitcoin!

Glenn ‏@GlennMPR 13h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 Smarter than my generation then.

Pm3marston ‏@Pm3marston 13h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 We know not to be caught in the credit card trap. Only use it as a cash replacement card, not for debt.

Roger Bustos ‏@rogerbgom 13h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 like a smart wallet just pass the wallet and charge from your credit or debit just pick with your phone….

BrokenHearted ‏@patientfailure 12h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 Stupid. You’re spending decisions should never change based on your form of payment.

Patrick B ‏@sportbikeguy00 12h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 Credit & debts of any kind should be avoided,my motto is if you can’t pay cash for it,save up or forget it.

mizo ‏@bemelmesre 12h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 Never used a credit card in my life. Only used credit for commercial purposes.

victor ‏@victor_de64 11h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 I’m a baby boomer and cut all mine 19 years ago and never missed them

CynicalPolitico ‏@IndyinTX31 11h

@CNNMoney: Millennials are saying no to credit cards: http://cnnmon.ie/1uFOSGl  via @blakeellis3 pic.twitter.com/sAw87n1GDt”()

FatNoMore™ Fitness ‏@FNM_Fitness 10h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 Either buy cast or use paypal. Credit cards are just a disaster waiting to happen #ParentWillAgree

Andrew Smith ‏@iSmitty12 10h

@DaveRamsey thoughts? “@CNNMoney: Millennials are saying no to credit cards: http://cnnmon.ie/1uFOSGl  via @blakeellis3 pic.twitter.com/kcL0lgMyzP

Yvonne Moedt ‏@YvonneMoedt 9h

@CNNMoney That’s great!! You never know what’s left or how big your debt is and will never get out once you start. Real paper money #future

Declan Martens ‏@DeclanMartens 9h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 hey that’s us! @Malicious_Tea

Zbolts ‏@zbolts 9h

They use mom/dad?! “@CNNMoney: Millennials are saying no to credit cards: http://cnnmon.ie/1uFOSGl  via @blakeellis3 pic.twitter.com/f1jlE2zlAq

HogsAteMySister ‏@hogsatemysister 9h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 Which is easy to do when you still live at home…

Websterwall ‏@Websterwall 8h

@CNNMoney @blakeellis3 It’s true. No card for me. Living within my means

The Epitomy Of An ‏@ErnieBlanco63 8h

@CNNMoney With the job market being so rocky it’s a smart move.

Stephen Cefalu ‏@Scef2308 7h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 they don’t know how to use a CC to maximize the rewards and cash back. Learn how to use credit.

Jay Brausch ‏@BigDogStar 7h

@CNNMoney @CNN @blakeellis3 One of the smartest things of the new millennium that they can do.

KC Simbeck ‏@kc_simbeck 6h

@CNNMoney I’d like to not have a credit card. But it’s pretty much required for building credit.

Liesel Rickert ‏@le_rickert3 6h

Ive been wanting 1, but can’t decided bc of 2 factors here RT “@CNNMoney: Millennials are saying no to credit cards: http://cnnmon.ie/1uFOSGl 

 

Ontario Greens – Average Commute In GTHA Is Eighty Minutes

According to a 2011 Swedish study couples in which one partner commutes a long way to work (more than 45 mins.) are 40% more likely to divorce than couples who don’t have to travel so far for their jobs. More: http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:415050
According to a 2011 Swedish study couples in which one partner commutes a long way to work (more than 45 mins.) are 40% more likely to divorce than couples who don’t have to travel so far for their jobs. More: http://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:415050

Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario and candidate in Guelph, wants to get you home faster and will be honest about how to do it.

“Our great grandparents invested in Niagara Falls to power our homes and businesses. Our grandparents invested in 400 series highways to move the goods we produce. Those investments have powered Ontario’s economy,” says Schreiner. “Our generation must invest in the transit infrastructure needed to move our economy forward in the 21st century.”

The average daily commute time in the GTHA is 80 minutes long. That’s the equivalent of eight 40-hour work weeks every year — or about seven years in a working lifetime. Gridlock costs us $6 billion a year and will cost more than double that by the end of the decade.

“We can fix gridlock for less than it costs,” says Tim Grant, Green Party Transportation Critic and candidate in Trinity-Spadina. “It mystifies me that the other parties promise the moon but can’t tell us where the money is coming from, as if we’re children who believe in the tooth fairy.”     The Green Party is willing to say how much it will cost and where the money is going to come from. We propose a combination of province-wide and urban-focused mechanisms (including a gas tax, congestion charges, commercial parking levies, and land value capture) to produce the revenue necessary — $3 billion a year — to build and operate the public transit and transportation infrastructure we need.

“For $250 a year for each person in Ontario, we can solve a lot of problems,” says Scheriner. “We can save people months stuck in traffic. We can lower costs for businesses trying to get goods to market. We can help employees take the jobs they want because they know they can get to work.”

The Green Party is committed to bringing better transit to Ontario, and honesty, integrity, and good public policy to Queen’s Park. For the Silo, Candice Lepage.

Supplemental- How commuting sucks the life out of you http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/07/qa-why-commuting-sucks-the-life-out-of-you/

PEI Joins Ontario On Pension Reform

PEI Joins Ontario on Pension Reform
PEI Joins Ontario on Pension Reform

PEI is teaming up with Ontario to help develop a viable, responsible plan to improve retirement income security so people can retire more comfortably.

Both provinces were disappointed with the federal government’s unilateral decision to shut down discussions on enhancing the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Today, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne met with PEI Premier Robert Ghiz to discuss options to
enhance retirement income security.

PEI and Manitoba are joining Ontario’s Technical Advisory Group on Retirement Security. PEI will be represented by Sandy Stewart, Secretary of Economic, Trade, Policy and Strategy of PEI’s Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning and former Clerk of PEI’s Executive Council, and Manitoba will be represented by Ewald Boschman, the province’s former Deputy Minister of Finance.

Ontario has been moving forward with its plan to strengthen retirement income security for workers and families across the province. The Technical Advisory Group on Retirement Security will explore the most effective alternatives to a CPP enhancement. The Right Honourable Paul Martin is also working with the province, as Special Advisor on retirement income security.

Improving retirement income security is part of the government’s economic plan that is creating jobs for today and tomorrow. The comprehensive plan and its six priorities focus on Ontario’s greatest strengths – its people and strategic partnerships.

QUICK FACTS*   An additional member, Murray Gold, Managing Partner at Koskie Minsky LLP and pension counsel to the Ontario Federation of Labour, has also joined Ontario’s Technical Advisory Group on Retirement Security.

*   People throughout Canada, including middle-income earners, may not be saving enough to ensure comparable standards of living in retirement.
*   Fewer than 35 per cent of workers in Ontario have a workplace-based pension plan. Coverage for workers in the private sector is even lower, with only 28 per cent having the benefit of plan membership.
*   Prince Edward Island has among the lowest rates of private-sector pension coverage in the country.

LEARN MORE

*   Find out more about Ontario’s Technical Advisory Group on Retirement
Security<http://news.ontario.ca/mof/en/2014/01/the-technical-advisory-group-on-retirement-security.html>

QUOTES

“We know that our voices are always stronger when we stand together. I am confident
that by working with other provinces, we can find a viable, responsible solution to
protect workers in their retirement. It is important that today’s workers have peace
of mind that they can retire comfortably in the future.”
Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

“At their last meeting, the provincial and territorial ministers all agreed to
explore options to improve Canada’s retirement income system. Unfortunately, the
federal government chose to ignore this consensus and attempted to shut down any
further discussions. We will continue this important work with or without a federal
partner. Enhancing CPP remains our key objective as we continue to collaborate on an
issue so important to the financial security of all Canadians.”
Robert Ghiz, Premier of Prince Edward Island

 

Liberals: Ontario remains on track to eliminate deficit by 2017-18

“20th Century Limited Train on Tracks” by Alfred Eisenstaedt

The deficit projection for the current fiscal year has improved by more than $400 million from the 2012 Budget forecast to $14.4 billion. The province remains on track to meet the 2012 Budget deficit targets in 2013-14 and 2014–15 and for the deficit to be eliminated by 2017–18.

Ontario is projecting growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.0 per cent in 2012, 1.9 per cent in 2013, 2.3 per cent in 2014 and 2.4 per cent in 2015.

As of September 2012, Ontario employment was 356,000 net new jobs above its recessionary low in June 2009. Ontario is expected to create nearly 350,000 net new jobs by 2015, reducing the unemployment rate to 6.8 per cent from a high of 9.4 per cent in June 2009.

The fiscal plan provides no funding for incremental compensation increases for new collective agreements. The government is currently consulting on draft legislation that proposes to freeze compensation for executives and managers across the Ontario Public Service, and the Broader Public Sector (BPS) who are eligible for performance pay. It also proposes to ensure future BPS collective agreements are consistent with the province’s goals to eliminate the deficit and protect jobs and public services. The proposed draft legislation would support avoiding increased spending in the BPS of $2.8 billion over three years and help to protect roughly 55,000 public sector jobs.

QUOTE

“Despite ongoing global economic uncertainty, Ontario is ahead of its targets for lowering the deficit for the fourth year in a row. We will work with anyone who is willing to work with us to meet the objectives of eliminating the deficit and protecting jobs and public services.”
— Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance

QUICK FACTS

• The 2012–13 revenue projection of $113,019 million is $445 million above the 2012 Budget outlook, largely reflecting a higher estimated 2011–12 tax base. Consistent with the government’s continued effort toward managing the growth in expenses, total expense for 2012–13 has decreased by $3.7 million compared to the 2012 Budget plan.

• Robust business capital investment, a rebound in net trade and increased consumer spending will be key contributors to growth. Over the past two years, business investment spending on plant and equipment has risen by more than 22 per cent, or
$11.1 billion.

• In the 2011–2012 Public Accounts of Ontario, the government announced the deficit for 2011–12 was $13.0 billion, marking the third consecutive year in which the province has improved on its fiscal projections. This result is also 47 per cent lower than the 2009–10 deficit of $24.7 billion forecast in the fall of 2009, at the depth of the global recession.

• The government has brought together business, labour and public sector leaders to form the Jobs and Prosperity Council. Reporting to the Premier, and headed by RBC President and CEO Gordon Nixon, the council will explore additional opportunities in the next few months for a path to sustainable growth that will also help inform the 2013 Ontario Budget.
• The 2012 Budget extended the pay freeze for MPPs by a further two years — for a total of five years.

LEARN MORE

Read Ontario’s Mid-Year Update on Economic and Fiscal Performance for 2012–13.

Read the Ontario Economic Accounts — Second Quarter of 2012

Read a Long Term Plan for Public Sector Compensation.

Read the McGuinty government’s announcement on freezing salaries for Ontario Public Service Managers.

Read the 2012 Ontario Budget.

Read about the strong actions the McGuinty government took in the 2012 Budget to reduce the deficit further.

Read the

Addendum to the 2012 Ontario Budget: Report on Expense Management Measures.

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www.ontario.ca/finance-news
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