News

Would You Hire a Smoker?

Ron Guest has interviewed more than 6,000 job candidates in his 25 years as a human resources specialist, and in all that time, he’s never had an employer explicitly request a non-smoker for the job. “No one has asked for it,” he says, “but if I had two candidates who were exactly even and one

Help Wanted at New Biodiesel Plant

WELLAND - Barry Kramble’s dream will soon become reality. Great Lakes Biodiesel, a company that is said will become the largest producer of fuel derived primarily from domestically-produced vegetable oils, is now only months away from being operational in the former MJ Jones plant in Dain City. “It’s been several years of planning and approvals,

No More Second Chances For Offenders in Ontario

Last year, approximately 75,000 prisoners were released into Ontario’s population. The number will climb when Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s multi-part crime bill, approved in March, is fully implemented. Approximately half of these newly released inmates will come out of jail with mental health or addiction problems. A third will be homeless. Many won’t know how

Planning Niagara’s Economic ‘Regeneration’

NIAGARA FALLS - There it was in big, blue letters on a large projection screen for all to see: “Designing a blueprint for a stronger Niagara.” That was the goal of the first Niagara Economic Summit Wednesday at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, and the people behind the event say in the coming

Mental Health Care Plan ‘Exactly What We Need’

It is not uncommon for mental-health care in Canada to be labelled “the mental health system.” The term is inaccurate — there really isn’t a system in place at all. “We’re very fragmented,” said Ellis Katsof, CEO of Pathstone Mental Health, the region’s only youth and child mental health service. “Each province and each region

Canada’s Youth Are Hardly Making Gains in Employment

It’s May, which means thousands of young Canadians are now ready to flaunt their newly-minted degrees on the job market. Like cohorts before them, they’re entering a market that’s defined by its sluggish recovery and weak prospects. However, the most recent labour force survey from Statistics Canada showed signs of hope: youth unemployment was 13.9%

Mother Calls For Change After 15-year-old Son’s Suicide

ST. CATHARINES - David McIntyre’s mind was bent upon his own death. Thoughts of suicide were a constant companion. But he wanted to be rid of them. Desperately. The teenager’s mother lived in a perpetual fear those thoughts would become reality. Each new day brought with it a renewed risk. “I could not help but

Government of Canada Creating Jobs and Growth in Southern Ontario

ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 17, 2012) - Rick Dykstra, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), today announced innovative partnerships between Brock University and 13 local small- and medium-sized businesses. Thanks to these partnerships,

Proposed Plan Will Keep Slots Jobs at Fort Erie Race Track

FORT ERIE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 1, 2012) - The Service Employees International Union Local 2 is fully behind a business plan proposed by the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium (FELRC) that would keep good jobs in Fort Erie. Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin was amongst the hundreds who gathered at the track last night for