Tausi Insider

Canadian home prices dropped in October from the previous month, though less sharply than in September, while year-over-year price gains continued to slow, Teranet–National Bank National Composite House Price data showed on Friday. The index, which tracks repeat sales of single-family homes in major Canadian markets, dropped 0.8 per cent on the month, led by sharp declines in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Hamilton, Ontario. The major market index is now 7.7 per cent below the May peak, with Hamilton down 15.9 per cent and Halifax down 14 per cent. Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, by contrast, both hit fresh highs in October. Prices are still higher than a year ago, up 4.9 per cent from October 2021, but gains continued to slow. The Teranet index tracks closings, so it typically lags realtor sales data by three to five months. https://www.tausiinsider.com/canadian-home-price-index-slides-again-in-october/?feed_id=334798&_unique_id=6483e705abb0b

Tala Abu Hayyaneh, photographed outside a pub in Calgary, says that the social pressure to take part in after-work drinks can result in uncomfortable situations. Leah Hennel After-work drinks has long been the default setting for casual networking in many Canadian workplaces. The act of gathering at a bar or restaurant to consume alcohol is often seen as a way for employees and their bosses to bond, chat and get to know one another outside the pressures of the job. But for women and other marginalized groups, this common social practice is not always inclusive. For Tala Abu Hayyaneh, a Calgary-based millennial working in the public sector, the presumed participation in drinking culture has resulted in uncomfortable situations. As a Muslim woman, Ms. Abu Hayyaneh recalls the social pressure to conform that occurred during her first employee work retreat post-pandemic lockdowns. “This was the only socializing opportunity to network, [and it] was happening late in the evening at a brewe...

A labour expert said the tense bargaining between Loblaw and its distribution workers in Calgary is emblematic of the wider labour movement in 2022 amid the effects of the pandemic and rising inflation. The Teamsters Local Union 987 of Alberta said almost all of the 534 unionized workers at a Calgary distribution centre for Loblaw were served layoff notices effective this week amid ongoing contract negotiations. The union said workers have rejected two offers from the employer and are asking for better quality-of-life and wage increases. Simon Black, an associate professor of labour studies at Brock University, said while wage increases are important to workers at a time of high inflation, there’s also an increased focus on working conditions in negotiations, such as scheduling, time off and breaks. He said the recent strikes by education workers in Ontario are an example of this, where workers were asking for guaranteed staffing levels. “They’re not bargaining strictly around wages,...

The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors is forecasting a 15-per-cent bump in overall activity next year, but the industry continues to face challenges when it comes to crewing rigs and retaining workers. Todd Korol/Tausi Insider Canada’s energy services sector is forecasting a modest turnaround in activity next year after seven years of stagnation, but continues to face challenges when it comes to crewing rigs and retaining workers. As the country ramps up efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC) is calling for a 50-per-cent federal tax credit to help the industry roll out greener rigs and other technology to help reduce its carbon footprint. While oil and gas producers have enjoyed windfall profits this year thanks to sky-high commodity prices, the services sector that supports the industry is lagging behind. Far from the highs of 2014, president and chief executive of CAOEC Mark Scholz says, most of his members – the w...

A passenger makes their way through Toronto's Pearson International Airport. The percentage of cancelled and delayed flights at Canadian airports has declined since the summer, but remains elevated. Cole Burston/The Canadian Press Air passenger volume this holiday season is poised to reach prepandemic standards, but whether Canadians are in for the normal level of peak travel stress or a repeat of the mayhem that unfolded across the country’s major airports over the summer remains unclear. Despite a slew of backlog-busting initiatives by airport authorities, some experts still see a significant risk of widespread cancellations and delays. John Gradek, co-ordinator of McGill University’s aviation management program, points to a “very real possibility” of holiday flight cancellations if airlines’ travel schedules turn out to be more ambitious than what airports can handle. While the percentage of cancelled and delayed flights at Canadian airports has declined since the summer, it r...

WestJet marks its first non-stop flights to Asia from Calgary as it announced a new route to Japan. The Calgary-based airline said Monday that it will fly to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport from Calgary this spring. The non-stop flights will operate seasonally three times weekly beginning April 30. The airline also announced new routes from Calgary to Barcelona and Edinburgh, starting in May 2023. In addition, flights to Dublin, London, Paris and Rome, will increase in frequency by 95 per cent in the spring. The announcement is part of the airline’s plan to raise Calgary airport’s capacity by more than 25 per cent in 2023, WestJet chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a news release. Earlier this year, WestJet announced its “new strategic direction” to refocus its fleet and routes in Western Canada. Von Hoensbroech said the airline plans to bring more affordable travel options in the new year. WestJet also said it is preparing for broader expansion within Canada and Nor...

Canadian pension giant Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is raising its bet on construction company Pomerleau as the privately held builder pushes out from its home market in a bid to grab a bigger share of the country’s infrastructure spending pie. The Caisse is making a new $150-million equity investment in Saint-Georges, Que.-based Pomerleau to support its pan-Canadian growth plan, the two companies said in a statement Wednesday. Some of the money will be used to fund Pomerleau’s recently announced takeover of Vancouver-based ITC Construction Group, known for building dozens of residential towers making up the skylines in western cities such as Vancouver and Calgary. A portion will also be earmarked for other growth efforts as Pomerleau seeks to expand its work force of 4,000 employees and add to its current $4-billion in annual revenue. The new funds come on top of $50-million the Caisse injected into the company in 2018, bringing its total equity investment to $200-million ...

Crescent Point Energy Corp. CPG-T says it has signed an agreement with Paramount Resources Ltd. POU-T to acquire additional Kaybob Duvernay assets for $375 million. The Calgary oil and gas company says those assets include 130 net drilling locations across almost 65,000 net acres of Crown land. They produce more than 4,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day and include a gas plant, pipelines, water infrastructure and seismic data. Crescent Point says they are located adjacent to one of its land bases and will generate high-return drilling inventory and development opportunities. Crescent Point intends to fund the acquisition through existing credit facilities and says the deal is expected to close in January. It simultaneously announced a 25 per cent increase to its quarterly base dividend, bringing the figure to 10 cents per share. https://www.tausiinsider.com/crescent-point-to-acquire-kaybob-duvernay-drilling-assets-from-paramount-resources/?feed_id=329566&_unique_id=643007e7...

Eileen Dooley is a talent and leadership development specialist, and a leadership coach, based in Calgary. If you’ve been working long enough, you’ve likely encountered a “gatekeeper” leadership persona. The one who doesn’t let anyone in their organization do anything without cumbersome and often painfully slow personal approvals from them. The signs are easy to spot. The leader requires all significant communications with client groups and stakeholders to go through them, or immediately be reported to them with regular status updates or rounds of forwarded e-mails. Individual team members develop a protective attitude of “I’d better ask if this is okay to do” based on past interactions that have landed them in trouble for acting independently. Clients have learned that the group with such leadership is often slow to respond and often seeks to work around the leader in question when floating new assignments. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common issue for new or insecure leaders, ...

Agents offer not just expertise in navigating lingering restrictions, but also have access to the inventory of multiple airlines and hotels – handy when a trip is disrupted. LM Otero/The Associated Press Barry Pilbeam had never used a travel agent before. But he decided to turn to one for a trip from Calgary to southeast Asia with his wife to make sure he was prepared for any restrictions and tricky visa situations. Their first big trip in years, they didn’t want a repeat of the last time they booked a hotel in Amsterdam that turned out to be awful. “I figured I’m not going to do that ever again and I’m going to deal with a professional and know that I’ll get what I’m looking for,” said Mr. Pilbeam, 64. “I got to use their expertise in what to do and where to go.” Now he plans to always use an agent, unless he’s familiar with the location or has friends who live at his destination. Travel agents are hearing from new customers looking for a sense of security after COVID-19 created an ...

An Air Canada aircraft covered with snow and ice is moved by a tug as a Westjet aircraft is seen being moved behind it at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Dec. 21, 2022. DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press Canada’s busiest airport is braced for more travel chaos as Environment Canada forecasts a winter storm will hit Toronto starting Thursday, with rain, snow, high winds and freezing temperatures threatening people’s holiday plans. Heavy snowfalls and frigid weather in parts of Canada caused commercial flight delays and cancellations across much of Western Canada earlier this week, creating headaches for hundreds stuck in terminals such as Vancouver International Airport, which said Wednesday it was limiting international arrivals to reduce the congestion on the tarmac. The arctic cold snap that hit British Columbia on Sunday then began breaking temperature records in Alberta on Monday evening, leading to hundreds of flights being delayed or cancelled out of Edmonton ...

Pam Farrell started Grow Community Food Literacy Centre, a charity that provides nutritional food to low-income families and information on food literacy. CARLOS MARQUEZ/Handout The organizer: Pam Farrell The pitch: Founding Grow The reason: To help address food literacy. Pam Farrell was in the midst of a postgraduate degree in education a couple of years ago when she began exploring the concept of food literacy. “It kind of intrigued me,” Ms. Farrell, 45, recalled from Calgary. “Because I’ve heard of it before, but I never really knew what it meant.” She started researching ways to improve the understanding of how sociocultural factors affect and influence food literacy. And soon her topic became much more than an academic pursuit. In 2019, Ms. Farrell launched Grow Community Food Literacy Centre in her hometown of Niagara Falls, Ont., where she has been an elementary-school teacher. “I witnessed some of the inequities in the food system,” she said. “What students brought to school ...

Alberta’s New Democrat Opposition wants public consultations on a government plan that would subsidize oil and gas companies to fulfil legal commitments to clean up old wells, a major proponent of which has been working directly in Premier Danielle Smith’s office for months. “The fox has entered the henhouse,” said energy critic Kathleen Ganley. Ganley said that it appears the United Conservative government has already made up its mind to bring in the RStar program, despite criticism from an array of outside experts, rural municipalities and internal government analysts. “All indications are the government has made their decision,” Ganley said. “There should be public consultations.” Under RStar, companies would earn valuable credits for remediating old wells even though the obligation to clean up a well is part of the licence to drill it. That credit could be sold or applied against revenue earned from new production to reduce provincial royalties. Alberta Energy spokesman Scott Joh...

THE QUESTION I was recently laid off and got a good severance package from my company, equivalent to six months of salary. I was able to find another job pretty quickly, and I’m wondering what impact starting that new job would have on my potential severance payout. Do I have any legal rights to still collect my severance while starting a new job? THE FIRST ANSWER Rahul Soni , employment lawyer, Soni Law Firm, Toronto It depends. Often, severance package settlements are completely silent on your obligation to repay money based on income earned from your new job. If that’s your case, your new job will have no impact on your ability to collect your severance package. You will collect both your new job’s paycheques and your full severance package. This is your ideal situation. Other times, severance packages are structured so that your former employer can deduct, or claw back money you earn from your new job. This is done to prevent you from double-dipping. If this is your situation, th...

Air Canada this month ended service to Calgary from Regina and Saskatoon and stopped flying to Victoria and other B.C. cities from the Alberta hub. MIKE SEGAR/Reuters Canada’s competition watchdog is being urged to look into moves by Air Canada and WestJet to end regional service in parts of the country, steps one business group alleges are anti-competitive. Air Canada AC-T this month ended service to Calgary from Regina and Saskatoon and stopped flying to Victoria and other B.C. cities from the Alberta hub. The Montreal-based carrier took the steps seven months after Calgary-based WestJet said it would end some service within Eastern Canada, including Quebec and the Maritimes. On Tuesday, the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce called on Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell to investigate the service cancellations and their impact on travellers’ choices and costs. The group urged Mr. Boswell to find out if the airlines broke the law by effectively agreeing to divide the Canadi...

A security guard stands by the front reception desk at Postmedia's Toronto headquarters on March 12, 2018. Chris Young/The Canadian Press A Postmedia Network Corp. PNC-B-T memo obtained by The Canadian Press shows the newspaper publisher has shuffled editors of its Prairies papers a day after it announced 11 per cent of staff would be laid off. The memo says Lorne Motley, vice-president of editorial for the west and editor-in-chief for the Calgary Herald and Sun, will become a regional editor-in-chief. The new position will put him in charge of the Calgary Herald and Sun, Edmonton Journal and Sun, the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Regina Leader Post and Winnipeg Sun. Under Motley, Monica Zurowski will serve as a deputy editor in Calgary, while Dave Breakenridge in Edmonton, Ashley Trask in Saskatoon and Mark Hamm in Winnipeg will be managing editors. Colin McGarrigle, editor-in-chief of the Edmonton Journal, will move to become a managing editor in Regina under Motley. The memo also sh...