They're here to make dreams real

EDMONTON - In the tiny New Brunswick fishing village where Mike and Matt Renton grew up, people wave when you pass them on the highway, whether they know you or not.

Fourteen months ago, the identical twin brothers waved goodbye and headed west in a '97 Cutlass Supreme searching for a piece of Alberta's prosperity.

Like thousands of others drawn by the promise of jobs and hefty paycheques, the twins and their friend Dave Kierstead headed for oil-rich northern Alberta.

Today, they pursue their dreams of success from a modest Inglewood bungalow that at its peak in April housed a total of eight young New Brunswickers. All are apprentices in welding or pipe-fitting.

"It's definitely not like home. Far from it," Matt Renton said.

"People are different. Scenery is different. Everything is different. But do I regret it? Not in a million years. I've got pay stubs and things to show that I made the big money that nobody down home in their lifetime would ever make."


They're here to make dreams real

TheStar.com - Editorial: Abramos las puertas del empleo a los inmigrantes calificados

When Gurmeet Bambrah came to Canada five years ago, she immediately applied to have her engineering credentials recognized here. But despite 20 years of professional experience and advanced degrees from British universities, she still is not licensed to practise in Ontario.

The problem?

After waiting months to have her qualifications assessed and write an exam, she has not been able to obtain the year of Canadian work experience she needs to become accredited.

"I set about looking for a job (but) I hadn't a clue where to go for this because nobody would advise me," says Bambrah, co-ordinator of the Council for Access to the Profession of Engineering, a Toronto-based group that advocates for internationally trained engineers.

Bambrah is not unique. Every year, Ontario welcomes as many as 140,000 new immigrants. More than half hold university degrees, and about 13,000 have professions or trades.TheStar.com - Editorial: Open up professions to skilled immigrants

The Guardian: Nuestra economia necesita mas trabajadores temporales

Our economy needs seasonal workers

If seasonal workers are an essential part of our economy, then it stands to reason the EI program must reflect that reality.

By
The Guardian

It was iffy for a while, but the Harper government came through recently with an extension to an employment insurance pilot project that delivers additional benefits to seasonal workers. It was the right thing to do. Seasonal industries depend on a seasonal workforce, and adequate EI benefits are essential to maintaining that workforce.

The previous Liberal government had brought in a pilot project that provides five weeks additional EI benefits in high unemployment regions in the country. With that project nearing its expiration date at the end of May, rumours were circulating that the new Harper government wouldn’t renew it. The feds were non-committal and as recently as two weeks ago, provincial politicians were urging the Binns government to lobby Ottawa to renew the project. So was Liberal MP Wayne Easter who emphasized the importance of such programs to places like P.E.I. where seasonal workers would be left for weeks without pay if the program wasn’t extended.

The Guardian: Our economy needs seasonal workers

Ontario facilitara el empleo de profesionales extranjeros

Ontario to speed employment of foreign-trained professionals
Fuente: Ottawa Business Journal
Viernes 2 de Junio del 2006 9:00 AM EST


El gobierno de Ontario introducira una nueva legislacion para ayudar a personas que estudiaron en el extranjero a conseguir trabajo en su area mas rapidamente.

La nueva Ley llamada "Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act" se aplicaria a 34 profesiones reguladas en Ontario, incluyendo doctores, contadores, abogados, maestros, ingenieros y trabajadores sociales.

"La legislacion propuesta trata de asegurar que la gente con experiencia global tenga posibilidades reales y justas de ejercer su profesion", aseguro el Ministro de Inmigracion provincial Mike Colle en un informe.

Aun no se han dado a conocer los detalles de esta legislacion pero el gobierno provincial de Dalton McGuinty espera introducirla antes del final de sesiones de la asamblea legislativa actual.

Al mismo tiempo el gobierno dice que creara hasta 70 programas de internship con duracion de 6 meses para que los profesionales extranjeros trabajen en agencias y ministerios provinciales del gobierno.

"Estamos marcando el paso ya que somos la primera provincia con este tipo de iniciativa", dijo el Ministro de Servicios Gubernamentales Gerry Phillips.