The U.S. Federal Reserve is launching a high-risk effort to tame inflation, raising its benchmark short-term interest rate and signaling up to seven rate hikes. The central bank raised its key rate by a quarter-point hike, which it had pinned near zero since March 2020. In early March 2022, the Bank of Canada announced it […]
North American stock markets plunged after opening to news that Russian forces have launched a new military offensive in Ukraine. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 624.50 points at 32,507.26. The S&P 500 index was down 49.24 points at 4,176.26 and the Nasdaq composite index was down 70.20 points at 12,967.28. […]
Alberta’s largest and most northern county says it’s no longer working with local businesses that have a mandatory vaccination policy. Mackenzie County says businesses that require employees, contractors or subcontractors to show proof of vaccination in workplaces or on work sites won’t be hired to provide goods or services. “Mackenzie County does not tolerate mandatory […]
While coronavirus vaccine mandates for employees have become a flashpoint in Canada recently, these types of mandates continue to be upheld in several jurisdictions around the world as the pandemic rages on. Here in Canada, a New Brunswick judge has rejected a bid by four public servants to overturn the province’s decision to place them on unpaid […]
An advisory group tasked with recommending how Canada should handle the right to disconnect after work hours was split on whether the country should adopt a legislative requirement for workplaces. A final report released Feb. 10 by the Right to Disconnect Advisory Committee said unions and non-governmental organizations that were consulted want the country to […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is committing to making its portfolio net zero by 2050, but says it won’t be making any blanket divestments. The organization said Thursday it plans to achieve the goal while continuing to invest in the whole economy and will push for an economic transition to a lower carbon economy as an […]
Sally Phuong took a four-week sabbatical from her job as an account executive at Sun Life Financial Inc. last year so she could participate in a professional floral design program at the Canadian Institute of Floral Design in Toronto. Phuong, 37, plans to retire at 55 from Sun Life and open her own floral store. […]
The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands is refinancing more than US$800 million worth of bonds following numerous attempts to save a public pension system that officials say faces collapse. Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. signed the bill on Wednesday and says the savings from improved interest rates will help stabilize the pension system for at least 30 years. […]
Legal challenges of employer vaccine mandates and health measures are being tossed out as arbitrators in Canada largely side with the need to maintain safe workplaces during a pandemic, say legal experts. Most of the cases with rulings so far involve employee grievances in unionized workplaces, which have an expedited decision-making process compared with the courts, […]
As widespread labour shortages force Canadian companies to re-evaluate their employee recruitment and retention practices, experts say pay transparency is increasingly in the spotlight. Outside of the public sector and unionized shops, salaries in North America have long been considered a private matter between employer and employee. Job postings generally don’t disclose compensation and the issue of […]