Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Just last week, the BC NDP government was crowing about provincial labour stats from August 9 th .  In some area there were positive signs, however as you can see, the most important ages groups and genders were awash with minus signs: B.C. Highlights The unemployment rate in British Columbia was 4.4% in July, down slightly (-0.1 points) from June .... BUT overall it should be noted that ... the labour force contracted (‑8,500) and there were fewer jobs (‑4,800) in July ... In July, 8,100 part-time jobs were added , while 12,900 full-time jobs were lost . By age group, the full-time employment gains for those aged 55 and over (+4,700) were offset by fewer jobs among those 25 to 54 (‑12,300) and 15 to 24 (‑5,300). On the other hand, there were increases in part-time jobs for those aged 25 to 54 (+8,700) and 15 to 24 (+5,800), while part-time employment declined for those aged 55 years and over (‑6,400) . Employme...

A public engagement on British Columbia’s workers’ compensation system ... how to shift the system to become more worker centred ... as well as how to increase worker and employer confidence, is open for feedback. The public and interested stakeholders are invited to share their views at meeting taking place around the province. People will be able to submit written feedback by email to Info@wcbreview.ca -- or by filling in a questionnaire online. Details of the engagement process and a link to the questionnaire can be found here : Public hearings will be held in 14 communities -- anyone wishing to present their views in person is asked to book a time in advance, using the email address above or by phoning toll free to 1 (833) 633-6790. These meetings will be open to the public, and half the times will be reserved for injured workers to ensure their views are heard about what an improved workers’ compensation system should look like. Dates and locations for these...