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Vol. 2 No. 2 |
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December 2006
- How Many Hours do We Work? HOW MANY HOURS DO WE WORK? StatsCan
reports that over the 2000 to 2005 period in Canada, Alberta and
Nunavut experienced the strongest growth in hours worked. Hours
worked in Canada grew, on average, 1.5% annually from 2000 to 2005, due
in part to large increases in the construction and retail trade
industries, as well as the finance and insurance sectors. These
industries accounted for 44% of the growth in hours worked, equal to
the creation of some 120,000 jobs annually. Over the same period, the
national average annual growth of labour productivity in the economy as
a whole was 1.1%. Construction
ranked first in terms of growth in hours worked in Alberta, British
Columbia and Prince Edward Island, as well as the Yukon. It placed
second in Ontario and Newfoundland & Labrador, and third in Nova
Scotia and Quebec. In
2005, the two regions with the highest annual level of hours per job
were the Northwest Territories (1852 hours) and Alberta (1836 hours).
In contrast, the two regions where hours worked per job were the lowest
were in Quebec (1680 hours) and British Columbia (1699 hours). From
2000 to 2005, Alberta experienced the largest increase in total hours
worked with an annual average rate of 2.5%. In fact, Alberta is the
only province where annual hours worked per job grew over this period.
All of the other provinces and two territories experienced a decrease
in average hours worked over the same period, with the largest decline
in the Northwest Territories (-1.2%) while there was no change in The
Yukon. Second
only to the Northwest Territories, Quebec saw its average hours worked
fall by 0.7% annually from 2000 to 2005. However, whereas Northwest
Territories work patterns drew closer to the Canadian average, Quebec
figures showed a drift in the opposite direction.
ELECTRICAL BUSINESS LAUNCHES DEDICATED CAREER PAGE
Make EB your HR partner by announcing your firm’s openings in EB Careers, a new dedicated page in both the magazine and online at EBMag.com. Contact EB’s newest team member, Jennifer Sewell, at (905) 726-4664 or jsewell@clbmedia.ca to learn more.
ESA WARNS US AGAIN ABOUT RECALLED BULB The
Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) is again reminding consumers to check
whether they’ve installed the previously recalled (November 2004) Globe
13W mini-spiral CFL. This comes on the heels of another two incidents
involving that product. “The
problem in the case of certain Globe mini-spiral compact fluorescent
bulbs manufactured between January 2002 through April 2003 is that they
do not meet safety standards and pose both electric shock and fire
hazards,” warns Ted Olechna, provincial code engineer with ESA and
member of Electrical Business’ editorial advisory board. These
lamps are not authorized to bear the cUL mark, and UL has indicated
these lamps were manufactured with parts that it did not investigate.
These parts can fail and melt a hole in the enclosure, posing an
electrical shock and/or fire hazard. Customers who have the recalled product should immediately stop using the bulbs and contact the manufacturer at customerservice@globe-electric.com or (514) 694-0444 ext. 151. CLICK HERE to visit ESA online to check the list of date codes.
MEL LAUNCHES ONLINE "IN MEMORIAM"
MANDATORY RETIREMENT ENDS IN ONTARIO Ontarians
can now choose when to retire, as mandatory retirement for most
employees in the province ended December 12. Both employers and workers
should ensure they are familiar with the requirements of the act and
its possible effect on workplace policies and practices. Ontarians can CLICK HERE for more information on the provisions of the act and how they apply. The
legislative assembly enacted the Ending Mandatory Retirement Statute
Law Amendment Act, 2006 last December. The government provided a
one-year transition period to ensure everyone was ready for the new law
to take effect. When the legislation takes effect, it will amend the
Ontario Human Rights Code to protect people aged 65 and over from age
discrimination for most employment purposes. The legislation also
amends a variety of other statutes that have provisions connected to
mandatory retirement.
LUXO’S ONE MILLIONTH MAGNIFIER DELIVERED In
a small ceremony, executives of Luxo Corp. and Techni-Tool delivered
Luxo’s one-millionth illuminated magnifier to Metrologic Instruments.
The magnifier presented is Luxo’s WAVE+Plus model 17845LG, the
company’s best-selling magnifier. Luxo pioneered the illuminated
magnifier some 50 years ago and, in creating and launching its original
WAVE magnifier in 1987, was honoured with the Best Industrial Designed
Product at the 1987 Hanover Fair. In the photo are (left to right):
Drake Fox, Mike Carroll & Associates; Fred Zaitz, Metrologic; Phil
Matsen, Luxo Corp.; and Hector Hernandez, Techni-Tool.
NOMINATIONS DEADLINE FOR NAED ANNUAL AWARDS The
National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) invites
electrical distributors and manufacturers to nominate industry leaders
for the association's top honours: The NAED Annual Awards, which will
be presented at its annual meeting in May. The
awards recognize the companies and individuals who have made
significant contributions to the electrical industry and NAED. To make
a nomination, CLICK HERE
to download a nomination form (a PDF file). After the nominations are
received, NAED's Award Committee will review the submissions and decide
on the final award winners. Submissions are due 15 December 2006, so don’t delay! (NOTE:
Although the PDF document says the deadline is December 8, NAED’s press
information insists the deadline is December 15.).
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHRISTMAS TREE Although
many of us go through this process every year, it doesn’t hurt to hear
what the experts say about selecting and caring for your Christmas tree. Carla
Grant, executive director of the Ontario Forestry Association, explains
the most common trees used during the holidays include pine, fir and
spruce. Spruce tend to lose their needles before fir. A freshly cut
tree will last longer than one bought at a lot. If
buying from a lot, look for the freshest tree you can find. Make sure
the trunk has some sap coming out of it. Look for a tree that is green,
with no brown. The needles of pine and spruce should bend, not break,
and should be difficult to pull off the branches. Raise the tree just a
few inches and drop it on the base of the bark. Shake it a little. Only
a few needles should drop off. After
buying your tree, saw off about an inch off the bottom, giving the tree
a clean cut for absorbing water. Ensure your tree has adequate water,
and keep it away from direct heat. (Some people add floral
preservatives, aspirin and even honey to tree-stand water, but there is
no evidence that any of them provide any benefit.) Choose
seasonal LED lighting, which uses 90% less electricity and lasts up to
10 times longer than traditional lights. Many local utilities have
promotions for discounts and trade-ins, encouraging people to switch to
LEDs. (P.S.:
If you are lucky enough to own 10 acres or more of forested property,
you might be eligible for a property tax reduction of up to 75% through
the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program [MFTIP]. Growing Christmas
trees may be part of your managed forest plan. CLICK HERE to learn more.)
COMING EVENTS Arc Flash Awareness & Safety Seminar Annual General Meeting Valentine’s Dinner and Dance Annual Technical Conference International Symposium on Growth through Acquisition Electric West Electrical Technical and Mega Projects Workshop (ETMP) Electrical Safety Workshop (ESW)
ELECTRICAL BUSINESS, JANUARY 2007 In
your January 2007 Electrical Business, you’ll learn how one North
Vancouver inn deployed an intelligent energy management system in its
guestrooms, saving the inn about $16,000/year and reducing its energy
consumption by almost a third. And because test and measurement is one
of our editorial themes, we’ll show you the many uses of thermography
when it comes to keeping electrical systems up and running. Of
course, the issue would be incomplete without the latest round-up of
test and measurement tools—as well as the Top 50 Products of 2006—not
to mention another installment of Ron Coleman’s “It’s Your Business”.
Finally, the Electrical Business family wishes you and yours a festive
and safe holiday season, and best wishes for the new year! Want more information, or have information to share? Contact the Editor at acapkun@clbmedia.ca or call (905) 713-4391. Think someone else would enjoy receiving E-Line? Send them to EBmag.com where they can sign up right on the Home Page. |
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