Our Jordan Bateman gives you the heads-up on World Mental Health Day, labour force stats, and LNG.
🧠 Today is World Mental Health Day, with the theme, “Mental health is a universal right.” No one should have to suffer through poor mental health, and everyone deserves to be able to talk about what they’re feeling. At ICBA, we are very proud of our ICBA Wellness program, where we work every day to encourage our members to build workplace cultures that push back against the stigma of mental health, and to give time and space to talk about these issues. More than 100 companies, and 10,000 workers participate – check out ICBA.ca/wellness for more.
🏗 ICBA Chief Economist Jock Finlayson is out with his analysis of this month’s Labour Force Survey, including two important notes for construction: On a seasonally adjusted basis, B.C. added 12,600 construction jobs in September, but the sector has shed 17,700 positions in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, Alberta saw the disappearance of almost 18,000 construction jobs last month, with employment in the sector now down by 5,600 compared to a year ago. Generally, Jock says, this report fits with concerns that the Canadian economy is flatlining.
⛽️ Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel wrote in the Financial Post over the weekend that Canadian LNG can help fight climate change – if we’re willing to invest in it, noting that moving over the 40% of the world’s power grid that runs on coal to LNG would have a massive impact on global emissions. “We have the supply, sustainable production and short travel times — the complete package. But we have a choice to make, and let there be no doubt, inaction is a choice. Indifference is also a choice. So, what must be done? I’m calling on the Canadian government to adopt policies and regulatory measures to enable the responsible and efficient development and export of this important resource while also streamlining permitting processes to better respond to the urgent need for more gas.” Sounds good to us!
