Massi Abdollahian sits outside Seneca College in Toronto. Ms. Abdollahian has been working part-time as a library technician at the college for 16 years and currently makes $18.25 an hour, while full-time, permanent staff about $35 an hour in similar roles.Chris Young
Ontario companies worried about upcoming changes requiring equal pay for part-time employees
Companies across Ontario are readying for new rules that require them to pay casual, part-time, temporary and seasonal staff the same as full-time, permanent employees – but both employers and labour advocates are concerned that the regulations are too broad and are causing confusion.
While the changes benefit employees who do the same work as their full-time colleagues, business owners worry about the increase in labour costs and administration that comes with the changes taking effect April 1, alongside other rising expenses.
“This will no doubt be an immediate challenge for employers,” says Craig Stehr, a labour and employment lawyer and partner at Gowling WLG’s Ottawa office who advises employers. And while the legislation appears aimed partly at temporary staffing agencies, Mr. Stehr, who advises employers, says “the consequences will ripple through all sectors of the economy in Ontario.” Full story
Why businesses need to urgently update and upgrade their mobile strategy
More and more people are using mobile devices to browse and search the internet and small business owners must ensure their websites are attracting these potential customers. Full story
Early bird tickets available for the Globe and Mail Small Business Summit
The Globe and Mail is excited to announce the lineup for the 2018 Globe and Mail Small Business Summit. We’ll have Elana Rosenfeld of Kicking Horse Coffee, club king Charles Khabouth, Jim Estill, who brought 200 Syrian refugees to Canada, and many more. The Small Business Summit is the country’s premier event for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies and it will be held at the new Globe and Mail centre in Toronto. Full lineup and early bird tickets available at tgam.ca/sbs18
Hey millennials: Here’s why joining a startup has nothing to do with the lottery
If you’ve graduated in the past decade, you probably remember the nerve-racking process of choosing your career path. Your first foray into the job market can feel like a game of chess, where every move either brings you closer to your ambitions or sets you back. Full story
Coalition vows to keep fighting small-business tax changes
The fight against Ottawa’s proposed tax changes for small corporations isn’t over, even after watered-down policies were proposed in the latest federal budget following months of business community backlash. Full story (Globe subscribers)
Southern Ontario’s Silicon Valley: Unleashing Waterloo’s tech-innovation sector
In February, the federal government revealed the five regions it aims to turn into tech “superclusters” – Silicon Valley-style innovation ecosystems spread throughout the country. With nearly $1-billion in federal funding earmarked for development, these clusters represent a massive investment in Canada’s knowledge economy, and Kitchener-Waterloo stands to benefit. Full story
Toronto restaurants go global with far-flung expansions
Canadian travellers are increasingly likely to run into the tastes of home when they’re out of the country as well-known chains such as Tim Hortons, Freshii and Smoke’s Poutinerie have expanded internationally. But it’s not just the big chains going global – many small independent players are making the jump, too. Full story
Robo-adviser Nest Wealth launches platform for small-business group RRSP plans
Online portfolio manager Nest Wealth is widening its product shelf to become one of the first robo-advisers to offer group retirement savings plans for small to medium businesses in Canada. Full story
Quebec’s maple syrup farms tap foreign workers to fill labour gap
Under a towering cover of trees, a farm worker hammers a spout into a sugar maple with a brisk toc-toc-toc that breaks the forest silence. Sap soon starts to drip out, in a late-winter ritual that has flowed through the generations in rural Quebec. Full story
Canada needs national council aimed at helping more women run bigger companies, report finds
Canada needs a national women’s business council with a mandate to help develop more female entrepreneurs running larger companies, according to a new report from a cross-border women’s business group. Full story
In a city desperate for more transit, for Toronto’s Little Jamaica it could be bad news
These days, Monica Lewis spends her time at work waiting for customers who never arrive. The owner of Monica’s Cosmetic Supplies Ltd. on Eglinton Ave. West just east of Oakwood Ave., Lewis has operated a business in the neighbourhood for decades. Full story
Canadian small businesses ‘woefully outgunned’ in battle with cybercrime: experts
Almost a third of Canadian businesses unknowingly divulged sensitive information — including customer data — to phishing scams in 2017. Full story
Sarah Efron