Canada’s economy just shrank, but corporate profits hit a record 27-year high

Published March 31, 2015

We’ve got good news and we’ve got bad news. First, the good news: Corporate Canada’s profits have hit a 27-year high, according to a new report by CIBC World Markets. Bay Street has never been happier, right? Well, there’s just one little catch: new Statistics Canada data shows the Canadian economy shrank in January. All those layoffs and store closures you’ve been […]

VIDEO: Hey, average Canadians – your wages are flatter than a pancake

Published January 7, 2015

The average Canadian may be thinking twice about buying maple syrup this year. That’s because the average Canadian hasn’t seen a meaningful wage increase in six years and will be likely to see a decrease when final data for 2014 is released, says Andrew Jackson, senior policy advisor to the Broadbent Institute. “Real wages are pretty […]

Surprise! Fraser Institute comes out against living wage

Published January 14, 2014

The Fraser Institute says that paying workers a living wage actually hurts low-paid workers. In a report released Tuesday, the right-wing think tank cites “the best available research” to argue that any gains for some workers come “at the expense of others who lose as a result of fewer employment opportunities,” said Charles Lamman, […]

2013 plant closure roundup

Published December 23, 2013

Canada’s jobs record in 2013 wasn’t pretty. Between November 2012 and November 2013, all of the net new jobs created in Canada were in the lowest paid and most insecure occupational group: sales and service jobs. There were just 172,400 new jobs created over this period. But sales and service employment rose by 191,700. These […]

Cadillac Fairview: Merry Christmas, you’re fired!

Published December 21, 2013

Cadillac Fairview makes a hefty profit as the owner and operator of malls and office buildings across the country. The company earned nearly $1 billion in profit last year alone. But Cadillac Fairview isn’t willing to pay fair wages to the cleaning staff. Just a few months before Christmas, 150 of them lost their jobs […]

Astroturfing exposed: real #workingcanadians hit back

Published December 10, 2013

Working Canadians, an anti-labour group that has sprung up just in time for an anticipated spring election in Ontario, is getting some blowback from real working Canadians who sniffed out the astroturf campaign. The group claims to be a bunch of non-partisan “volunteer individuals concerned that union leaders have too much influence over government, drive […]