News

Two New Resources on Settlement Roadmap Help You Find Health Care and Enjoy Life

Written by Administrator Monday, 23 January 2012 11:31

Newcomers to Canada who are looking for resources now have two additional Guides.

Settlement Roadmap, our online tool for finding newcomer resources, has recently expanded. The site already features Guides to help you find Settlement, Language, and Employment Services, along with Ethnic Groceries, Rental Apartments, Government Services and Help for Assaulted Women.

Now we've added two more Guides to make your new life in Canada easier. Our Events Guide will help you find things to do, see, and enjoy in cities and towns all across Canada. And our Health Care Guide helps you get into the health care system in your province, find a family doctor who's accepting new patients, and find a hospital in your area.

All our Guides are constantly expanding, too, so keep checking back with us for more useful content. Settlement Roadmap also features daily articles, videos, and an archive of how-to information. And don't forget to subscribe to Newcomer Newsletter, our free e-newsletter, bringing diverse content to your email inbox twice a month.

Check out Settlement Roadmap at www.settlementroadmap.ca or at www.srmap.ca.
Subscribe to Newcomer Newsletter at www.vengeo.com/cnmag/subscription.

Ten Ways You Can Save Energy and Money This Winter

Written by Ontario Ministry of Energy - News Release Wednesday, 28 December 2011 11:55

Conservation helps manage energy use and cut costs. Here are ten ways you can save energy and money this winter, courtesy of the Ontario Ministry of Energy:

Install a programmable thermostat: When properly set, a thermostat can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 10 per cent. Set your thermostat to 20 degrees Celsius when you're at home and 18 degrees Celsius when sleeping or away.

Protect against drafts: Install weatherstrip around doors, fireplace dampers, attic hatches and air conditioners. Reducing drafts can save up to 30 per cent a year on heating costs.

Flip your furnace filter: Change your furnace filter monthly. It's also a good idea to have your furnace serviced by a professional every year to ensure it is running at maximum efficiency.

Go off-peak: Take advantage of lower energy prices during off-peak hours. Run your dishwasher, washer and dryer early in the morning, in the evening or on weekends when electricity rates are lowest.

Unplug it: Be sure to unplug electronic items not in use. Devices like computers, TVs, and cell phone chargers continue to consume small amounts of electricity unless they are unplugged. Try plugging these items into a power bar with a switch or timer, so you can easily turn them off when they are not needed.

Lock in the heat: Block heat from entering unused areas of your house, like a storage room or crawlspace, by closing doors. Keep closet doors shut too.

Opt for efficient lighting: When it's time to replace a light bulb, choose energy-efficiency compact florescent lights (CFLs, LEDs), rather than incandescent lights.

Let the sun shine in: During the day, keep your curtains open to draw in sunlight. Solar energy can help naturally warm your home.

Clean your fridge coils: Be sure to regularly brush or vacuum your refrigerator coils to make them more energy-efficient.

Ditch the drip: Make an effort to quickly repair leaky faucets. Even a small drip can waste litres of water per month and add to your water heating costs.

Immigrant Wage and Employment Gaps Persist: RBC Economics

Written by RBC - News Release Monday, 19 December 2011 20:02

Incomes of skilled immigrants could increase by as much as $30 billion if they were paid like Canadian-born workers.

Despite higher education levels, Canadian immigrants experience higher unemployment rates and lower incomes than workers born in the country, according to a new report issued today by RBC Economics. The report, Immigrant Labour Market Outcomes in Canada: The Benefits of Addressing Wage and Employment Gaps, estimates that the potential increased incomes for immigrants if observable skills were rewarded similarly to Canadian-born workers is $30.7 billion or 2.1 per cent of GDP in 2006 (the latest census data available).

“Employment growth is slowing as Canada’s population ages, which make it essential that every worker produce at their full potential. Underutilizing skilled labour is a gap we need to fill and immigrants represent more than 20 per cent of our population,” said Dawn Desjardins, senior economist, RBC. “Even small improvements in immigrant outcomes could contribute positively to the Canadian economy.”

The report outlines the increasing size of the immigrant employment and wage gap in Canada during the past 30 years. While there was little difference between the unemployment rates of new immigrants and the Canadian-born in 1981, a large gap emerged during the 1980s and 1990s. By 2006, immigrants had unemployment rates that were significantly higher than those of Canadian born — 6.9 per cent for immigrants, compared to 6.4 per cent for the Canadian born. In 2005, the entire population of immigrants working full time in Canada earned an average of $45,000 yearly, which is about $700 or two per cent less than the average wage for Canadian-born workers; however, the most recent among them earned just $28,700, on average.

The report concludes that immigrants tend to possess an observable-skills profile that would usually be associated with higher economic rewards. The population of working-age (16–64) immigrants in Canada is more likely to have a university degree than the Canadian born, and is older, on average. They are also more likely to live in large cities, where earnings tend to be higher.

Adjusting for immigrants’ observable characteristics makes a big difference. If we take into consideration the stronger profile of immigrants, the ‘potential’ immigrant unemployment rate would have translated into approximately 42,000 additional jobs.

By gender, male immigrants had a higher earnings gap than female immigrants (24 per cent compared to 17 per cent). In dollar terms, this is about $16,500 for men and $7,000 for women. Conversely, the excess in the unemployment rate for women was larger than that for men, at 2.5 percentage points, compared to a 0.7 percentage point difference for men.

The research to this point suggests that gaps may be due to both genuine skill differences between immigrants and Canadian-born workers, and labour market inefficiencies that prevent immigrants from making full use of their skills. In either case, there could be room to improve on immigrant outcomes through more extensive language training, faster credential recognition, or other integration initiatives. More rigorous evaluation of existing programs would also be helpful in understanding why gaps persist and how we can best address them.

“This report shows that we are still not recognizing the skill level and talent that newcomers bring to Canada – and it’s as much the country’s loss as it is our immigrants,” said Camon Mak, director, Newcomer and Multicultural Markets, RBC. “Canada was built on immigration, and that’s just as true today.”

The complete report is available at rbc.com/newsroom as of 8 a.m. ET on Monday, December 19.

10 Ways to NOT Catch the Flu this Winter!

Written by Ontario Ministry of Health - Media Release Monday, 19 December 2011 11:09

Top 10 Tips To Avoid Catching The Flu

The Ministry of Health is offering everyone ten helpful tips to stay healthy and reduce the risk of spreading the flu and other viruses to your friends and family this holiday season.

1. Get the flu shot. It's free.

The flu shot helps your body build the defenses it needs to protect you from the flu. It can prevent the flu from taking hold up to 90 per cent of the time among healthy adults and children.

2. Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly and often.

Proper hand cleaning guards against and limits the spread of many illnesses. Viruses can live on your hands for up to five minutes and they can live on hard surfaces - like counter tops and telephones - for up to two days. Wash hands for at least 15 seconds.

3. Keep alcohol-based hand sanitizer handy.

Hand sanitizer needs to be at least 60 per cent alcohol to be effective. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are as good as soap and water to clean your hands. But if your hands are visibly dirty, wash with soap and water.

4. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.

Cough into your upper sleeve if you don't have a tissue. The droplets that come out when we cough or sneeze can carry the flu virus and land on other people or surfaces.

5. Stay home from work if you are sick.

When you're not feeling well, the best thing you can do for your own health and the health of your co-workers is to stay home.

6. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

The flu virus usually enters the body through the eyes, nose or mouth, and your hands touch objects and surfaces that may have viruses on them, including the flu virus.

7. Avoid large crowds of people where viruses can spread easily.

This might be a challenge when you're shopping and socializing during the holidays. Stay aware of your health and the health of others when you're out and about. Avoid people who are sneezing and coughing and wash your hands regularly.

8. Clean germ-spreading surfaces like purses or gloves.

These items come in contact with contaminated surfaces when you set them down on areas like tables and countertops, spreading germs and viruses. Wipe these surfaces with disinfecting cleaner regularly.

9. Eat well, exercise and get enough rest.

Keeping your immune system strong will lessen your chances of getting sick. Eat well, exercise regularly and get enough sleep to keep your health in top shape.

10. Did we mention your flu shot?

We can't emphasize this enough. The flu shot is the most effective way to avoid the flu. Get the vaccine for free at your doctor's office.

QUICK FACTS:

You cannot get the flu from receiving the flu shot.

The flu can leave people ill for up to seven days and can lead to serious health problems such as pneumonia.

Flu strains can change every year. The vaccine that protected you last year may not fully protect you from the type of flu going around this year.

The elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are especially at high risk of flu-related complications.