As secret negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement progress, B.C.’s 15,000 dairy industry employees are bracing for a major impact. David Janssens, who owns and operates Nicomekl Farms Ltd. in Surrey, which has 450 cows that produce 400,000 litres of milk a month, said the TPP has the potential to disrupt the entire Canadian dairy industry by introducing more foreign competition. Supply management agriculture – dairy and egg producers – will be hardest hit by the removal of duties on imports. The Canadian has government announced that it would mitigate the impact of the agreement on dairy farmers with $4.3 billion in compensation over 15 years.
Save-On-Foods set to expand on Prairies
Save-On-Foods, a business division owned by B.C. billionaire Jimmy Pattison, has announced plans for a major expansion into Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Save-On-Foods announced it planned to start with a store in Yorkton, followed by others in Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw in 2016. The expansion would create 4,000 jobs, Save-On-Foods said.
Mine shutdown highlights worries over project splitting
A small gold mine shut down by regulators for unauthorized discharging of water and various permit violations on Banks Island underscores the concerns associated with project splitting to avoid full environmental assessments. The Banks Island Gold Ltd. (TSX-V:BOZ) Tel mine was shut down just seven months after it went into production. The mine did not have to go through a full environmental assessment, despite potential impact on the marine environment, because its production was just under the 75,000 tonnes per year needed to trigger an assessment. Critics said it was a classic case of project splitting, in which mining operators are able to get a small mine into production without going through a full environmental assessment, and then bring more deposits into production.
Program curtailment triggers labour crunch in Whistler
Despite having one of their best seasons, Whistler business owners are ringing alarm bells over a severe worker shortage, thanks to restrictions on Canada’s controversial temporary foreign worker program that have dried up a critical labour pool. Some businesses in Whistler are reported to have reduced hours or gone out of business altogether.
Rick Hale, owner of Avalanche Pizza, opened a new location earlier in the year but had to close his first location because he couldn’t find enough staff. It’s a problem that’s widespread across the ski resort, said Whistler Chamber of Commerce CEO Val Litwin.
B.C. film industry’s star rises again
B.C.’s film industry, which has lost production jobs over the last few years to provinces offering more tax incentives, is back on its feet, thanks in part to a low Canadian dollar and new tax credits.
“This is the busiest season we’ve ever had,” said Peter Hayman, a business representative at International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 669, the union that represents 678 camera operators, publicists and others in the industry.
In July,Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group moved most staff in its Sony Pictures Imageworks subsidiary to a new 75,000-square-foot head office in the Pacific Centre office tower. Imageworks, which had been based in California, now has more than 700 staff in Vancouver and is the city’s largest visual effects and animation house.
City merchants cash in on Chinese credit card
Vancouver merchants who have begun accepting China UnionPay credit cards say the move is paying off in a big way, making it easier for wealthy Chinese tourists to go on spending sprees. UnionPay is China’s largest cardholder group. In November 2014, Moneris Solutions became the first Canadian credit and debit card processor to accept payments through UnionPay, which means Chinese cardholders no longer have to pay extra fees to access money from Chinese bank accounts. Moneris says it is on track to have 50,000 merchants accepting UnionPay cards by the end of 2016.
