ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS
- Canada Celebrates 150 – 1 July 2017
- VACANCIES AVAILABLE !
- Efforts to Improve Immigration Policy
- South Africa & Namibia Visit – August 2017
- Economic News
- Daily Living – Summer is Here
- B.C. Wild Fires
- Life Hack – Pedestrians Crossing
CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS –
150th ANNIVERSARY OF CONFEDERATION
The official emblem of Canada 150 is a series of 13 diamonds in the shape of a maple leaf, each diamond representing one of the 13 provinces and territories. The four core red diamonds represent the first four provinces of the Confederation of Canada.
Canadians, rich in our origins, celebrated the 150th birthday of the youthful and promising Canada on 1 July 2017, Canada Day.
One hundred and fifty years ago, on 1 July 1867, the Dominion of Canada was formed by the signing of the British North America Act which was drafted in London, England by the Fathers of the Confederation. The first four provinces of Canada were New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
The remaining 9 provinces and territories joined the Confederation over the next 82 years, Saskatchewan and Alberta joined second and third last in 1905 and Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949.
The holiday used to be called Dominion day, but was formally changed to Canada day in 1982 when the Canada Act was passed.There is still a lot of history to be made in Canada, and we are very excited to be a part of it.
To read more about the milestones and making of this young country, explore #onthisday at Library Archives Canada.
The official emblem of Canada 150 is a series of 13 diamonds in the shape of a maple leaf, each diamond representing one of the 13 provinces and territories. The four core red diamonds represent the first four provinces of the Confederation of Canada.
For Canada’s 150th Birthday Parks Canada is giving free Discovery Passes for unlimited entry to enjoy Canada’s national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites. Usually these areas have entry fees for their maintenance, repair – for the protection of future generations.
If you are in Canada, apply here for a pass or pick one up at your nearest Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Check out #ParksCanada and parks.canada’s Instagram account for some personal and beautiful shots of Canada.
VACANCIES AVAILABLE
AGRONOMIST – A vacancy exists for an agronomist in Saskatchewan. The position would require the provision of advice to farmers regarding soil analyses, crop rotation, seed choice, fertilizer etc. A degree or Diploma in Agriculture would be an important benefit.
HD MECHANICS – A well-established mine contractor in Northern Ontario id looking for 4 mechanics. The prerequisites include:
a. Underground Experience
b. Experience on Jumbo Drill Rigs, Scooptrams (LHDs) and underground haul trucks
c. Altas Copco or Sandvik experience would be helpful.
CNC MACHINISTS, LARGE CASTINGS – Two organizations in Ontario have requested that Matrixvisa search for machinists with experience in CNC machining of large castings. Some of the castings can weigh up to 25 tons. The first employer has Kuraki horizontal boring mills with Fanuc controls and Monti horizontal borning mills with Heidenhain controls. This employer also has lathes with Giana with Fagor controls and Tacchi with Siemens controls. The second employer has TOS horizontal boring mills, Stanko boring mills, a Keller Universal Milling Machine with Hydrotel Vertical Spindle Milling Machines. Most have Heidenhein TNC430, iTNC430, and iTNC 530 controls.
MECHANIC, JAGUAR & LAND ROVER – An employer in Saskatchewan requested that Matrixvisa recruit automotive mechanics with Jaguar and Land Rover Experience.
ASSISTANT FARM MANAGER, GRAIN & CATTLE – A large commercial farmer in Saskatchewan requested that Matrixvisa search for an assistant farm manager with experience in grain and cattle.
FEEDLOT MANAGER – We are also searching for a manager for a large commercial feedlot.
FARM SUPERVISOR – Another large commercial farmer in Saskatchewan has requested that Matrixvisa find a farm supervisor.
MOULD MAKER – There is also a vacancy for a mould maker in Ontario.
IMMIGRATION POLICY
EFFORTS TO IMPROVE OINP – Human Capital Priorities Stream
Matrixvisa Inc wrote to the Ontario Minister of Immigration regarding the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Human Capital Priorities (HCP) Stream. The letter dated 23 May 2017 can be seen at point 32 on Our Efforts. We expressed our concerns about the ineffective use of the Express Entry system by Ontario. On 4 July the Ontario government changed its selection from Express Entry purely from a points based system to a system focused on specific occupations. The OINP targeted candidates for the HCP Stream in the Information and Communications Technology sector with work experience in the following NOC codes:
NOC 0131: Telecommunication Carriers Managers
NOC 0213: Computer and Information Systems Managers
NOC 2133: Electrical and Electronics Engineers
NOC 2147: Computer Engineers (Except Software Engineers and Designers)
NOC 2171: Information Systems Analysts and Consultants
NOC 2172: Database Analysts and Data Administrators
NOC 2173: Software Engineers and Designers
NOC 2174: Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers
NOC 2175: Web Designers and Developers
NOC 2241: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
NOC 2281: Computer Network Technicians
NOC 2282: User Support Technicians
NOC 2283: Systems Testing Technicians
NOC 5224: Broadcast Technicians
NOC 5241: Graphic Designers and Illustrators
Applicants must comply with several requirements including the following:
- · Education: Equivalent of a Canadian Bachelor’s degree or above;
- · Language: A minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in English or in French
FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES CLASS & EXPRESS ENTRY
On 26 May 2017 the federal government drew applicants in the Federal Skilled Trades Class from the Federal Express Entry Pool as low as 199 points. The applicants had a to be qualified tradesman with a Labour Market Impact Assessment or a Canadian Red Seal. We assisted several clients to obtain their Red Seals in Canada and their names have been drawn. It has been worthwhile for some of these applicants to come to Canada to challenge the provincial Red Seal Examination.
You can see more on our website about the Federal Skilled Trades Class.
SOUTH AFRICA & NAMIBIA VISIT FOR AUGUST 2017
We are again visiting South Africa and Namibia from 17 -25 August. Our dates will be as follows:
JOHANNESBURG – Friday, 18 August (10am – 4pm)
JOHANNESBURG – Saturday, 19 August (8am – 4pm)
JOHANNESBURG – Sunday, 20 August (8am – 4pm)
WINDHOEK – Monday, 21 August (4pm – 7pm)
WINDHOEK – Tuesday 22 August (8am – 6pm)
STELLENBOSCH – Thursday 24 August (9:00 am – 4:00pm)
For those who are interested in booking a meeting, go to ‘Book Now’ to begin the two step process.
Kindly book your meeting as soon as possible to get your preferred meeting time and to avoid the administrative strain created by last minute booking requests.
ECONOMIC NEWS
It was reported in the Globe and Mail on 7 July 2017, that the Canadian economy created 55 000 jobs just in May 2017 and 45 000 jobs in June 2017. During the past 12 months Canada developed 351 000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.5 % by June 2017.
The oil price slipped again and as a result of a credit agency, DBRS (See http://www.dbrs.com) it might downgrade the Provincial Government’s credit rating later this year.
Dejardins is a large bank and it decided to stop the financing of pipelines in Canada.
Six large multinationals withdrew from the Canadian Oil Sands operations during the past year. The companies that are disinvesting are: Statoil from Norway, Koch Industries, Imperial Oil (The Canadian Subsidiary of ExxonMobil), ConocoPhillips, Shell and Marathon Oil.
The USA government levied a tariff of 20% on several Canadian softwood lumber companies. Many in the media blame the trump Administration for the tariff. However, the fight has been ongoing for 20 years as the Americans claim the Canadians have an unfair advantage as they harvest trees at a very low rate (compared to Americans) on “Crown land” and that this is the same as a subsidy. It is expected that there could be job losses as a result of this tariff.
The Canadian Federal Government is also busy with North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA) as the Trump administration signalled that it wants to renegotiate the current terms of NAFTA.
DAILY LIVING – SUMMER IS HERE
We are in the full swing of summer and temperatures are increasing fast across the country.
Matrixvisa Inc. went salmon fishing off of the coast of Vancouver Island 2 weeks ago. Here is Natasha Boshoff wrestling with a salmon on the line (don’t worry, she caught it!), Jashke Kriek with a Lingcod and Cobus Kriek with Chinook Salmon they just caught.
Even with summer here, British Columbia experienced higher than normal snowfall this past winter. While the temperatures are around 28 degrees, at higher altitudes the snow takes longer to melt due to the large mass and the reflecting nature of the white snow.
Jashke Kriek, our Case Manager, hiking up ‘The Lions’, two iconic Vancouver mountain peaks north of the city. From the ridge an almost 360-degree view shows far reaching mountain ranges, Howe Sound and the greater Vancouver area.
ENVIRONMENT – B.C. WILD FIRES
Currently there are 200 wildfires burning in British Columbia (started by lightning strikes). Several towns (over 14,000 people) have been evacuated and a state of emergency has been established. Over 1000 firefighters are combating the fires and the Canadian military was deployed to provide support to fight the fires. You can follow up to date information at BC Wildfire Service and you can follow an active fires map.
@BCGovFireInfo
LIFE HACK – PEDESTRIANS CROSSING THE ROAD
In Canada pedestrians are an important part of the provincial Highway Traffic Acts. Due to Canada’s federal nature not all rules are the same. It was reported in the Globe and Mail on 11 June 2017 that in Alberta, an automobile must wait until the pedestrian has completely crossed the road and not just on the automobile’s side. In Ontario this became a recent rule as well. In British Columbia, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island, drivers must only yield half the road to pedestrians. Other provinces like Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Saskatchewan have specific laws about school crossing guards, there’s no specific wording about when drivers can proceed after stopping.
What does this mean for you? After arrival please check your provincial laws on pedestrians crossing the road! A ticket could be issued between $100 – $500 CAD and it could cost the offender demerit points.
Pedestrians make their way across a crosswalk on the first day of school on September 4, 2012. (John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail) Globe and Mail, 11 July 2017
SINCERELY,
COBUS KRIEK &
THE MATRIXVISA TEAM
We are committed to sharing the latest and greatest about Canada with you.