IS DECEPTION LEGAL? YOU BE THE JUDGE...

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - The BIG MAC, THE KING BROILER, WENDY’S TRIPLE, KFC CRUNCHY CHICKEN, POPEYE’S CRISPY CHICKEN, SUBWAY SUBS and so on and so on commercials are misleading. The Big Mac in their advertising makes it look like it is the size of a dinner plate. In reality today’s Big Mac is more like the size of an oversized twooney. Have you seen their breakfast menu. I find more taste on the grease in the wrapper than the actual food. Is it legal? Burger King - Another that commits the same legal crime. In the advertisers the burgers look the size of a frisbie. In reality, even though bigger than the Big Mac. Far from a frisbie. My favorite posters are that of the Wendy’s line up with special mention of their TRIPLE. The advertisement would convert any vegan back to meat. In reality, they meat in most cases is dry. Has the texture of a Mr. Clean sponge and the taste of my dogs treat. Is this legal? Now to the chicken platform. KFC, the pride of fried chicken, at least in my experience... when have they changed from chicken to pigeon? The portions appear to be smaller and the crispiness has gone aside. Is this legal? Now Popeye’s attempt to crispy chicken is something to acknowledge. Their advertisement offers a particular taste but delivers the cook of the day consistency. I found that depending on the store and or region. Chicken can go from tooth breaking crispy to a soggy mess. Is this legal? But my favorite commercial of deception has to lie on Subway. They spend millions on celebrities and athletes pushing their product. The sandwiches they showcase in their advertising are out of this world good looking and delicious. Then you visit a franchise and reality hits you. Every shop is a little different. Each store dispense topping as if it came out of the employees wages. Nothing like what they advertise in my opinion. Is this legal? What is happening to modern society. We are constantly being mislead through a bombardment of misinformation. It appears that we have become numb of reprisal. We have been conditioned to just accept and pay. Remember the days when MCD was the place you knew was the cheapest meal in town? In most cases you got what you paid for. I must say back in the day. A Big Mac was a big deal. Most of us would buy the regular burger or if we had coin go for the cheese burger.... All came in a paper wrapper. The regular burgers in a blue wrapper and cheese burgers in yellow. It was the poor mans cheap meal. Today, to eat a MCD, you have to hold down two jobs. So how does corporate rationalize the cut in size and increase in prices. One, McD is the brand you are paying for. Two, the corporate make the excuse for the smaller buns as it is healthier for the consumer. Less calories, good for your health. But not for your wallet. As for BK, KFC and subway. The rates are nothing less better. In my opinion the quality of food at these fast food outlets leave a lot to be desired. Consumers do not visit on taste. Instead, name recognition. I rather eat a mom and pop type of diner and know my meat comes from a cow. That my portions will be in accordance to what I pay, as they want my business back. Service will be friendly and courteous. I rather even pay more knowing it is going to help someone pay their mortgage and not some greedy corporate head. We the consumers need to take control of where we spend our dollars and send a message to corporate. That we ARE THE CUSTOMER - NOT A NUMBER THAT GENERATES REVENUE.

Ontario Greenbelt Controversy

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East A new controversy is brewing in Ontario; this time it is regarding housing. It is due, again, to the incompetence of elected and public service officials in Ontario. It is clear that the process of removing land from the Greenbelt was amateurish and done in haste. Two independent, legislative watchdogs — in successive reports released just weeks apart from each other — found major flaws with the province's decision to remove land from the Greenbelt last December for the purpose of building housing. The Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake found that Housing Minister Steve Clark chose to "stick his head in the sand" rather than oversee the process of selecting which sites would be removed from the Greenbelt — a vast 810,000-hectare area of protected farmland, forest and wetland stretching from Niagara Falls to Peterborough meant to be permanently off-limits to development. Instead, Minister Clark left it to his chief of staff at the time, Ryan Amato, whose actions alerted some developers to a potential policy change and resulted in their private interests being improperly advanced, the integrity commissioner found. That report came just two weeks after Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk's report first revealed how a small group of well-connected developers suggested to Amato many of the sites that would ultimately be removed, providing the landowners with a potential windfall upwards of $8 billion. It is clear that the impact of the Greenbelt controversy has put pressure on the Ford government, and has ultimately resulted in the resignation of Minister Clark and a brief government reshuffle. Nevertheless, there are further ramifications that also smell of corruption. The file has been referred to the RCMP; and let us see what comes next. Indeed, the national police agency is assessing whether or not to conduct an investigation of its own into the Greenbelt land swap after receiving a referral from the Ontario Provincial Police. The Ford government is now in damage control mode. The province says it is willing to reinstate environmental protections on land removed from the Greenbelt if it believes landowners will not be able to meet the government's directive that developers show significant progress on approvals by the end of this year, with construction to begin in 2025. There was a time when Ontario premiers and cabinet ministers understood the concept of “ministerial responsibility” and acted accordingly — but that was long ago. This controversy raises a question in the Durham Region, especially in the city of Pickering, and that is: where is the MPP for Pickering Uxbridge and Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy? In this entire Greenbelt process, which has seen a significant amount of Greenbelt land located in his own riding given to developers, he has been missing in action. He has remained suspiciously silent on this entire issue, practically washing his hands of it. As a professional and senior member of the Ontario Provincial legislature, surely he should have had some input into the process. His constituents would expect nothing less. Preservation of the Greenbelt primarily refers to the preservation of prime agricultural land, but here are other controversies. No one raises the issue of the existence of many golf courses spread across this area, also taking away significant portions of prime farmland. This subject seems to be taboo, and no wonder, considering a certain elitist attitude surrounding the issue. There are environmental and community associations viscerally against development here such as the building of an airport in the Pickering area, however, they are suspiciously silent on the existence on the myriad of golf courses on the prime farmland. As the saga continues, let us see if the government will be able to strong arm its way to getting shovels in the ground and getting houses built in record time. They have three years to do so before Ontario voters get the final say at the ballot box. It is worth noting, that the entire Pickering City Council voted against developing the land in question, not for altruistic, but for practical reasons. In their estimation, it will take 10 to 25 years to build up the infrastructure that will support major development in the subject area. How well does that bode for the instant housing the Ford government is after? However, as these infrastructure concerns are not in the public consciousness, they may only need to tweak their actions to get away with it. Ford and his new housing minister may not need to cancel plans to develop small sections of the Greenbelt, or even embark on a permanent reversal. They just need to have them reviewed by a trusted, competent and non-partisan third party to ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of the people of the province. Here is hoping for the best!

Like It or Not, Your LinkedIn Profile Picture Affects Your Job Search

By Nick Kossovan Back in the day, including a headshot with your resume was expected. As anti-discrimination and labour laws started being passed, this practice stopped since pictures could potentially lead to discrimination. Then LinkedIn officially launched on May 5, 2003. If you believe a headshot (profile picture) may lead to hiring discrimination, then you likely see LinkedIn as a step back. A fun fact: Leonardo da Vinci is credited with creating the first resume. His "resume" was essentially a cover letter written to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, a potential employer, in 1482, touting his inventions. It was not until the 1930s that the modern resume became common. LinkedIn, which I believe is much more relevant to employers than your resume, is not going anywhere anytime soon, nor will it be removing its profile picture feature, which all social media platforms have. Debating the merits of LinkedIn is unproductive. Having a fully optimized LinkedIn profile is an unavoidable requirement for job seekers. I am sure you are aware that first impressions are everything. Whether you like it or not, within mere seconds, you are looked at, judged, labelled and categorized. As humans, we see, make assumptions, and pass judgment. You do it, I do it, we all do it. I do not know anyone who does not, at least in part, judge a book by its cover. Your LinkedIn profile — your 24/7/365 business card — picture is the first impression recruiters and employers will have of you and will use to assess whether to read your profile. If you have self-limiting beliefs and hang-ups that make you not want to have a profile picture as part of your LinkedIn profile — surprisingly, I still see profiles without one — and you are not willing to "get over it," then you need not read further. The lack of a profile picture makes it difficult to take the person seriously. Either you want employers to take you seriously, or you do not care whether they do. I get it that many people are concerned about possible racial, ethical, or sexual discrimination if they include a profile picture. My response: If an employer rejects your candidacy because of racism, ageism, or sexism, they are not an employer you want to work for. A profile picture enables the reader to get to know you better; it gives your name a face. Keep in mind, since it is the only visual representation they have, it makes "human sense" for a reader to form an opinion about a person based on their LinkedIn profile picture. Besides helping the reader to get to know you, your LinkedIn profile picture: · shows your profile is active and legitimate. · along with a results-oriented profile, shows you are confident. The first impression your LinkedIn profile makes will influence whether the reader will take the time to read your profile. (According to studies, hiring managers glance at a resume for seven seconds before deciding whether to read further or discard it; the same applies to your LinkedIn profile.) Now, you probably want to ask me, "Nick, is landing a job easier if you are attractive?" I would be misleading you if I said "No." What person does not like to be around attractive people? The truth is, which you already know, if not at least strongly suspect, beautiful people are more likely to get hired, receive better performance evaluations and get paid more. On the other hand, attractive people are often stereotyped negatively, such as being shallow, demanding, and hard to manage. Your LinkedIn profile picture's overall quality and professionalism are more important than your appearance. Pretty eyes and a Hollywood smile have no chance against solid, hard skills and a track record of achieving results. Competencies are the most critical factor for "most" (keyword) hiring managers, keeping in mind hiring managers are, like you, human and therefore have their respective biases. Here are some tips on how to take a profile picture that will impress hiring managers and make them want to read your profile: 1. Start with the right frame. A good photo begins with the right frame. Position yourself correctly in your picture. Your profile photo should not show more than your head, neck, and shoulders. 2. Choose the right background. Background matters. For example, a green background makes you appear likable, open, and cooperative. Red conveys passion and urgency. Blue suggests trust and calmness. An office background indicates professionalism and a corporate mindset. 3. Wear a casual but professional outfit. When choosing what you will wear, think about how you would dress for an interview. Dress for the position you are aiming for. 4. Smile! Smile for the following reasons: · To establish trust · To appear friendly and approachable · To make a connection with the reader · To show confidence One more thing: Upload the correct LinkedIn photo size, which is 400 x 400 pixels. According to LinkedIn research, having a picture makes your profile 14 times more likely to be seen and 36 times more likely to be contacted. Without a profile picture, you increase your odds of not being contacted. (READ: lost opportunities) _____________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

YOU VOTED HIM IN THE MAN IS A MORON

By Joe Ingino ‘You voted him in - the man is a moron.’ Unfortunately, that is even an insult to poor morons. For those intellectually challenged, that become easily offended by words... Moron by dictionary definition: Moron is a term once used in psychology and psychiatry to denote mild intellectual disability. If this definition does not perfectly depict\ our beloved Oshawa Mayor, I do not know what does. People wonder why Oshawa City streets are flooded with drug users, hookers, and the homeless. Why Oshawa is so dangerous to visit that the city passed a bylaw restricting the mere thought of having a picnic without a permit. Forget walking our parks and creeks as many are a public health risk area from becoming pricked by a drug users needle. Oshawa use to be a heaven for good life. It use to be a great place to raise a family and live the life. For the past 20 years life has gone from good to bad. The question. Why? We keep electing the same incompetent council term after term. We elect mayors that are administrators not leaders. Currently we have a former drug addict, homeless person. A person that was illiterate until his late 20’s. Now we the people reward him with the top job? You go to be kidding. His lack of leadership is directly the reason for our core our downtown being the way it is. One bad decision after another. We have a mayor that spends more time being led by staff and upper tier politicians than he does representing the people of Oshawa. A Mayor that wasted 30 million of your dollars on a park in the south end so that during the election he could rally NDP votes. A mayor that has allowed the raping of prime lands to the north with these future to be ghettos. Town home and close proximity estate homesthat for anyone with half wit would realize that today they are new homes. In 20 years those 4 - 5 bedroom homes will become rooming houses. As many even today are being bought and rented out to multiple families and or as rooming house. Our Mayor blames theProvince the Feds for the out of control building spur. I say malarkey. If you have the intellect. The life experience. You would quickly note that even though something is forced upon you by law... You can work around it and control the dispensing, the implication and the application. What do you think lawyers do for a living. To just put up your arms and surrender is irresponsible and far from leadership. Our Mayor is being manipulated by the Durham Realtors indirectly.Look who was his mayoral campaign manager. A scoundrel of a person.A former councillor, the former chair of the Durham Realtor Board. It is open season forrealtors, developers and anyone wanting to make a few billions. But enough of the obvious and history. Just this past week our beloved leader released this: Statement from Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter on the Oshawa Executive Airport. As Mayor, I am extremely disappointed to learn about a groundbreaking ceremony for a 30,000 square foot hangar expansion at the Oshawa Executive Airport. This development has been reported in the news as supporting expanded flight training. According to Durham Radio News, “The expanded facilities will support the growth of\ aviation activities in Oshawa, providing a new home for businesses and aircraft displaced\ from Buttonville as well as building on general industry expansion and flight training demand.” I am frustrated as this does not support balancing the quality of life of our residents with the economic benefits of the airport. The expansion of flight training is not consistent with the Council-approved 2021-2022 Oshawa Executive Airport Action Plan outlined in Report DS-21-137, which addresses the impact of flight training schools on the surrounding neighbourhoods. As a tax payer I am extremely disapointed that he keeps denouncing good project for Oshawa. Developments that will benefit Oshawa and at no cost to taxpayers. City of Oshawa airport for the longest time has been the center of controversy. From the area neighbours complaining about noise. To the tenants at the airport screaming foul play by the city and it’s future plans for the airport. The airport sits on prime real estate. Developers for years have been trying to close the airport. Airport associations and patrons. Not to mention those that run training and very lucrative business out of the airport.... have been wanting more support from the city and the Provincial and Federal government to look for ways to expand. The airport for any municipality is a ticket to the world. You can export and you can import just about anything. The problem with the City of Oshawa airport is management. The people of Oshawa have been stuck for the past 20 years. The rule of the game is keep the status quo. Council approved 2021-2022 Oshawa Executive Airport Action Plan outlined in Report DS-21-137 is a joke. It is nothing but a tool of deception. A way to keep the surrounding neighbourhoods silent and continue the attempt to justify the closure of the airport in favor of the developers interest. The City as it stands is being run by staff. Not city council. City council have proven that they can’t put two thoughts together without the dependence of staff. This is not leadership. Leadership would be to develop ideas, plans and use the expertise of staff to bring it to reality. City council wastes money on projects like 30 million on the Ed Broadbent park. Meanwhilepeople are living and dying on our city streets. Developers are making billions and we the peopleof Oshawa must endure 5-10% property tax increases. And the Mayor is ‘EXTREMELY disapointed’. Do the taxpayers of Oshawa a favor quit in your disapointment. Hell no. Who orwhere on earth will this mayor ever get a cherry job that pays what it pays to waste other people’smoney? GOOD LUCK WITH THAT THOUGHT... I am extremely disapointed. Aren’t You?

Canada Housing Crisis

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East Canada’s housing problem is not just a national crisis. It is a stark example of what happens when the Federal government neglects an area of responsibility in the name of good government. This is the result when the three levels of governments do not work together for Canadian taxpayers, but only for themselves, forgetting that there is only one taxpayer paying for their illustrious mismanagement. Starting back in the mid 1980s, the national government signed agreements turning over housing responsibility to provincial governments in an effort to shift responsibility. It was not until 2017 that the federal government joined forces with most provincial governments to launch a National Housing Strategy (NHS). It included a 10-year, $40-billion plan to house 530,000 families and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent. However, the province of Quebec has refused to participate in the national strategy, claiming it “intends to fully exercise its own responsibilities and control over the planning, organization and management of housing on its territory.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was criticized when he claimed recently, that “housing isn’t a primary federal responsibility. It’s not something that we have direct carriage of. But it is something that we can and must help with.” As expected, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has a simple solution. He promises to withhold transfer payments to local governments who do not fast-track housing. Anyway, this housing crisis has been in the making for many years but it is only now that the bubble has burst. There were years and years of neglect, with governments taking the position that it will resolve itself. If we take a look at history, an unfashionable activity these days, an in-depth review of the demise of housing availability in Canada should start with a document released decades ago by Bill McKnight. As the minister responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) back in 1986, he released a document entitled, “A National Direction For Housing Solutions.” At the time the CMHC was also known as, “Canada’s housing agency,” but this report was the first step in dismantling a national housing policy in favour of multiple provincial policies. Back in 1984, the federal government spent $1.4-billion annually on housing. However, the McKnight document relegated the federal role in housing to solely that of funder, with provincial governments responsible for building housing and developing sound policy. We see here that the model proposed and followed is the same as that of the health care system. The only difference being, that here the Federal government had the opportunity to insert control measures, which do not seem to have been exercised. The lack of controls slowly created the current housing crisis situation. We can affirm then that the Federal government divested and shifted responsibility to provincial governments on the bulk of housing issues. In plain language, they washed their hands of housing related responsibilities. The only areas that remained in federal hands included co-operative housing developments, urban Indigenous housing, and some housing rehabilitation programs. The rest were transferred to provinces, and it took more than 30 years for the federal government to re-insert itself into the conversation in 2017. Thirty years of stagnation in housing and social housing construction has certainly come with huge consequences. Now, when a national push for housing arises, the focus is on reducing the number of people who need houses, not decreasing the size of our housing footprint, for example. The relative house size in Canada is more than double that of the United Kingdom. In the UK, people inhabit an average 818-square-foot home, compared with 1,948 square feet in Canada. China’s average urban house size is 646 square feet. At the same time, fewer people are living in increasingly bigger homes. So, when we are looking at housing policy, we have to consider that size matters. Simply cutting back on immigration is not the entire solution to this problem. If we really want to tackle the housing problem, we need to look at a national housing strategy that does not encourage people to be over-housed, living in underutilized structures. Older Canadians remember the time when a 500-square-foot house provided habitation for a family. Now we have mega homes that often house only two or three people and the costs are big. In addition, it is time for a country like Canada to think about creating new settlements in sparsely populated areas as other countries like Brazil and Australia have done, in order to develop the country. Canada has a population of approximatively 39 million people, mostly concentrated within 50 km of the border with the United States, despite being the country with the second largest territory in the world. Let us hope that in continuing to build the nation, politicians and public servants will start to really look at the interests of Canada, instead to just following their own interests. The current focus is on building new homes, but renovations should also be included in the discussion. Urban planners are trying to figure out what to do with vacant office buildings and shopping destinations. Landfill sites across the country are being cluttered with building materials from houses that have been torn down because their inferior building quality was designed for obsolescence after 30 years. These questions are complex. A single government is not going to fix them. A true and open cooperation at all three levels of government is what is needed here. Removing the federal government from responsibility for housing policy in 1986 was a serious error that we are paying for today. It has taken us 30 years to move toward a fix. The active role of the Federal government is required, and they finally stepped in in 2017. However, five years have passed, during which time Covid-19 hit, and nothing seems to have been done to mitigate the housing crisis. Rampant inflation and the Bank of Canada rates going to unprecedented heights only exacerbate the crisis and affordability of housing. According to Statistics Canada, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s average five-year mortgage lending rate rose to 5.99 per cent in July, the highest since December 2008. It is great to build houses, but it is even better to be able to sell them to people who have the financial resources to buy them. As far as social housing goes, there should be a realistic plan and it should certainly be coordinated with immigration policy. In conclusion, a problem that took over 30 years to develop will take at least another 10 to fix. This should be a priority for any Federal government in Canada, in cooperation with provincial and municipal governments. Obviously, we need to follow sound proposals, rather than making hasty decisions in an unprofessional manner that jeopardize agricultural and sensitive lands. This happened in Ontario recently, notably in the Durham region city of Pickering. What is your take on it?

Starving the Gut Feeds the Brain

By Common Sense Health – W. Gifford-Jones MD and Diana Gifford If our bodies could speak to our brains, many would hear this: “Dear brain, please know the difference between being hungry and bored. Sincerely, I’m getting fat!” Who doesn’t turn to food when the doldrums set in? The smart brains would offer their hosts three pieces of advice. One, eat nutritional food. Two, limit portion sizes. And three, now and again, engage in fasting. Why fasting? Because studies show that for obese and skinny people alike, after prolonged reduction of food intake, the body’s defences improve against stresses. Cardiovascular risks decline. And the brain functions better. Temporary cessation of eating provokes chemical changes throughout the body. Ketones are a type of chemical the liver produces when it breaks down fats. The body puts ketones to work as a source of energy when food sources are absent. Ketones are also active during extended exercise or when carbohydrates are not available. Production kicks into gear during a fast. One of the consequences is an increase in the activity of helper molecules that ease the work of neurons to connect with neighbouring neurons. Brains and the nervous system depend on these cells connecting with each other to function and reproduce effectively. Interestingly, an increase in the production of ketones also reduces appetite, a helpful effect in maintaining a fast. This is why people who make it past an initial bout of hunger without eating will find the sensation of hunger diminishes. Need more motivation? Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has demonstrated that sedentary lifestyles involving easy access to food indulgences accelerate the aging of the brain. In such people, scientists have identified telltale signs of problems that leave the brain vulnerable to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and stroke. The labels describing these markers tell the story: “stem cell exhaustion”, “aberrant neuronal network activity”, “oxidative damage”, “impaired molecular waste disposal”, and “mitochondrial dysfunction”, to name a few. Studies have also started to explore how the timing of food intake affects obesity and measures to achieve weight loss. Normal eating patterns involve a striking a balance between the rewards of food intake and the regulation of energy. Our bodies are well adapted to modest, regular meals. But modern lifestyles make eating frequent calorie-rich foods easy. This launches the brain-gut microbiome into reward overdrive, depriving the system of the opportunity to shift into time for regulation of energy. Weight gain is among the consequences. This helps explain the success of diets involving time-restricted eating, the practice of consuming no calories outside of established hours. What qualifies as fasting? The answer ranges widely. Most people will be familiar with the doctor’s orders for a 12 or 24 hour fast before certain medical tests or procedures. But for weight loss, and to gain the benefits for brain and cardiovascular health, longer periods of intermittent fasting are required. The key to success is moderation. Fasting need not be an unpleasant pursuit. To the contrary, implementing a habit of reduced food consumption can have its own rewards. Extra body fat will be reduced. The brain will age more slowly. The heart will be healthier. And researchers have found mood improvements, even euphoria, associated with fasting. The next time your stomach hollers “feed me”, let your brain do the work. “Listen to me,” it will say. “I need a few hours to think this over.” Have a glass of refreshing water, then focus on other activities. Step on your bathroom scale every morning to see the results and keep this article in your pocket to remind yourself of the benefits of intermittent fasting. Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

Employers Do Not Care About ‘Your Whys’ They Care About ‘Their Whys.’

By Nick Kossovan Outside of you, nobody really cares about your "whys." Therefore, an effective way to build a relationship with someone is to show them you care about their whys. The ability to cultivate strong bonds with others is a valuable skill that will significantly enhance your personal and professional life. A job search and life tip: When you meet someone for the first time, ask yourself, “How can I help this person?” When interviewing, keep asking yourself, “How can I help this person?” Keeping this question top of mind will change how you interview and come across. For one thing, you will be more consultative rather than the typical "I need a job" candidate. You will be that rare candidate who asserts, "I can help you achieve your goals; here is how," which is very attractive. "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 When it comes to searching for a job, some of your whys may be: · To be able to make your mortgage payments. · To be able to buy food. · To be able to vacation in Costa Rica. · To be able to own a car. · To forward your career. There are countless reasons why someone needs a job and is job searching. Employers are not concerned with any of them. Employers are concerned with their whys. An employer's top four reasons (whys) for hiring for a particular position are: · To maintain their business. · To handle an increasing workload · To grow their business. · To enhance their competitiveness by adding new skills or perspectives. Note none of the employer's whys are "to create a job so a new hire can fulfill their whys." It is your responsibility to manage your career and finances and the employer's responsibility to ensure that their company remains in business and grows. Employers are not in the job-creating business; they are in the profit-making business. Therefore, all their whys lean towards creating and maintaining profits. It is not the goal of a company to increase its workforce. A company's goal is the opposite: Having as few employees as possible while being successful. Care and friendship are not part of the bargain of employment. The deal is 'a day's pay for a day's work.' Anything more than that is either luck or brilliant management. Years ago, I had a tense conversation with a C-suite executive, which ended with, "This company didn't create your lifestyle, so why do you think we should be responsible for it?" Eventually, I realized his point. I was thinking backwards! I was expecting my employer to care about my whys without me caring about my employer’s whys. Once I stopped looking to employers to take care of me, my career trajectory and job search success significantly improved. I was now giving off the "vibe" — your vibes are an integral part of your communication; therefore, always be aware of the vibes you are giving off — that I was looking to help the employer achieve their goals, not just help myself. My vibe differentiated me from the other candidates. Employers will lean into you much more if they feel you genuinely want to help them achieve their goals. This requires understanding why the job you are applying for exists, how it fulfills a need or will help achieve a goal(s). (e.g., increase revenue, lower production costs, maintain a high-value client, increase efficiency) When applying for a job, consider why the position exists. All positions exist to fulfill an essential function. The person hired to fill a position is hired based on their ability to perform and achieve the position's goals. The next time you apply for a job, do something most job seekers never do… reflect on the purpose of the job. Ask yourself, "Why did the company create this position?" "Why does this job exist?" Then, address these whys throughout your application (resume, cover letter) and when interviewing. Holistic reasons a position exists: · Payroll manager: Manage payroll. · Office manager: Oversee office operations. · Social Media Manager: Manage the company's social channels. · Warehouse Order Picker: Pick and package items. The employer's reason for creating the position. · Payroll manager: Ensure that payroll is processed accurately and that payroll tax laws are followed precisely. · Office manager: Maintain an efficient and cost-effective office. · Social Media Manager: Plan, create and execute content strategies to drive engagement on a company's social platforms. · Warehouse Order Picker: Pick and prepare requested items for shipping and complete the necessary paperwork, ensuring orders are processed correctly. You cannot go wrong presenting yourself to employers in such a way that your skills, experience, and, most importantly, your desire to assist the employer in achieving their goals are evident. Nowadays, in addition to having the skills and experience to do the job, employers are looking for employees who are genuinely committed to helping their business succeed. A savvy job seeker focuses on how they can help the employer achieve their whys (goals). Their personal whys are not their primary focus. This is how you make yourself valuable to employers. _____________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

LABOUR DAY THE CELEBRATING MODERN DAY SLAVERY

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - What is it about human psychology that out of suffering comes relief and out of optimal relief converts back to a new kind of suffering? Think about it. Today we celebrate ‘LABOUR DAY’ as a great human rights achievement. A movement that at the time of inception was much needed. A time in history when workers were taken advantage, abused and neglected. Practically forced to work in some of the worst working conditions for minimal or no wage in dangerous environments. Something had to give. The birth of a united workers front evolved. At first workers would unite to speak as a unified voice against all kinds of neglect, abuse and most importantly pay. Unions normally were made up of workers within a shop that had enough and would utilize all kinds of tactics to get through to management. Management in the name of keeping production and profits going would give in to the workers demands. This carried on in individual shops until the word got out on how well this new ‘union’ concept among worker was working.... this fanning a fire of desire by other shops. Many attempted and many failed. As management would heavy handed oppress any union or request of better working conditions and or pay at their shops by closing shops or firing workers. This gave birth to ‘unionized’ trades. For example the auto workers union. One union representing one industry across the board. Workers pay a union fee to belong and enjoy the benefits of the union representation. Today just about every profession, trade or group has realized on the benefit of unionizing and followed the lead from previous workers. No matter how you look at the worker. They have always been the engine that keeps any industry, trade or commerce going. The modern day slave that would work for minimal reward and benefits. The modern day slave that had no ownership other than that of his own psychological confine. Forced to enter a daily routine out of necessity for survival. Unions gave the modern day slave, hope, purpose and a false sense of worth as now they had perceived rights. I say perceived rights as unions in their collection of dues... They themselves become a form of management. A management that in principle to represent the workers or modern day slaves. Instead in many cases these unions have become political entities pushing agenda other than that of the workers best interest. Using their membership numbers as political tool to influence the outcome of the democratic process. Unions in modern times have gone from being the shield against management oppression to the middle man in the process of fair treatment. Unions in many cases are the hard hand that oppresses worker to conform to their policy and agenda under the guise of representing what is best for the entire union membership. This twist in representation, now leaves the workers with a two tier management process. At the corporate level. The average worker has little or no voice as they are directed to deal with their union rep. At the union level, workers are forced to comply with all unions policy and agenda to get adequate representation. At the end of the day. Who suffers? The average modern day slave. So what has changed? Well some argue that something is better than nothing. Happy Labour Day from a proud modern day slave.

Canada under fire

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As the summer plods along with a high inflation rate and high interest rates on mortgages, Canadians are also facing an unprecedented rash of forest fires with many communities affected from coast to coast to coast. It has really been a season and a year of extremes. Drought is one example. Canada is a big place and it's always dry somewhere, but not like this year. Agriculture Canada's June 30 drought map shows most of the country was abnormally dry. Large stretches of the Prairies were under at least moderate drought conditions, reaching extreme proportions in southern Alberta. In British Columbia, once the "wet coast," 28 out of 34 river basins were at the province's top two drought levels. Ranchers were selling cattle that they could not grow enough hay to feed, and low stream flows were threatening salmon runs. It has also been really hot. Although the east was generally quite normal, except for the forest fires in Quebec in early June, the west was not. From May through July, Kelowna, British Columbia, experienced 36 days of more than 30 C weather. The normal count is 16 C. Norman Wells, not far from the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, set a new record of 38 C on July 8. Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips totalled up the number of warm temperature records set this summer versus the number of cold records. There were 372 new hot-temperature marks and 55 cold ones. On top of this, the heat was not restricted to the land only. Phillips said waters off all three Canadian coasts have never been warmer. Hudson Bay is up to 3 C warmer. The Pacific coast is between 2 C and 4 C warmer. Both the Atlantic and Arctic coasts are 5 C above average. Then there were the floods — "so many floods," said Phillips. On July 21, Halifax got three months worth of rain in 24 hours. At least three people died in the floods, up to 600 had to evacuate their homes, and power cuts affected 80,000. Roads washed away and at least seven bridges were left needing major repair or replacement. Then there were the fires that spread smoke across the continent and into Europe, where "Canadian wildfires" made headlines from the New York Times to Germany's nightly news. With more than 13 million blackened hectares, it has been the worst wildfire season in North American history. All 13 provinces and territories have been affected, often at the same time. Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes, hundreds of houses were destroyed and four firefighters have been killed. Over the years, cities such as Calgary and Edmonton have grown used to "smoke days." This year, that unhappy club grew to include Ottawa (171 smoke hours), Montreal (100 smoke hours) and Toronto, which, on June 30, had the second-worst air quality in the world. If we are looking to the history of forest and vegetation fires in Canada in general, since the 1970s and 1980s, the total annual number of wildfires in Canada has decreased while the total area burned has increased, though there is variability between years. Since 1959, the number and size of large fires has increased and the average fire season has become longer by about two weeks. In Canada, wildfire season usually starts in May. The 2023 fires have been compared to the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and the 2021 Lytton wildfire, but the fires this year were far worse. When people revert to blaming the now well-known slogan of “climate change” perpetuated by humans, we might do well to consider that the so-called ‘climate change’ is a natural and cyclic phenomenon depending on many variables, including the path of the earth in space etc. At the same we must not ignore the basic issue of forest management. It seems that the elite and elite scientists are not seeing the forest for the trees. Roughly, half of all wildfires in Canada are caused by lightning; lightning strikes and lightning-caused fires are happening more frequently. Lightning-caused fires account for about 85% of land burned, often occurring in clusters in remote locations. The other half of wildfires in Canada are human-caused, often unintentionally sparked by things such as discarded cigarette butts, abandoned smouldering campfires, or sparks from braking trains. But let’s face it; Forest management is also a big factor in the wildfires. So here we are: because Canada's forest management has focused on fire suppression, dry vegetation has accumulated on the forest floor. Canada has generally stopped performing controlled burns, which help reduce the risk of larger and more dangerous fires. It is difficult to get permission for controlled burns, especially for Indigenous groups who have historically performed them and are disproportionately affected by wildfires. Canada lacks a national firefighting service, and local resources are stretched thin due to budget cuts. Pollution due to a global increase in wildfires has created widespread, long-term impacts on human health. Due to wildfire emissions, Canada broke its record for annual carbon emissions in late June. Have any of the so-called climate scientists calculated the contribution of forest fires to the total of carbon emissions in Canada? Well ???? Furthermore, is there anyone in government or the public service looking to establish better forest management practices; a service long neglected by all levels of government in Canada? The answer seems to be a resounding NO. They are looking for carbon taxes in various hidden forms, they are looking for fashionable electric vehicles, when due to the recent rash of forest fires Canada broke the record on carbon emissions and became the laughingstock of the world. It is time to think seriously about better forest management and invest in it, rather than spending huge amounts of money overseas and on politically correct pet projects. The forests are burning and people are suffering from coast to coast to coast, while politicians and their advisers in the Canadian public service are fiddling. Enough is enough! Canadians can do without any more Neros! What do you think?

New Economic Problems on the Horizon in Canada

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As Canadians, we continue to enjoy our short summer and look forward to the fall, though it may not be a very nice one. Inflation continues to raise its ugly head and that means that the Bank of Canada will probably bump up interest rates even further in September. As outlined by journalist Pete Evans’ realistic analysis of the situation, we are not looking forward to getting out of these economic worries any time soon. Canada's inflation rate bucked its recent trend of slowing last month and rose at a 3.3 per cent annual pace in July, Statistics Canada said’. That was an increase from 2.8 per cent the previous month. Gas prices were a major factor pushing up the inflation rate, mostly due to what economists call the base effect. For most of the past year, the cost of gasoline has been a big factor dragging down the overall rate. However, as you may have noticed, prices are up again. Pump prices increased by 0.9 per cent in July. The same month a year earlier, they declined by more than 9 per cent. Gas prices weren't the only type of energy bill that was a big factor in pushing up the inflation rate. The price of electricity skyrocketed in the past year, up by 11.7 per cent. That's more than twice the annual increase of 5.8 per cent clocked in June and the biggest reason for the uptick was a more than doubling of electricity bills in Alberta, which rose by 127.8 per cent in the year up to July. Food prices, another factor that has been driving up the cost of living, eased somewhat during the month, but they are still going up at an eye-watering pace. Grocery prices increased by 8.5 per cent in the year up to July. That is an easing from 9.1 per cent the previous month, but still three times the overall inflation rate. Not every grocery aisle is getting more expensive, or at the same rate. There was some relief in the produce section, with fresh fruit prices seeing their largest month-over-month decline since February 2008, down 6.5 per cent. The price of grapes plummeted by more than 40 per cent last month, according to Statistics Canada. While a slowdown in the rate that food prices are going up comes as some relief, it remains a crisis, which has prompted calls for drastic measures such as price caps on staple grocery items. Other countries, including France and Greece, have dabbled with implementing price controls, where retail prices for core items are capped at a certain level. Similar attempts at price controls in the 1970s had disastrous results, but some policy experts say it is an idea worth exploring, at least on a limited basis. "It's not the '70s anymore, our markets are different," said Vass Bednar, executive director of the Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University in Hamilton. "We need to recognize that." While Bednar says she does not advocate for a heavy-handed cap on all types of food in perpetuity, she says it makes sense to look into policies that could ensure some basic necessities — baby formula, bread, certain fruits and vegetables — have at least some options that remain affordable. However, Avery Shenfeld, an economist with CIBC, said he does not see the justification for price caps in Canada's grocery business, given the trends we are seeing beneath the surface. "I don't really think we're in need of that here," he said in an interview. "At the end of the day, the best method of fighting inflation isn't to try to pick one or two prices in the economy and intervene in them. It's really to control the pace of spending power [and] moderate growth a little bit." Food prices are not the only thing getting more expensive, either. Mortgages have been another major pressure point in the increasing consumer price index of late, and that problem got worse in July, not better. Mortgage interest costs have increased by 30.6 per cent in the past year. That's another record year-over-year gain, and the largest single factor in the increase in the overall inflation rate. With this said many smart people in the financial sector seem to think a recession is coming. And yet a lot of them also think that before that, central bankers here, in the United States and overseas are going to raise interest rates some more. The fact is fighting inflation is complicated and politically divisive. For central banks, it becomes even more complicated and politically divisive as inflation gets closer to their target, because rate hikes hurt more for less obvious reward. There are few inflation riddles harder to solve than the fact that the Bank of Canada's own interest rate hikes are actually driving inflation higher, with the mortgage cost component continuing to climb. So let us see what is coming and how our politicians will act to ease the worries of Canadians. Any hope?

Congratulations! You Got the Job, Now What?

By Nick Kossovan The inspiration for this column came from several readers who, after a successful job search, emailed me asking for advice on the best way to establish themselves with their new employer, boss, and colleagues. Therefore, I will be departing from my pragmatic job searching advice. Instead, I will be offering tips on how to start a new job off on the right foot. During your first six months, focus on cultivating working relationships, learning policies and procedures — how things are done — and getting to know your new work environment, especially the culture. In contrast to most new hires, you do not want to keep repeating behavioural patterns that do not serve your self-interests. Instead, use your new job as an opportunity to fix self-sabotaging habits, which we all have to some extent. Use your first 180 days to: · Build relationships. · Establish credibility and trust. · Analyze the political landscape. · Identify influencers and rockstars. · Create a reputation (aka, personal brand) as someone who gets stuff done. Before your first day, think about how you want to be perceived by the leadership team, your new manager, and your colleagues. Decide what you want to be known for at your new job, then take strategic actions — create a plan of action — to control your narrative and define yourself. (Either you decide what you want to be known for, or others will decide for you.) Do you want to be the go-to person for statistical analysis, project management or be seen as a strong people leader? Now is your chance! Additionally, your new job is the perfect opportunity to let go of any baggage you may have. When starting a new job, I suggest you: Arrive early, leave late. Showing up early — prepared and ready to go — and not leaving the moment your eight hours are up demonstrates your enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to your new employer. Watching the clock is not something you want to be known for. Be friendly and open. A new job entails new relationships. Your new colleagues will notice how you come across; therefore, make sure your first impression is positive. Make it a point to present yourself as open, friendly, and ready to cultivate productive, positive working relationships. Now is not the time to succumb to the "I'm an introvert" narrative you have sold yourself. A lack of interaction or openness will quickly lead to word getting around that you are "difficult" or "rude." Ask questions. Do not be afraid to ask questions, especially clarifying questions. By asking questions, you show engagement, interest in learning, and, most importantly, a desire to succeed. Observe and listen. Spend most of your first weeks at a new company listening to your colleagues, taking in the company culture, and observing workplace norms and conventions. Note how long people take for lunch and how they dress and behave around managers and leaders. Identify influencers who do not hold a leadership position. (e.g., The assistant to the VP of Marketing likely has more influence than the Director of IT.) Use your observations to help you adapt to your new work environment without disrupting it. Not being perceived as a "fit" is the most prevalent reason for new employees not working out. Do not engage in office politics. A boss once told me, "Office politics are inevitable when there is more than one person in the room." Workplace politics is prevalent because everyone is looking out for their self-interests. Unfortunately, you will need to navigate the inevitable gossiping, backbiting, rumours, and badmouthing. For the first couple of months, the longer, the better, refrain from doing so. (Ignore their existence.) Getting involved in office politics right away is a recipe for disaster. Whenever possible, steer clear of employees who spread negativity or create drama. As a newbie, you may feel tempted to align with a particular group. Avoid doing this! You will be judged by whom you choose to associate with. Carefully select who you affiliate with and — I cannot stress this enough — be mindful when sharing information. I have seen many careers stall or, worse, implode due to oversharing. Embrace your employer's ways. Make it a priority to thoroughly learn your new employer's systems, procedures, and policies and to understand the reasoning behind why things are done the way they are. It may be possible for you to suggest improvements in the future, but first, understand "why." Moreover, immediately learn the basics, such as using your telephone's features, accessing your email, logging onto the company's Intranet, etc. A few jobs back, I was walking by the cubicle of an employee who had been with the company for several months. They stopped me to ask how to transfer the caller they had on hold. It was not a good look. Update your LinkedIn profile. By the end of your second week, update your LinkedIn profile, which I guarantee your new boss and colleagues are checking regularly to see if you have. Updating your profile announces your new job and shows your employer you are committed to it, something they will look favourably upon. _____________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

COME ON CANADA WE CAN DO BETTER

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - Canada ‘absolutely’ can’t build more houses without more immigrants, The Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship says. Canada aims to welcome 451,000 new immigrants in 2024. By 2025, the number is expected to go up to 500,000. Miller said he was not considering slashing these targets. You got to wonder how these people get appointed to the positions they have. What planet does this minister live on? Walk across any city downtown and you will see how his thinking is way out of wack. We can’t house and feed what we have and we are going to bring in 451,000 new people that many do not even speak the language or have no inclination to adapting to Canadian culture and traditions. Instead he thinks this is the answer to the housing problem. MY MIND KEEPS SPINNING ON HOW WE AS CANADIANS WE CAN HAVE SUCH PEOPLE IN POWER. PUSHING SUCH AGENDA. Agenda that benefits the Liberal party as all this minister is doing is buying foreign immigrant future votes. Insanity. We as Canadian taxpayers have to sit and swallow the garbage he spews. Let’s take the assumption that we are Canadian and we welcome immigrants... and there is a big difference between and immigrant and a refugee. An immigrant has to qualify to enter Canada. A refugee just has to plea that he is being persecuted by his national regime. These are people that carry a heavy anti government chip on their shoulder and in most cases once allowed to enter Canada end up pushing their homeland cause here in Canada. Now what does refugees have to do with housing? Your son or daughter as it stands today. Can’t afford to go out and buy a one million dollar shack. How is an immigrant with no real Canadian work experience to afford one. How is a refugee that in most cases leave their homelands with nothing but what they have one to afford one? What are we the taxpayers expected to pay for them... Under multi culturalism... are we to put some foreigner over our own children's needs? Your son and daughter are forced to work for minimum wage. Knowing that home ownership is as far as some of these refugee’s home lands. I say, if this is the Ministers perspective. He needs to resign. We need to call for his resignation as he is a threat to national security. We, don’t want refugees to continue their homeland causes on our Canadian soil. We want the Minister to focus on working with the Prime Minister to find a way to subsidize all minimum wage earner. Subsidize, in a way that will give those working their asses off a chance at buying a home. Force all multi billion dollar companies that pay minimum wage to contribute by having them pay their employees a minimum of $25.00/hr. No instead we let these multi billion dollar company keep making billions while our people starve. Look at the rate of homeless in our country. Are we to let our standards down so much that we put a refugee’s suffering over our own home folks? I say we have an imbalance of logic when it comes to the out of control rental, home prices, food prices and wages. Why is the government allowing the gouging of food prices? Where is the Minister, intervening...as these food retail chains keep making billions. To think we need more refugees or immigrants to resolve the housing crisis is pure insanity all we are doing is importing other nations problems. What’s your take?

As a Job Seeker, Know Your Numbers

By Nick Kossovan Employers understand one thing: Numbers. Hence, the language of business is numbers, which is why employers like candidates who include numbers in their LinkedIn profiles and resumes and can discuss their numbers throughout the interview. Numbers = Results = Value Without a number, "business numbers" such as cost of sale, gross margin, net profit, depreciation, and revenue have no meaning. Employees contribute to, or at least heavily influence, business numbers. Rarely is a business decision made without looking at and assessing "the numbers." Therefore, it is imperative that you speak the language of business during your job search, especially when interviewing. Your numbers are your unique selling points (USPs). When asked, "What do you do?" what is easier to picture, understand and judge: 1. "I'm a pharmaceutical salesperson for Simeon." 2. "I sell Simeon's line of heart medications, which consists of seven different medications used to treat heart ailments. Last year I sold over 375,000 units, generating $6.5 million in revenue." The second answer provides the size and scope of what the person does and how successful they are. Numbers are vital to your career story. Without numbers, your story is unsubstantiated, thus lacking credibility, a feeling you do not want your interviewer to have. It is said that everything can be measured and, therefore, quantifiable. According to the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, "Number is within all things." Risk, security, satisfaction, morale, and yes, even happiness, beauty, and love (Do you love your wife or your coffee table more? Answering this question provides a rank measurement.) can be measured in ways that are useful. I am not saying everything can be quantified precisely using an objective unit of measure. That is not my point. Most of the time, all you need is a "good enough" metric for you to make a decision. For example, should you need to evacuate your home immediately, what would be your priority, your wife or your coffee table? The purpose of reading numbers, such as in a financial report, the caloric content of a meal, taking a measurement (READ: create a number) or making a guesstimate is to assist you in making an informed decision, such as whether to purchase a company's stock or whether the meal you are contemplating on ordering is healthy. When it comes to measurement, numbers can be concrete, like revenue, weight, distance, discount, number of views or something squishy (elastic) like net promoter or customer satisfaction score. No: "I fundraised for the Heart and Stroke Foundation." Yes: "Daily, I made between 60 – 80 outbound calls to past Heart and Stroke Foundation donors. Since 2020, I increased my donations by 20%. In 2021 I raised $2,750,000." By providing numbers supporting your strengths and results throughout your resume, LinkedIn profile, while networking, and most importantly, during an interview, you are assisting employers in determining if your skills and capabilities will make you a fit for the job expectations and, more importantly, if hired what results you will deliver. As I have mentioned in a previous column, employers hire to achieve results. Your numbers are proof of the results you are able to achieve. No: "I manage Binford's social media accounts." Yes: "I oversee Binford's four social media accounts, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, which currently have a combined total of 7.6 million followers. This past May, I created content that generated 4.6 million likes, 2.1 million shares, and retweets, resulting in 17% more traffic for Binford compared to April's." Before beginning your job search assess your skills, strengths, and aptitudes and determine how to quantify them. For example, you may be proud of your ability to retain customers. Therefore, calculate your customer retention rate and tell your interviewer something along the lines of, "My customer retention rate, since 2017, at Wayne Enterprises, has ranged between 88% and 96%" Then be ready to explain how you accomplished this. No: "I take inbound calls." Yes: "I handle 60-80 inbound customer calls daily and have an average handling time of two and a half minutes." Numbers sell. Think of all the decisions you make throughout the day based on numbers (monetary, measurements, percentage, time). When possible, use numbers to prove your accomplishments and core strengths. You can describe your skills with obvious metrics like sales volume, market share, or profitability, as well as people-oriented ones such as number of clients served, or number of employees managed. No: “I am a financial consultant.” Yes: "I have ten years of experience in personal finance management and helped 45 repeat clients increase their capital by 15% annually." Regardless of your profession or industry, you have numbers. Some performance numbers that indicate your capability are revenue generated, outbound calls made daily, invoices processed weekly, employees managed, billable hours, and the size of warehouse floor you cleaned nightly, to name a few possible numbers. When job searching, especially when interviewing, know your numbers! Since most candidates do not know their numbers, sharing your numbers that showcase your skills and results will give you a competitive advantage, especially if you saved or made your employer money _____________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

Canada’s Economic Status

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As this unusually cool and wet weather continues to limit our enjoyment of our short summer, we need to be aware of the similarly cooling economic status of our country. With all the rather bleak goings-on in the world, we have to make the best decisions as we can to secure our own future. With the interest rates high and the cost of living increasing at an alarming rate, we need to be aware of what is going on around us in order to make the best decisions for our lives. The health of our economy is important for us to be able to maintain a good standard of living. Canada faces lingering post-pandemic structural issues driven by inflationary pressure, weak investment, and tepid productivity growth. Furthermore, Canadian households face ongoing short- and medium-term economic challenges to keep up with the rising cost of living. As a result, Canada's economic growth is projected to be 1.3% in 2023 and 1.5% in 2024. These figures are below the G20 averages of 2.2% and 2.7% for 2023 and 2024, and on par with the OECD average. The Covid-19 crisis has negatively impacted Canada's fiscal balance, with the federal government's net debt-to-GDP ratio rising from 31.2% in 2019–20 to 42.4% in 2022–23. Due to high-interest rates and an uncertain economic outlook, Canada requires, at least in the medium run, a clear road map for managing debt to head off risks to fiscal sustainability and reassure capital markets. The month of July brought us some discouraging news. Canada’s unemployment rate rose for a third-straight month in July as the economy shed 6,400 jobs, a softening which economists say could impact the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision. According to Statistics Canada the unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 5.5 per cent in July. This marks the first time the unemployment rate has increased for three consecutive months since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The soft July employment report is just the latest arrow in the quiver of signs that the economy is losing momentum,” Doug Porter, chief economist and managing director of economics at BMO, said in a note last week. Statistics Canada stated that surprisingly, job losses were led by the construction industry, while the greatest job gains were made in health care and social assistance. According to Statistics Canada, employment fell among core-aged men (25 to 54 years old) by 0.4 per cent, and increased among male youth aged 15 to 24 by 0.9 per cent. There was little variation in employment among young and core-aged women, and among men and women aged 55 and older. More than half of the unemployed (53.6 per cent) had been out of the labour force immediately before in the count for July, while 38.7 per cent had left or lost a job in July. Employment increased in Alberta, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island while it declined in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. All other provinces posted little change in July, as per Statistics Canada. The rising unemployment comes as high interest rates weigh on the economy, making borrowing more expensive for both businesses and consumers and if we are not careful, the possibility of a recession cannot be excluded, with unforeseen effects. The softening in the labour market will have some implications for the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision, which is supposed to occur on Sept. 6, 2023. However, the central bank will have additional data to consider, including the July inflation report and June GDP figures, which are due in the coming weeks. As we have seen, the central bank hiked its benchmark rate to five per cent on July 12 in another effort to cool the Canadian economy and bring inflation to its two per cent target. Inflation cooled to 2.8 per cent in June, down from 3.4 per cent in May. Logically, the employment figures, combined with the latest inflation report, makes a strong case for the Bank of Canada (BoC) not raising its interest rate further. “Looking beyond the next rate decision, we suspect that the bank may be done raising rates, although still-firm wage and core price growth means that rates are likely to stay high for long,” Porter added. In this respect, we observe that down south, U.S. employers added 187,000 jobs last month. That led America’s unemployment rate to dip to 3.5 per cent from 3.6 per cent in June in a sign that the U.S. job market remains resilient. So, in Canada unemployment is rising when in the U.S. it is dropping. This issue should be of concern in view of our strongly intertwined economies. In conclusion, as economic activity appears to be moderating amid sharply higher borrowing costs, and the full effects of prior rapid increases in the interest rate have yet to be felt by Canadian consumers and businesses we should not anticipate a bright forecast. The people at the controls in government and public service will need to act responsibly in order to avoid bringing further hardship onto Canadians. What is your opinion?

The status of education in Ontario

As you may know, education in Canada is a provincial responsibility. Therefore, each province in Canada enacts its own legislation concerning the education of their students. The Education Act and subsequent acts that govern education in Ontario will be the focus of this article. As emphasized in the act, provincial, federal and international human rights codes and charters also have stipulations on children's learning experiences. In 2009, the Ministry of Education implemented the Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy across the province that included making human rights education part of the primary and secondary curriculum. To assist educators, the Ministry worked with Ontario's Human Rights Commission to develop a guide with lessons, activities and case studies specifically designed to increase students' knowledge of human rights, and prompt discussion on such topics as discrimination, harassment and equality. As we duly observe, a lot of emphasis is put on social studies, especially in the formative years of the children. The intention may be a good one, however it must not to be exaggerated to the point of neglecting the science and technological side of education in the very formative years of children and youth. For a developed nation like Canada, whose economic heart has traditionally beat in Ontario, it is particularly important not to be left behind in creativity and ingenuity in today’s competitive world. Education plays a very important role in maintaining our own standard of living, and that of generations to come. Unfortunately, I must say that my observations confirm a gross neglect in science and mathematics education in this province. Let us, for example, take as an indicator, the measure of achievement of Canadian (Ontario) students in the International Olympics in mathematics, physics, chemistry, informatics etc. They are not performing at all well in comparison with students representing other nations. As a nation, we must not remain complacent, burying our head in the sand, praising our false achievements in isolation. We need to act rapidly and decisively to correct this situation in the Ontario school system. At present, there is too much useless bureaucracy. Various boards of education are working by very loose guidelines, which results in the quality of education offered, suffering badly. Something must change rapidly; otherwise, we will become a less competitive country on the world stage. It is essential that the responsible entities act with conviction, commitment and speed to correct this situation. The Ontario Ministry of Education needs an overhaul that can only be accomplished through political will and public service dedication. There is some evidence of mild action, recently taken by the Ontario Ministry of Education, in directing school boards to have more transparency and accountability in their work. As such, school boards in Ontario will be required to publicly report the details of their professional development (PD) sessions, among several other performance indicators, under legislation that gives the education minister greater control over boards. Along with PD day transparency, the regulations newly outlined by the province include mandates for boards to report on areas that include attendance rates, the percentage of students participating in a job skills program and the rate of students meeting or exceeding provincial standardized test standards. Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the first set of regulations that are part of the recently passed Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act will help “refocus” boards on academic achievement and life and job skills. “This sends a clear signal to Ontario’s school boards we’ve listened to the priorities of our parents putting common sense at the centre of our education system,” Lecce wrote in a statement. The government passed its Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act just before the summer break, giving Minister Lecce greater powers to set regulatory priorities and school board policy. Minister Lecce has said the legislation will get boards “back to the basics” of education. The regulations include setting three provincial education priorities: achievement of learnings outcomes in core academic skills, preparation of students for future success and student engagement and well-being. A memo from Lecce and the deputy education minister circulated to school boards last week notes “local needs and perspectives including Francophone and/or Catholic needs,” can also be taken into account when developing plans to meet those priorities. The memo notes the province plans to bring in regulations in time for the school year to establish a new certificate pathway to get more student-teachers into the classroom. It says the certificate will give teacher candidates more hands-on learning experience and provide boards with “flexibility to address short-term teacher supply needs.” That has obviously raised concerns among some teachers’ unions, which are in the midst of negotiating new contracts with the province. The province also says that it will mandate that the Ontario College of Teachers cut down on the time it takes to issue its certification decisions for internationally trained teachers, from its current 120-day target to 60 days. The teachers’ unions did not like these decisions very much, looking with suspicions on the increase of ministerial powers. But isn’t it time to concentrate on the better education of students, rather than self-serving issues? It is time to give a better education for our children and youths. The Ministry is certainly on the right path, but let us see if it will continue on this road. Once and for all, we need to concentrate on seriously teaching science and job skills. The future of Canada as a developed nation depends on a citizenry that knows understands and can do science. “The key to achieving that, is the effective teaching of a scientifically sound curriculum by knowledgeable and dedicated practitioners in a community of practice,” according to Dr. Cecilia Kutas, an early math education specialist and former Professor of Organic Chemistry, who advocates ‘talking math to make sense of it’. Let’s go to work seriously in this direction, instead of getting lost in meaningless projects that lead nowhere at best, and result in dissatisfaction, misinformation, and undue resentment at worst. Let us put forth our best efforts for the benefit of future generations. What do you think?

KING TRUDEAU

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - They say that a man is the king of his castle when it comes to family. That the Kings role is to supply for his courtship. Lead by example and always maintain the best interest of family. A natural understanding that has been with us since the beginning of time. Unfortunately in modern society, where men can be Queens and Queens can be men. We have become some what confused. But let’s not just blame modern norms on this one. We have to blame the church for failing to uphold moral values. Instead the church has been proven to be nothing short of a corporate entity pushing antiquated doctrine. This in contrast with science and technology. The church has failed to maintain the integrity of the family institution. So what do we have? Social chaos. No one respects no one. Everyone looking for an excuse to justify failure. Look at all the out of wed mothers. Look at all the divorce. Look at kids having kids. Look at the level of despair across society. Just this week it was announce in no other than a social media site that Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating. Wow, the social populist once again championed all that is wrong with Canada. Primarily the morality of a nation. The priorities of his personal life mirror that of the nation. How are we to trust a man that can’t even keep his home kingdom. How are we to trust that he is doing the right thing for the nation. Then again. He is following his fathers foot steps. Justin election win by many has been seen as nothing short as pay patronage by immigrants that were brought to this country during Trudeau father governance. If Justin’s last name would had been.... Smith. Would he have had the same opportunity to become Prime Minister? Many doubt it. History is repeating itself once again. Justin is following the Liberal play book by buying future votes. I was reading a report released by the Federal government stating that they project a major need for workers. That Canada has to many jobs and not enough workers. This giving justification to the opening the flood gates for people from all over the world. People that have their best interests at heart and not that of building a nation. Not only that. The jobs that the Feds claim to be so abundant are jobs that are minimum wage at best. How can the government go public with such false statement. First, those working those minimum wage jobs today. Can’t afford to live in most Canadian cities. Rents at an all time high. Property values through the roof. Food prices out of touch for many. And the feds want to bring more people. Justin, how do you go to bed at night knowing there are so many people in your country suffering. Going to bed without a home. Without proper food? But wait let’s worry about the suffering in the Ukraine. I think the priorities are confused. Politicians like to volley the responsibility by comparison to other places that are worst. The reality is simple. One get tough on drugs. Much like ‘NO’ means no. The same should apply to all illegal drugs. Including the cannabis market. We need to take back control. No more paying for a woman having 5 kids from 5 different men. No more million dollar shacks... No more rents beyond one third of anyone’s income. Stop the food giants from raking in billions from gouging prices. No, instead of fixing the problem at home. Justin, decides that the answer to a serious national problem is to bring more mouths to feed. Many that don’t speak the language and have no intention of learning it. What am I talking about. Justin fixing problems at home.... He can’t even fix his own personal family at home problems. It is not that we expect to much from someone that rode his daddy’s coat tails. It is that we the people are to blame for voting him in.

You Can Add Luck to Your Job Search

By Nick Kossovan Once you identify what you are in control of throughout your job search, you begin to realize just how much control you have over "creating luck," which is an integral part of job searching. Ask yourself: 1. Do you often blame your circumstances on bad luck? 2. How can you add more luck to your life? There are many things you can do to increase your job search luck. Meeting more people will make you luckier. Learning more skills will make you luckier. Becoming comfortable with taking risks and failing will make you luckier. Helping others will make you luckier. A well-crafted, result-oriented, optimized LinkedIn profile will make you luckier. There is a tendency to think that luck is entirely random and uncontrollable, which leads to a victim mentality that successful people are lucky and we are not. Furthermore, when we succeed, we often minimize it due to luck, which undermines our self-esteem. Without getting too existential, life's hard truth is that every action we take is uncertain; therefore, there is an element of luck in everything we do. I am sure you have experienced more than once having done "all the right things" and not having achieved the results you were aiming for. Job searching is full of such scenarios. On the other hand, you can do everything wrong and achieve success. This paralyzes many people, but others find ways how to influence being lucky. The key to creating luck is to be able to determine what you can and cannot influence. Making such determinations requires extinguishing your ego and any sense of entitlement you may have while doing so. Anything you cannot influence is simply blind luck. Giving in to these factors and giving them mental energy is pointless. Blind luck includes things like your family, acts of God, where you were born, your life starting point, and the result of any single action you take. The last one is the one you need to come to grips with because many times, despite your best efforts, not everything will go as you wish, which is why the number one factor, which you have complete control over, in creating job search luck is your hustle. In other words, are you taking enough shots at your goal? Do you believe in your actions, or are you going through the motions? Because we want "easy" (READ: feel entitled to), we drastically underestimate the number of attempts we must make before finding what respectively works for us to achieve the success we are after. When we see success stories, we only see the end of the success story; we do not see all the struggles, failures and hustle between the beginning and the end. The second most important factor in creating luck is identifying opportunities. Not just any opportunities, but the right opportunities. This entails defining your circle of competence — an area of expertise that matches a person's skills — which I often talk about. Having more than a rudimentary understanding of your field and industry, relevant topics to your career, skills you need for success or your surrounding political and economic landscape positions you for lucky breaks. Additionally, you will be able to recognize emerging trends and subtle changes and capitalize on them. Warren Buffett summarized the concept by saying, "Know your circle of competence and stick within it. The size of that circle is not very important; knowing its boundaries, however, is vital." As Inspector Harry Callahan in Magnum Force, Clint Eastwood simplified the circle of competence concept when he said, "A man's got to know his limitations." Dancing, music, gardening, and numbers, to name a few, are outside my realm of competency, which I accept; thus, I focus on what I am good at. Focusing on my competencies makes me luckier. After all, am I not more likely to succeed by doing what I am good at and enjoy versus trying to succeed outside my circle of competence? The third factor in creating luck is to stand out so luck finds you. Being visible is crucial to being lucky, hence why networking is undoubtedly the most efficient way to find a job. Thanks to social media, promoting yourself, and connecting with like-minded people, is easier than ever. The more people you connect with, the luckier you get — it's not who you know; it's who knows you. In a previous column, I pointed out two life truisms: 1. The world is made by extroverts for extroverts. 2. The most connected people are often the most successful. Being social, talking, learning, and listening to other people's experiences will make you luckier. Participate in ongoing conversations and your community by building relationships online, posting and commenting on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. As much as possible, spend time talking to people who are ahead of you — who are where you want to be. I like feeling as if I am the dumbest person in the room; that is how I learn. I am sure you know the adage, "The more you know, the further you go," which can be interpreted as, "The more you know, the luckier you get." _____________________________________________________________