Recruiting challenge

Apple says it will fix software problems blamed for making iPhone 15 models too hot to handle

iPhone 15 fix on way

Photo: The Canadian Press

Apple is blaming a software bug and other issues tied to popular apps such as Instagram and Uber for causing its recently released iPhone 15 models to heat up and spark complaints about becoming too hot to handle.

The Cupertino, California, company said Saturday that it is working on an update to the iOS17 system that powers the iPhone 15 lineup to prevent the devices from becoming uncomfortably hot and is working with apps that are running in ways “causing them to overload the system."

Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms, modified its social media app earlier this week to prevent it from heating up the device on the latest iPhone operating system.

Uber and other apps such as the video game Asphalt 9 are still in the process of rolling out their updates, Apple said. It didn't specify a timeline for when its own software fix would be issued but said no safety issues should prevent iPhone 15 owners from using their devices while awaiting the update.

“We have identified a few conditions which can cause iPhone to run warmer than expected," Apple in a short statement provided to The Associated Press after media reports detailed overheating complaints that are peppering online message boards.

The Wall Street Journal amplified the worries in a story citing the overheating problem in its own testing of the new iPhones, which went on sale a week ago.

It’s not unusual for new iPhones to get uncomfortably warm during the first few days of use or when they are being restored with backup information stored in the cloud — issues that Apple already flags for users. The devices also can get hot when using apps such as video games and augmented reality technology that require a lot of processing power, but the heating issues with the iPhone 15 models have gone beyond those typical situations.

In its acknowledgement, Apple stressed that the trouble isn't related to the sleek titanium casing that houses the high-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max instead of the stainless steel used on older smartphones.

Apple also dismissed speculation that the overheating problem in the new models might be tied to a shift from its proprietary Lightning charging cable to the more widely used USB-C port that allowed it to comply with a mandate issued by European regulators.

Although Apple expressed confidence that the overheating issue can be quickly fixed with the upcoming software updates, the problem still could dampen sales of its marquee product at time when the company has faced three consecutive quarters of year-over-year declines in overall sales.

The downturn has affected iPhone sales, which fell by a combined 4% in the nine months covered by Apple's past three fiscal quarters compared with a year earlier.

Apple is trying to pump up its sales in part by raising the starting price for its top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max to $1,200, an increase of $100, or 9%, from last year's comparable model.

Investor worries about Apple's uncharacteristic sales funk already have wiped out more than $300 billion in shareholder wealth since the company's market value closed at $3 trillion for the first time in late June.

CRTC sets threshold for online streaming services subject to Bill C-11

Streaming threshold set

Photo: The Canadian Press

A person navigates to the on-line social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on a cell phone in Ottawa on May 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has set a threshold that determines which online streaming services will be subject to new rules arising from the Online Streaming Act, formerly known as Bill C-11.

The broadcasting watchdog's decision says online streaming services offering broadcasting content in Canada and earning $10 million or more in annual revenues must provide information about their activities by registering with the CRTC before Nov. 28.

It says social media services and online services offering podcasts must register, while social media users or individuals who use social media to share podcasts do not have to do so.

The Online Streaming Act received royal assent in April and is meant to update the Broadcasting Act to require digital platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and TikTok to contribute and promote Canadian content.

Starting Friday, the CRTC is also requiring certain online streaming services to provide it with information related to their content and subscribership, and make content available in a way that is not tied to a specific mobile or internet service.

The decision closes two of three public consultations launched by the CRTC in May related to Bill C-11, as the regulator continues to consider what contributions traditional broadcasters and online streaming services will need to make to support Canadian and Indigenous content.

B.C. tech holding company Tiny buys majority stake in film review platform Letterboxd

BC firm buys Letterboxd

Photo: The Canadian Press

Tech holding company Tiny Ltd. says it's buying a majority stake in movie review platform Letterboxd, a screen image shown here. Victoria, B.C.-based Tiny has not shared what it will pay for the 60 per cent stake it will take in the film diary and rating website. THE CANADIAN PRESS

Tech holding company Tiny Ltd. says it's buying a majority stake in movie review platform Letterboxd.

Victoria, B.C.-based Tiny has not shared what it will pay for the 60 per cent stake it will take in the film diary and rating website.

Letterboxd co-founder Michael Buchanan says the deal secures the platform’s future as an independently run company, while taking advantage of Tiny's experience helping founders through growth periods.

He adds the transaction will change little about the business because he and Letterboxd co-founder Karl von Randow will retain their stake in the company and continue to lead their team.

In connection with the transaction, Buchanan and van Randow will buy more than 1.4 million common shares of Tiny for $3.40 each, delivering gross proceeds of roughly $4.8 million to Tiny.

Letterboxd has 10 million members across more than 200 countries and counts stars Margot Robbie, Olivia Rodrigo and Ava DuVernay as users.

The roster of companies Tiny owns a controlling stake in includes coffee maker manufacturer AeroPress, talent firm Dribble, women's empowerment organization Girlboss and technology developer MetaLab.

Sunwing Airlines to fold into WestJet within a year

Sunwing gone within a year

Photo: The Canadian Press

A Sunwing aircraft is parked at Montreal Trudeau airport in Montreal on Wednesday, March 2, 2022.WestJet says it aims to wind down Sunwing Airlines and integrate the low-cost carrier into its mainline business by October of next year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

WestJet says it aims to wind down Sunwing Airlines and integrate the low-cost carrier into its mainline business by October of next year.

WestJet, which bought the Toronto-based company's main airline and vacation divisions in May in a move representing a major consolidation of the aviation market, says Sunwing's 18 Boeing 737s and 2,000 employees will be folded into the Calgary-based carrier in a seamless transition.

WestJet and Sunwing together make up 37 per cent of seat capacity on direct flights to sun destinations, and 72 per cent from Western Canada, according to a report from the Competition Bureau last fall.

Some experts have warned that the move could mean less service and higher fares — particularly in Western Canada and smaller cities across the country.

As a condition of Ottawa’s sign-off on the Sunwing acquisition, both parties pledged to maintain capacity on the most affected routes and keep the Sunwing Vacations head office in Toronto and a regional one in Montreal for at least five years.

The integration process is underway as WestJet prepares to bring budget subsidiary Swoop under its flagship banner by the end of next month after reaching a new collective agreement that put pilots at both segments onto a level field of pay.

Judge greenlights class action against Bausch Health on Cold-FX products

Cold-FX class action OK'd

Photo: The Canadian Press

An Ontario Superior Court judge has certified a class-action lawsuit against Bausch Health Companies Inc. that alleges false advertising for some of the pharmaceutical firm's cold remedies.

The lawsuit states that Bausch, formerly known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals, made false or misleading ad claims to consumers around five of its Cold-FX products.

Filed in 2019, the suit notes that packaging and social media profiles for the products include statements such as "clinically proven" and "proven by science" to help reduce cold and flu symptoms.

Toronto-based law firm Tyr LLP says those claims form the basis of allegations that Bausch breached provincial consumer protection laws as well as the federal Competition Act and the Food and Drugs Act.

The class action includes anyone in Canada who bought one of the five Cold-FX products in the nearly seven years between 2017 and this week.

Bausch denies it has broken the law or made any false or deceptive statements linked to Cold-FX.

"The defendants have never stated that Cold-FX products 'prevent and cure' colds and flu. Rather, the Cold-FX products have been accurately and fairly advertised, labelled, and otherwise marketed as having a 'clinically proven formula' or 'clinically proven' ingredients to 'help to relieve' symptoms ... by, amongst other things, boosting the immune system," the statement of defence reads.

It notes that Health Canada has approved Cold-FX products for sale as natural health products.

Bausch is no stranger to the courthouse.

In 2016, a B.C. Supreme Court judge tossed a bid to launch a class action against Valeant over advertising that said Cold-FX offered immediate relief of cold and flu symptoms if taken over a three-day period at the first sign of illness.

The judge ruled the plaintiff failed to prove there is an identifiable group of people with the same complaint, but did not reject the basis of the man's claims.

The more recent, certified lawsuit notes that the "active ingredient" in the cold products is a ginseng extract.

"Although ginseng has long been promoted as a natural health product to address a wide-range of issues, from erectile dysfunction to immune system deficiency, its efficacy has never been proven by rigorous scientific tests, it is not a "drug" under Canada's Food and Drugs Act ... and it cannot be sold for the treatment or prevention of a disease or abnormal physical state," the statement of claim reads.

Bausch has struggled to overcome legal troubles for years, while trying to distance itself from its toxic past.

In 2020, the Laval, Que.-based company said it wrapped up key legal issues that date back to its time under the Valeant banner, agreeing to pay $94 million plus administration fees to settle a class-action lawsuit related to alleged violations of Canadian securities laws in the wake of a plunge in Bausch's stock price roughly five years before.

In 2019, the firm — once the largest Canadian company by market capitalization — announced a US$1.21-billion settlement over a separate class action filed by U.S. securities holders over the same issue.

Recruitment professionals facing 'unprecedented' challenges in tight market

Recruiting a big challenge

Photo: Glacier Media

Search firm executive Ashleigh Brown says she remembers the days when she would put up a post for a position, screen applications, follow a process and select the best candidates. 

Those days are long gone. 

Now, she and her team at Robert Half are consistently coming up with creative ideas for finding potential candidates, and taking a proactive approach for almost every empty position out there.

“It almost needs to be more of, ‘OK, let's put our thinking caps on, where would individuals like them currently be? How can we partner with XY association or ABC school?” said Brown, the Vancouver-based group managing director of Western Canada for human resource consulting firm Robert Half.

Brown is not alone. 

Robert Half’s hiring and employment trends report for 2023 shows that 90 per cent of hiring managers say they face tough challenges in landing new talent, and that recruitment has been very or extremely challenging for nearly three in five human resources professionals in B.C. in 2022, according to a Chartered Professionals in Human Resources survey.

“From what we're seeing and hearing from our members, it's still proving extremely challenging for us in the world of talent acquisition,” said Naz Kullar, board chair of CPHR BC & Yukon and a human resources director with The Trotman Auto Group.

“We are still seeing a lack of qualified applicants, applicants not really quite having the right requisite skills and experience that they need for the position coupled with the new world of [remote] work,” she said. 

Meanwhile, skilled candidates are typically courted by multiple companies. Some don’t show up to the interview, or they decline a job offer, or leave shortly after they join a company for another job. All of this is occurring to an extent Kullar has never seen before, she said.

“It's very competitive.… You hear about all these layoffs and you think, there must be a pool of candidates to draw from, but it's definitely an employee's market from a recruitment perspective, not an employer’s market,” says Kullar.

“It’s in every profession, every industry … it isn't easy to hire HR professionals, either.”

Cheryl Nakamoto, managing partner for McNeill Nakamoto Recruitment Group, says the current employment environment is one of the hardest for recruiters. 

“Because of this lack of talent on the market, it’s very hard.… We have so many positions open but little talent to fill those roles.”

High cost of living driving talent away

One of the biggest challenges facing B.C. recruiters is the rising cost of living in the Greater Vancouver region, which has been exacerbated by successive interest rate increases.

“Cost of living has risen considerably. Gas prices are still around the $2 [per litre] mark, housing, rental [costs] or trying to buy a house seems to still remain out of reach for many people in B.C.,” says Kullar.

So, recruiters find themselves caught in a dilemma. Candidates from elsewhere who are willing to take a job in B.C. expect higher pay – at least 20 per cent more – to compensate them for a higher cost of living, but employers, who are also struggling to manage surging interest rate and operational costs, can’t afford the premium.

“Bringing someone from Edmonton to Vancouver, unless it’s such an increase in compensation, it’s really quite prohibitive, unless someone has family here, has someone they know or have, years ago, bought a condo here and just kept it while working elsewhere,” said Brown.

“It is getting harder and harder to relocate, I would say specifically to the Lower Mainland and Victoria, but even some of the outlying smaller centres in B.C. also have a very high cost of living.”

Meanwhile, many B.C. workers are looking to other provinces or countries where it may be more affordable to raise a family or live a more financially comfortable life. Brown herself has had two team members relocate to Robert Half’s Calgary office because the city is more affordable.

An uncertain economy can also contribute to an employee’s hesitancy to change jobs, a factor that further limits the candidate pool.

“More candidates now are quite sensitive to movement, so they're holding on to their roles … and delaying on considering a new job because of the sense of economic instability,” said Nakamoto.

Navigating a new reality 

The pandemic, the higher rate environment, escalating affordability issues and lingering economic uncertainty are all contributing to a new labour-market reality – one that B.C. recruiters are trying to navigate.

Those who spoke to BIV say a sticking point are hybrid-work arrangements that meet both the expectations of employers – many of whom want to see more staff back in the office more regularly – and the flexible work expectations of employees.

“I think a reset is what some people are doing, where they're going back to the drawing board – let's look at the basics, let’s look at flexible work options, let’s look at the employee compensation, philosophy, wellness initiatives,” said Kullar.

“Right now, employees are really big on the flexible work arrangement. Pay transparency is coming, people are looking for some pay equity as well. And health and wellness is huge – people want to be supportive. So there are a couple of big-ticket items that every employer is looking at.”

While waiting for more policy-level changes to take place, recruiters are also thinking outside of the box to find candidates in B.C.’s tight labour market. 

Brown recommends clear and concise job postings that lay out an employer’s expectations. Networking can also help connect those looking to hire with those looking for new employment. 

Some recruiters are also seeking talent internationally or using artificial intelligence tools such as applicant tracking software to increase recruitment efficiency, said Brown.

“You have to diversify your recruitment strategies. Use social media to post all your jobs or promote your company, showcase your culture, employee stories.… I would also be going to more job fairs. We have the mandate that every month, we're out at association events. It's called passive recruiting,” she said.

BC regions register major home sale declines as building permit volumes drop off

Major home sales declines

Photo: Bryan Yu

B.C. housing market activity cooled through in August. Higher interest rates curbed housing sales although resale price levels remained high.

Seasonally adjusted Multiple Listing Service home sales dropped to 6,352 transactions during the month, down 10.7 per cent from the previous month following a modest month-to-month decline in July.

August home sales reached their lowest point since April, representing only half the volume observed during the peak in 2021. Affordability remained constrained by higher interest rates, while market uncertainty increased.

During August, significant declines in home sales were observed across major regions of B.C. Transactions retreated 18.5 per cent on Vancouver Island following a steady July gain. Victoria reported 10.8 per cent fewer home sales during the month. In Chilliwack, sales were down 19.9 per cent and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board area reported a 12.1-per-cent decline. The Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board had its third consecutive monthly decline in August, with 8.5-per-cent lower sales compared with July. B.C. Interior regional home sales also declined by 17 per cent.

Despite fewer transactions, the average B.C. home sale price remained flat at $994,720 (down 0.4 per cent) for a third straight month. Prices were 6.4-per-cent below a peak recorded in February 2022, yet significantly higher – up 35.4 per cent – from the pre-pandemic value recorded in February 2020.  Victoria recorded a two-per-cent decline in average price following an eight-per-cent gain in July. In contrast, prices increased in the Fraser Valley (up 0.4 per cent), in Greater Vancouver (up 0.9 per cent) and in the Kootenay (up 0.3 per cent). That said, average prices are influenced by regional and product composition. Adjusting for home attributes, seasonally adjusted benchmark prices were higher in almost all B.C. real estate markets where a benchmark home value is published, but prices increased at a slower rate.

New listings in B.C. decreased 3.2 per cent during the month and paused the growth trend of the past few months. While interest rates are likely at their peak, these elevated levels are expected to continue exerting financial stress on homeowners as mortgage renewals push more owners to the brink.

Lower dollar-volume building permits were issued in B.C. in July. On a seasonally adjusted basis, month-over-month changes were down 24.8 per cent in July when compared to June. They resumed the current trend of lower permit volumes being issued in 2023 compared to 2022. Residential permit volumes fell the most, with a 27.3-per-cent decrease. Non-residential permit volumes declined 20.4 per cent. Year-to-date overall permit volumes fell by 11.4 per cent: Residential permit volumes are down 15.4 per cent and non-residential permit volumes down 7.7 per cent.

Among the census metropolitan areas, Vancouver reversed last month’s gains with a 25.6-per-cent fall, mostly due to a 33.1-per-cent decrease in residential permit volumes for July. Kelowna’s monthly permit volumes were also down 40.6 per cent while Victoria’s permit volumes dropped 44 per cent. On the other hand, Abbotsford-Mission saw building permit volumes increase by 58.8 per cent during the month of July.

Airlines push case for looser compensation rules amid planned overhaul

Airlines seek looser rules

Photo: The Canadian Press

Aviation companies are making the pitch to Ottawa for looser rules around customer compensation ahead of an overhaul to passenger rights guidelines, even as consumer advocates say some of the airlines' arguments are an overreach.

In submissions and meetings, industry groups warned Canada’s transport regulator that sweeping reforms announced earlier this year will put travellers’ safety at risk and drain carriers of cash after a financially devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal legislation appears to eliminate a loophole through which airlines have denied customers compensation for flight delays or cancellations when they were required for safety purposes — an exemption the sector wants restored so pilots don’t feel pressured to choose between flying defective planes and costing their employer money.

"We want our pilots to be entirely free from any financial consideration when they take a safety-related decision," WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a video chat from Ottawa this week, where he was meeting with federal ministers on the reforms. The Air Line Pilots Association raised similar concerns in a submission to the Canadian Transportation Agency.

"Regulation should never be punitive for safety decisions," he said.

In the European Union, however, where rules and precedents comparable to the impending passenger rights charter are in place, flight safety remains uncompromised, advocates say.

“Did it make it less safe to fly in Europe? I don’t think so,” said Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer with the advocacy group Option consommateurs.

The EU code came into force nearly two decades ago, shored up by court rulings that require compensation even for trip disruptions caused by safety concerns, such as mechanical issues. No major accidents involving EU-registered planes have occurred in commercial aviation since 2015.

"It lays pretty ill in the mouth of the industry to say that if you ... take away that excuse then we will therefore fly unsafe planes," said John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

"I'm surprised that they would have the chutzpah to say that."

The first phase of reforms comes into effect on Saturday, kicking off a more streamlined complaints process that currently creaks under the weight of more than 57,000 complaints.

That backlog has continued to mount despite a slowdown in filings, which can take up to two years for the regulator process. The new system will be managed by "complaint resolution officers" — 40 have been hired, with 60 more expected to be trained over the next year, according to the agency.

Among the provisions slated to kick in next year are fees imposed on airlines by the regulator to recover some or all of the cost of handling those complaints. If a passenger files one due to a flight disruption or denial of boarding, the reformed rules put the onus on the airline to prove the move was for reasons outside it's control, such as bad weather.

On top of these extra expenses, airlines make the case that regional routes would be pricier for customers — or simply cancelled outright — as slim profit margins would tip into red ink amid higher costs from complaints and fees.

"That could potentially have an impact on regional connectivity and accessibility for routes that might not be as profitable," said Jeff Morrison, who heads the National Airlines Council, which represents airlines including Air Canada and WestJet. "There's always a trade-off."

The average profit on large carriers amounts to less than $10 per passenger, said WestJet's CEO.

"If we have to compensate the passengers, it's thousands," von Hoensbroech said, noting that the average one-way ticket price hovers around $200. "You need many, many flights to recover."

Lawford as well as Air Passenger Rights president Gabor Lukacs deemed the airlines' warnings around routes to smaller or far-flung communities as tantamount to "blackmail."

"If you're cutting regional routes, we're going to open the whole country for more competition," Lukacs said, framing the potential scale-back as an opportunity for other airlines.

He also suggested subsidies to support regional trips, whose fares have shot up over the past four years even as ticket prices on busier routes fell.

Von Hoensbroech also said accountability for flight disruptions — including the cost burden — must be shared across the industry, not borne by airlines alone.

The Canadian Transportation Agency is currently working on a draft of the new Air Passenger Protection Regulations, expected to be published this year before the new charter is implemented in 2024.

United Autoworkers strikes spread to Chicago and Lansing as 7,000 more workers join the picket line

7,000 more join strike

Photo: The Canadian Press

The United Auto Workers union says its two-week strike against Detroit automakers will spread to 7,000 more workers at a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors assembly factory near Lansing, Michigan.

Union President Shawn Fain told workers on a video appearance Friday that negotiations haven’t broken down but Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress. Jeep maker Stellantis was spared from the third round of strikes.

The GM plant in Delta Township, near Lansing, makes large crossover SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. A nearby metal parts stamping plant will remain open, Fain said.

The Chicago Ford plant makes the Ford Explorer and Explorer Police Interceptors, as well as the Lincoln Aviator SUV. The Explorer interceptor is the nation's top selling police vehicle.

“Sadly, despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress at the table,” Fain said in explaining the two new strike locations.

Fain said union bargainers are still talking to all three companies. “I’m still very hopeful that we can reach a deal that reflects the incredible sacrifices and contributions that our members have made over the last decade,” he said.

Stellantis, he said, made significant progress "moments” before the Facebook Live broadcast by agreeing to unspecified cost-of-living pay raises, the right not to cross a picket line and the right to strike over plant closures.

"We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues,” Fain said. “Our strategy is working.”

Fain said union leaders knew the fight with the companies would be difficult. “We knew that it was unlikely that this would be quick," he said of the strikes.

In a note to workers on Friday, GM manufacturing chief Gerald Johnson wrote that calling more strikes “is just for the headlines, not real progress."

The company said it has not yet received a counter offer from union leaders to an economic proposal it made on Sept. 21.

“We continue to stand ready and willing to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits you and doesn’t let the non-union manufacturers win,” Johnson wrote, calling the counter offer a record proposal with historic wage increases and job security.

Ford scheduled a 1 p.m. briefing for industry analysts and reporters to discuss the talks.

The union has vowed to hit automakers harder if it does not receive what it calls substantially improved contract offers as part of an unprecedented, simultaneous labor campaign against all three Detroit automakers.

Additional walkouts will begin at noon Friday.

The automakers' last known wage offers were around 20% over the life of a four-year contract, a little more than half of what the union has demanded. Other contract improvements, such as cost of living increases, restoration of defined benefit pensions for newly hired workers and an end to tiers of wages within the union are also on the table.

The union went on strike Sept. 15 when it couldn’t reach agreements on new contracts with the companies. Contracts expired at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.

The UAW initially targeted one assembly plant from each company. Last week it added 38 parts distribution centers run by GM and Stellantis. Ford was spared the second escalation because talks with the union were progressing at that time.

The union has structured its walkout in a way that has allowed the companies keep making pickup trucks and large SUVs, their top-selling and most profitable vehicles. Previously it shut down assembly plants in Missouri, Ohio and Michigan that make midsize pickup trucks, commercial vans and midsize SUVs, all of which are profitable but don’t make as much money as the larger vehicles.

In the past the union had picked one company as a potential strike target and reached a contract agreement with that company that would serve as a pattern for the others.

But this year Fain introduced a novel strategy of targeting a limited number of facilities at all three automakers, while threatening to add more if the companies do not come up with better offers.

About 25,000 of the union’s 146,000 workers at the three automakers are on strike, allowing it to preserve a strike fund that was worth $825 million before Sept. 14.

If all of the union’s auto workers went on strike, the fund would be depleted in less than three months, and that’s without factoring in health care costs.

Statistics Canada reports real GDP essentially unchanged in July

Canadian GDP stays flat

Photo: The Canadian Press

Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product was essentially unchanged in July, following a 0.2 per cent decline in June.

The agency says services-producing industries gained 0.1 per cent in the month, while goods-producing industries contracted 0.3 per cent.

The manufacturing sector was the largest negative contributor for the month as it fell 1.5 per cent.

After moving lower in June due to forest fires, Statistics Canada says, the mining and quarrying sector, excluding oil and gas, as well as the accommodation and food services sector rose in July.

With oil and gas excluded, the mining and quarrying sector increased 4.2 per cent in July, while accommodation and food services gained 2.3 per cent.

Statistics Canada says its early estimate for August pointed to an increase of 0.1 per cent for the month with increases in the wholesale trade and finance and insurance sectors, partly offset by decreases in the retail trade and oil and gas extraction sectors.

Unifor sets Oct. 9 deadline for contract talks with General Motors

Unifor sets GM deadline

Photo: The Canadian Press

Unifor has set a deadline for its contract talks with General Motors for 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 9.

Negotiations between the union and the U.S. automaker resumed this week after workers at Ford Motor Co. of Canada voted to approve a new contract.

The GM talks cover about 4,300 workers at the automaker's St. Catharines Powertrain Plant, the Oshawa Assembly Complex and the Woodstock Parts Distribution Centre.

Unifor is looking to use its agreement at Ford as a pattern agreement in its talks with GM and Stellantis.

The Ford deal included wage hikes, pension and benefit improvements, and special EV transition measures for workers at Ford's assembly plant in Oakville, Ont.

It also added two new paid holidays.

Air Canada pilots picket at Toronto's Pearson as talks continue

Air Canada pilots picket

Photo: The Canadian Press

Air Canada pilots are demonstrating at Toronto's Pearson airport today, calling for better wages and working conditions as talks with the country's biggest carrier continue.

The Air Line Pilots Association kick-started the bargaining process in June, one day after fellow union members at WestJet ratified a new collective agreement.

The union represents more than 5,000 Air Canada pilots.

Both union and employer say the so-called informational picket at Terminal 1, which comes the same day their own nine-year deal expires, will not affect Air Canada's flight schedule.

Charlene Hudy, who heads the union's Air Canada contingent, says the agreement has grown stale, with co-workers leaving for better pay in the United States.

Air Canada says it remains engaged in productive discussions with the union, with the deal's provisions remaining in effect.

Pilots north of the border have been seeking gains that will bring them closer to deals won by their counterparts in the U.S.

Between March and September, pilots at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines secured agreements that included four-year pay hikes ranging from 34 per cent to 40 per cent.

Hudy called the wage gap between Canadian and American pilots "unacceptable."

"We're striving for this world class contract that Air Canada pilots do deserve," she said, highlighting career progression and job security as other points of contention.

"There was a point in time back in 2013 when we were pretty comparable — almost even — with our fellow counterparts at United." But starting next year, United pilots will earn 92 per cent more, she said.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said the ongoing discussions are "a normal part of the bargaining process."

"We are committed to reaching a fair, negotiated settlement with our pilot group," he said in an emailed statement.