Some Comox Valley Workers Have The Best Employers

Some Comox Valley workers have the best employers in Canada.
The annual 'Top 100' list has been published today in the Globe and Mail, putting Vancouver Island Health Authority, Westjet, Shaw Communications and the Bank of Montreal are among the top of the heap.
Employers are evaluated using eight criteria:

• Physical Workplace
• Work Atmosphere & Social
• Health, Financial & Family Benefits
• Vacation & Time Off
• Employee Communications
• Performance Management
• Training & Skills Development
• Community Involvement.

Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.
“Fostering a positive work environment is one way we can thank our staff for the compassionate care they provide to our communities each and every day,” said VIHA CEO and President, Howard Waldner, who's set to retire in 2013.
"Being recognized as a Top 100 employer validates our belief that we can only succeed - and attract and keep skilled and passionate employees - if we create a workplace that welcomes diversity, encourages innovation, and provides tools, training and support to equip employees to perform at their very best," said Lynn Roger, Chief Talent Officer, BMO Financial Group.
Though it may not be popular right now, pipeline proponent Enbridge has made the national Top 100 list, for providing generous vacation, great financial rewards, donating one percent of its annual pre-tax earnings every year, offering generous tuition subsidies, in-house apprenticeship and skilled trades opportunities, and helping older employees prepare for life after work with retirement planning assistance.

2013 WINNERS:

3M Canada Company
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network Inc.
Accenture Plc
Aecon Group Inc.
Agriculture Financial Services Corporation
Agrium Inc.
Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.
AMEC Americas Limited
Bank of Canada
Bayer Inc.
BC Public Service
Bennett Jones LLP
BMO Financial Group
Bombardier Inc.
Business Development Bank of Canada
Cameco Corporation
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce / CIBC
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Carswell, div. of Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd.
Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto
Cementation Canada Inc.
Ceridian Canada Ltd.
Certified General Accountants Association of Canada
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, The
Dalhousie University
Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada
Desjardins Group / Mouvement des caisses Desjardins
DIALOG
Diavik Diamond Mines Inc.
Digital Extremes Ltd.
EllisDon Corporation
Enbridge Inc.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
General Motors of Canada Limited
Georgian College
Goldcorp Inc.
Golder Associates Ltd.
Great Little Box Company Ltd., The
Hospital for Sick Children, The
HP Advanced Solutions Inc.
ISM Canada
Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc.
Johnson Inc.
Knight Piésold Ltd.
KPMG LLP
L'Oréal Canada Inc.
Ledcor Group of Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Lotteries Corporation
Manulife Financial Corporation
Mars Canada Inc.
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Medtronic of Canada Ltd.
Molson Coors Canada
Monsanto Canada Inc.
National Ballet of Canada, The
National Energy Board
Northwest Territories, Government of the
Nuance Communications Canada Inc.
OpenText Corporation
Ottawa, City of
PCL Constructors Inc.
Pfizer Canada Inc.
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Procter & Gamble Inc.
Rescan Environmental Services Ltd.
SAS Institute (Canada) Inc.
Saskatchewan Government Insurance
SaskTel
Shaw Communications Inc.
Shell Canada Limited
Shoppers Drug Mart Inc.
Simon Fraser University
Solvera Solutions
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
Stryker Canada Inc.
Suncor Energy Inc.
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
TD Bank Group
Technip Canada Limited
TELUS Corporation
Toronto Hydro Corporation
Toronto International Film Festival Inc. / TIFF
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.
Trican Well Service Ltd.
Union Gas Limited
University of New Brunswick
University of Toronto
Vancouver City Savings Credit Union
Vancouver Island Health Authority
Vancouver, City of
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
WestJet Airlines Ltd.
Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc.
Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia
World Vision Canada
Xerox Canada Inc.
Yellow Pages Group Co.

Real Estate Investment Canada Or the US

While economic turmoil has flooded worldwide markets, Canada has become an economic safe haven. International money has been parked for safety and ROI, and has fundamentally became a haven to provide the world what it needs for at least the next couple of decades.

Though Canadians have been programmed to look elsewhere for opportunity, 2011-2020 will be the exact wrong time to be doing so. In fact, Canada is in its first year of what will prove to be Canada’s economic decade, and the best time in history to invest here.

Unfortunately, due to a misguided belief that cheap is good when investing in real estate, many Canadian investors have turned their prospects south of the boarder to the US as real estate prices continue to plummet.

Canadian media has been flooded with the tales of investors chasing the cheap price of US real estate, as well as their deals and steals. However, what these investors failed to consider were the metrics involved in analyzing a market’s potential, such as currency risk, taxation, unemployment rate, vacancy rates, property supply and demand, and have taken the ‘buy cheap’ risk anyways despite the reality.

Moreover, replacement costs mean nothing if demand is non-existent, however it is a wonderful tool to use when selling properties. Investors searching for long-term sustainable wealth also need long-term sustainable economic fundamentals. An economy that shows a downward progression will eventually spillover to the real estate market as well, therefore creating a high-risk real estate market.

GDP growth leads to job growth, with attracts migrations, leading to population growth and increased rental demand. This demand drives rental prices up, pushes people to buy properties, and eventually leads to property price increases.

This is exactly the situation in Canada right now, creating jobs by becoming the world’s safest supplier of four key commodities entering the supply and demand super-cycles – food, fuel, fertilizer and forestry).

Among some of the best Canadian cities to invest in real estate are in Alberta were more jobs are projected to be created in a month than the total jobs created in US over the next 10 years.

Source: Don Campbell – Canadian Real Estate Wealth