Labour Market Monitor - Halifax
November 2011
The Labour Market Monitor is a monthly report providing a summary of labour market news and events for the Halifax Economic Region of Nova Scotia. The Halifax Region includes all of Halifax County.
General Events
The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council forecasts a growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of roughly 1.2% for Nova Scotia for 2012, up slightly from 1.0% this year. According to the council, positive news such as the Irving shipbuilding contract has been overshadowed by the decline in forestry, including the closure of the NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill. The BMO Financial Group feels the forecasted growth is a little on the cautious side, and TD Economics suggests that any significant boost from the shipbuilding contract won't come until 2013. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.8)
Labour Market News by Industry
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
Encana Corp.'s Deep Panuke offshore project is expected to begin producing natural gas by the first quarter of 2012, when the subsea hook-up program is completed. About 35 technicians plus a handful of caterers will work full time on the gas rig for two weeks at a time. Production from the field is expected to make Nova Scotia the top exporter in the region in 2012, according to an Export Development Canada report. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.4)
Utilities
Planning is underway and construction will likely start in about two years (and last for three years) on the Maritime link of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project. A power line will run from Labrador to the island of Newfoundland and across the Cabot Strait to Cape Breton. Nova Scotia companies will be given equal consideration for work on the Maritime section, according to a memorandum of understanding between the provinces. Power utility Emera (www.emera.com) will hold information sessions to inform business on the types of tenders they can expect. (CBC News, Nov.29)
Construction
Banc Developments hopes to begin its multi-phase $350 million Bayers Lake Business Park expansion by February or March of 2012. The project will include two big-box stores and a number of smaller outlets. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.1)
Westwood Developments began work in November on a 22-unit addition to the Mariner apartment building, just off Purcells Cove Road in Halifax. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.1)
United Gulf Developments will construct 100 condo units, retail space, a commercial centre and a park on the old Halifax West High school site in Fairview. Construction is scheduled to start at the end of 2012 and be completed in 2015. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.16)
Construction continues on a 12-storey and a 13-storey residential tower at the King's Wharf project in Dartmouth. Work on two other buildings will begin soon. The entire development could eventually include as many as 13 buildings, including a hotel, office space, and residential units. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.11)
The WF Fares Group is ready to begin work on a $30-million mixed commercial and residential development between Dutch Village Road and Joseph Howe Drive in Halifax. The project will include a 13-storey, 131 unit residential tower and a five-storey retail/office building. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.23)
Construction will begin in April, 2012 in Burnside on a new building for the Dartmouth Adult Services Centre (DASC). (Burnside News, Nov.25)
Work on a four-storey, 69-unit residential building near Five Corners on Portland Street, Dartmouth is expected to begin in January, 2012. It replaces a nine-unit building destroyed by fire last year. Harbourvista Apartments Ltd. is the developer of the project. As well, a block of row houses on South Street in Halifax which was damaged by fire two years ago has been demolished. Galaxy Properties Ltd. hopes to begin construction on the site in late 2012. Plans call for a building with commercial space and five or six floors of apartments. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.29)
Retail Trade
Construction is underway to convert a space in the Fall River Plaza into a larger Shoppers Drug Mart that will create at least a dozen jobs. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.1)
Transportation and Warehousing
Until further notice, the Halterm Container Terminal at the Port of Halifax will not operate on Mondays. According to Local 269 of the Halifax Longshoremen's Association, the cost-saving decision to go to a four-day work week will affect members who work on the traditionally slow day, as they only get paid when called in. In recent months, the terminal has lost business from three significant shipping lines. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.10)
United Parcel Service (UPS) will take over its own pickup and delivery courier services in Moncton and Halifax, and add other Maritime cities to its network later in 2012. The expansion is expected to create 250 new jobs with the company. However, UPS will cut back on the amount of business it outsources to Purolator Inc. which is now its sole service provider in the area. UPS indicates preference for new workers will go to those with courier delivery experience. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.16)
Ten people will be hired as the result of a $1.7-million contract awarded to IMP Group(www.impgroup.com) for the maintenance of communications radar equipment on the Department of National Defence Sea King helicopter fleet. The work will start immediately at Shearwater and is expected to be good for two years with options for renewal. This is in addition to the ongoing IMP Sea King contract for maintenance of the helicopters themselves. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.24)
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Akoostix Inc. (www.akoostix.com) has won a contract to work with Defence Research and Development Canada Atlantic to develop sonar software for navy ships. The contract will go until 2014. The Dartmouth company stands to land further navy contracts, including systems work on the new warships to be constructed at the Irving Shipyard. The company's staff includes software specialists, engineers, and a physicist, and has recently increased from four to seven employees. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.1)
The number of software developers at aioTV (http://aio-tv.com/web/index.php) will double from six to 12 by the spring of 2012. The Dartmouth company, which also has an office in Colorado, provides a cloud-based video delivery system which service providers can use to let customers find video programming. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.29)
Health Care and Social Assistance
Capital District nurses, members of the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union, have won an arbitrator's decision which results in a new three-year contract. There will be wage increases of 1.0% in each of the last two years, a wage hike of 3.5% effective this month, and an increase of 1.5% on May 1, 2012. The cumulative increase of 7.1% will make the Capital Health nurses the highest paid in the Maritimes. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.1)
Accommodation and Food Services
Wasabi House, a sushi restaurant, and 308 South by Tarek's, a Lebanese-Acadian restaurant, will open on Quinpool Road in Halifax in November. A Chickenburger restaurant has opened at the airport, and another will open on Queen Street near Spring Garden Road in Halifax within a month. The Bedford Split Crow pub has opened in the former Oakmount Station pub location in Bedford. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.15)
Other Services (except Public Administration)
The province of Nova Scotia is regulating services such as tattooing and body piercing. The process will take about a year, and it has not yet been decided if permits will be required by the business or the individual providing the services. Three inspectors are expected to be employed to administer the regulations. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.24)
Public Administration
About 450 employees from Nova Scotia jails in Dartmouth, Sydney, Antigonish, Amherst, and Yarmouth have ratified a contract which ensures they are now covered under the civil service collective agreement. The deal, in effect until March 31, 2011, gives most workers a reclassification increase of 6.4%, improved vacation, leave entitlement, shift premiums, and job security. All employees, including correctional officers, administrative assistants, cooks, maintenance workers and others, will also get a 1% raise in each of the two years. (Chronicle-Herald, Nov.1)
Note: In preparing this document, the authors have taken care to provide clients with labour market information that is timely and accurate at the time of publication. Since labour market conditions are dynamic, some of the information presented here may have changed since this document was published. Users are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect official policies of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.For more information please contact your local Labour Market Information Analysts for Halifax:
neill.evans@servicecanada.gc.ca
or
glenn.yetman@servicecanada.gc.ca
or visit our website at: Working in Canada