Labour Market Monitor - Annapolis Valley NS
May 2011
This is an overview of the Annapolis Valley Region which includes Hants, Kings and Annapolis Counties. The Labour Market Monitor is a monthly report focusing on Labour Market Information.
Labour Force Trends
The labour market in the Valley deteriorated from May 2010 to May 2011. Employment fell by 1,900 on a year over year basis. This was comprised of a decline of 2,500 in full time work which was partially offset by an increase in part time employment. Over the same period, the labour force fell by 600. With employment falling much faster than the labour force, the level of unemployment rose in the area, and the unemployment rate increased from 9.9 percent in May 2010 to 12.4 percent in May 2011.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Annapolis Valley | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 230 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Labour Force (000) | 59.5 | 58.9 |
| Employed (000) | 53.6 | 51.7 |
| Full Time | 42.0 | 39.5 |
| Part Time | 11.5 | 12.2 |
| Unemployed (000) | 5.9 | 7.3 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.5 | 59.0 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 9.9 | 12.4 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
The five applicants are appealing the province's decision on the Greenwich Comprehensive Development District. Kings County council approved the rezoning of approximately 380 acres of agricultural land between the Hamlet of Greenwich and the Town of Wolfville in February. However, Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations (SNSMR) Minister and Agriculture Minister John MacDonell overturned the decision upon ministerial review March 23 stating that the rezoning application from the County of Kings failed to demonstrate the need for development of the land. An initial court date is set for May 10. Kentville Advertiser - May 12, 2011
Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction
Plans for gas drilling in the Windsor area have ceased for the time being, with no set date to start back up. In 2009, Denver based Triangle Petroleum Corporation signed a 10-year license agreement to drill in Nova Scotia and have until 2014 to drill seven wells and evaluate the progress if they hope to retain their rights to the area. To date, five wells have been drilled but there are currently no plans to drill any wells in 2011. There is a lot of evaluation and data to come and they are currently working on putting a package together with the aim of bringing in a new partner to help continue the project. The purpose of the drilling is to extract shale gas though a somewhat controversial extraction process known as fracturing in which fluid pressure is used to create fractures in the rocks in order to release natural gas. Hants Journal - May 12, 2011
Utilities
Sprott Power corp. should be in the clear to build a wind farm in the Hampton Mountain area of the Annapolis Valley when a planning strategy is expected to become official sometime around the middle of July. Chronicle Herald - May 19, 2011
Minas Basin Pulp and Power Ltd. is behind the project to put turbines in the Bay of Fundy that will act as a new source for energy. The turbines, which are activated by the tides, would generate power that would then be stored in onshore generators. A Minas Basin website dedicated to the tidal power project says that by 2012, the world's first array of in-stream tidal turbines will be supplying power to the Nova Scotia power grid. www.minastidalpower.ca Hants Journal - May 5, 2011
Manufacturing
Eden Valley Poultry has sealed the deal. Maple Leaf's Berwick (Nova Scotia) Larsen's plant changed hands May 13 and is now the property of the shareholders of United Poultry Producers Incorporated - owned by Nova Scotia and PEI processors - and Maple Lodge Holding Corporation, Ontario. They are hoping to be operational by approximately June 1, 2012. The projected cost of the new venture is $35-40 million, including the cost of demolishing and rebuilding part of the Larsen's plant and retrofitting the inside. The new plant will employ approximately 200 people, and the 100 employees currently working at the ACA plant in New Minas in the Canadian Auto Workers Union and those that took the right to recall when ACA reduced staff a few years ago will be first in line for the new jobs. Kentville Advertiser - May 19, 2011
Great Valley Juices in Port Williams will receive up to $140,000 from the provincial government's Industrial Expansion Fund to help pay for new equipment used to fill and cap plastic bottles. The total cost of the upgrade is expected to be between $300,000 and $400,000. The expansion will help maintain the plant's workforce, which has a seasonal peak of 40-45 people between September and Christmas (which currently employs 28 people). The new equipment could lead to more jobs if product lines are increased due to market demand. Great Valley is the only processing plant in Atlantic Canada that turns apples into apple juice. Chronicle Herald - May 25, 2011
Windsor's Nu-Air Ventilations Inc. was planning to set up a production shop for a new, one-of-a-kind product in the former Britex manufacturing plant in Bridgetown early this fall. But after $100,000 worth of copper was stolen from the building, Nu-Air has decided that it will no longer be expanding there though there are still plans to expand. According to Nu-Air, the new product is expected to create 300 jobs in 4-5 years. Hants Journal - May 25, 2011
Trade
Leon's in Kentville (which employs 22 people) celebrated the official groundbreaking of its new location in the Coldbrook Village Park. The building, expected to be finished in September, will consolidate the business' Kentville showroom and New Minas warehouse. In addition to construction jobs via contractor B.D. Stevens, owners John Coady and Colin Lewis are anticipating a 10-20% growth in employment. Kentville Advertiser - May 17, 2011
Retail giant Canadian Tire has acquired sporting goods retailer Forzani Group for $771 million. Forzani owns some 500 stores under various banners, including Sport Chek and Athletes World. Canadian Tire employs more than 58,000 people with 485 stores across the country. Together, the merged companies will have about 1,000 retail locations. Canadian Press - May 9, 2011
The Wolfville Farmers Market settled into its new permanent home on May 21. The former DeWolfe apple warehouse on Elm Avenue underwent an $825,000 renovation with space for 70 vendors indoors. The Market runs Saturdays from 8:30 am until 1 pm. and Wednesday afternoons from 4-7 pm. www.wolfvillefarmersmarket.ca Kentville Advertiser - May 31, 2011
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
March real estate numbers for the Annapolis Valley area were not good. According to the Annapolis Valley Real Estate Board (AVREB), home sales were down 38% from March 2010 numbers. The average price of residential sales was down 1% from the same month last year. New listings on the MLS system were also down 4%. Nova Scotia home sales were down only 9%, and the average price was up 6%, compared to March 2010. "The softer sales figures in March stand in sharp contrast to February's big rebound, and put us back around the levels we saw in January," says Real Estate Board President Cynthia Black. The value of the 63 homes sold in March totalled $9.7M, down 39% while the dollar value of home sales in all of Nova Scotia was down 4%. Kentville Advertiser - May 3, 2011
Joan Balcom's Bligh Centre Ltd.'s application in April to tear down a multi-unit rental house in Berwick and replace it with a two-storey, 12 unit complex was passed by the Town Planning Advisory Committee. Kentville Advertiser - May 17, 2011
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
As many as 150 former workers at the Convergys call centre could be recruited by a major provider of virtual contact centre solutions and services for Fortune 500 companies. Alpine Access Canada is hiring 600 work-at-home customer care professionals throughout Canada, and is interested in former Convergys employees according to the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency. Canadian companies have been interested in Alpine Access' at-home call centre solutions for several years, but the US based company's decision to establish an office in Canada was cemented by the recent signing of a multi-year contract with the country's largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services. Demand for the at-home call centre model is driving the company's logical expansion into Canada. As a result, Alpine Access is looking to recruit highly qualified employees in the Annapolis and Digby region. Once employees finish a comprehensive training period they will work at home. Anyone interested in seeking employment with the company to check out https://www.alpineaccessjobs.ca/recruiting/referral/nova-edc/ which will also allow Alpine Access to track those who apply from the Annapolis Digby area, placing a greater priority on hiring them. Digby Courier - May 4, 2011
Beaver Air Charter Consultants Ltd., from Lantz has won a contract worth nearly $1.46 million to help coast guard sailors make the long commute to their icebreakers in the Arctic. Chronicle Herald - May 27, 2011
Education
Annapolis Valley Regional School Board's (AVRSB) Beginning Readers program will be extended to all 28 of their elementary schools from the current 15. Working within the revised provincial guidelines, the AVRSB has been able to staff early literacy teachers at each school to support a comprehensive multi-level program. School board members also signalled their continuing support for French language programs by approving a recommendation from the Education Committee to fund French special projects. The motion called for the board to approve funding for a French consultant, French mentors, staffing for Integrated French, professional development for French teachers, Beginning Readers programming in French, funding for French Immersion lead classes and Face aux Questions. Kings County Register - May 12, 2011
Although a proposed tuition increase could affect Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) students at the Kingstec Campus in Kentville, there won't be any staff reductions or program changes as a result of this year's budget shortfall. Inflationary pressures and wage increases created a $5.7 million budget gap this year. Across the province, NSCC staff will be reduced by 35 members, including 18 through retirement and unfilled vacancies and 17 through layoffs. Kentville Advertiser - May 17, 2011
Health Care and Social Assistance
An Annapolis Valley group is working diligently to make midwifery a viable option for expectant mothers (Valley Families for Midwifery). Midwifery is offered at a number of universities as a four-year degree program. In March 2009 government regulations cut off midwifery services to most of the province. Under the regulations, there were originally three model sites set up in the province. Sites in the South Shore and Antigonish-Guysborough areas are still up and running, but the program at the third site, the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, has been suspended since December. The group wants to create demand for the service and work toward achieving publicly funded midwifery care for all Annapolis Valley families through collaboration with the province. Locally a midwife that wants to practice privately could, but she would need to get hospital privileges and have to carry malpractice insurance which is a huge barrier. They want to see the government expand midwifery services to the other provincial health districts as soon as possible. For more information email valleyfamiliesformidwifery@gmail.com. Chronicle Herald - May 2, 2011
Accommodation and Food Service
Sushi Fang is now open in the former Hau's restaurant location at 7 Kentucky court in New Minas. Phone: 902-681-0709 Staff - May 31, 2011
Public Administration
Kings county council will keep funding the Kentville Visitor Information Centre (VIC), but only for seven months of the year. This year, the centre will operate from April 1 to October 28 at its Cornwallis Street location. The town will take on the management of the staff, who will remain employees of Destination Southwest Nova Scotia (DSWNS). Kentville Advertiser - May 10, 2011
West Hants municipal council is forging ahead with plans to leave their partnership with the Hants Regional Development Authority (HRDA). Council recently approved staff looking into a job description for an economic development officer for West Hants. Their April 12 decision to cut ties with the organization leaves Windsor, East Hants and Hantsport as the community funding partners. Hants Journal - May 31, 2011
Miscellaneous
The results of the Pathways to Work research project, funded by the Canada-Nova Scotia Labour Market Agreement, clearly points out there are a number of discouraged workers in this area. The study explored the barriers job seekers face in Kings County, looking at the hurdles faced by 31 would-be workers. These are individuals who want to work, but have given up looking due to a lack of transportation, not having access to child care, poor health or a lack of support mechanisms. For more information check out www.pathwaystowork.ca Kentville Advertiser - May 31, 2011
Note: In preparing this bulletin, Service Canada has taken care to provide clients with labour market information from reliable sources 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 the bulletin was published. Readers are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this bulletin does not necessarily reflect official policies of Service Canada.For more information please contact: glenn.mcmullen@servicecanada.gc.ca
or visit: www.labourmarketinformation.ca