Muskoka-Kawarthas Labour Market Monitor: Service Canada, January 2010

An overview of Muskoka-Kawarthas Economic Region, which includes the census division of the Kawartha Lakes, the counties of Haliburton, Northumberland and Peterborough, and the district municipality of Muskoka. This monthly report is produced by the local area Labour Market Information Analyst. For further information, contact: Lorie Truemner .

Labour Force Trends/Survey

Employment in the Muskoka-Kawarthas economic region increased slightly by 1,500 from January 2009 to January 2010.  However, all job gains came from part-time employment. The number of people in the labour force increased by 10,000 from January 2009 to January 2010 due to a rise in the number of people looking for work. This significant increase in labour force participation caused the unemployment rate to rise from 5.4% to 9.5%, the highest increase among all Ontario economic regions. Over the same period, the provincial unemployment rate rose from 7.2% to 8.7%.

For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website.

Labour Market News by Industry

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation

A new fitness facility, Pro Form Fitness Personal Training Studio, opened in Huntsville in January 2010.

Construction

The city of Peterborough approved work on the Hunter Street Bridge to bring the structure up to current design standards. Plans include installing new sidewalk railings, rebuilding the deck edges and improving lighting. The walls of the bridge will also be re-faced. Construction will begin in the spring and continue until October 2011. The province and federal governments each plan to contribute $4.4 million towards the project as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. The total value of the project is estimated at over $14.6 million.

Education Services

Fleming College is creating a new program in palliative care nursing, which will begin in September. This program can be completed online or part-time in a classroom setting.

Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate and Leasing

Housing starts in Peterborough rose from 294 in 2008 to 482 in 2009. This has created business for building suppliers and trades people. The total value of residential building permits issued last year was just over $48 million. The increased housing demand is partly due to people from the Toronto area retiring to Peterborough. The city also issued 556 permits for commercial, industrial and institutional construction last year.

Real estate activity increased during the last quarter of 2009, according to the Kawartha Lakes Real Estate Association.  Sales were up by 65%, more than in the same period in 2008. The growth in sales was in part due to affordable prices along with low interest rates.

Public Administration

Early in January, DriveTest Centres, operated by Serco DES for the Province of Ontario, reopened. The Centres were closed during a four-month strike by members of the United Steelworkers Local 9511. The strike stopped driver’s tests for new drivers, seniors and those wanting to get commercial licences at 93 locations across Ontario.

Trade, Wholesale and Retail

Seventeen employees will be laid off when Fabricland in Lindsay closes at the end of March. The company stated that the store does not have enough space to continue operations. A location for a new store needs at least 10,000 square feet to be considered by the company. The Economic Development department of the City of Kawartha Lakes is looking for the required retail space in Lindsay, as business at the store has been good.

The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has conditionally approved a development at Highway 35 and Colborne Street in Lindsay. Wal-Mart wishes to build at this location. Final approval is subject to an environmental assessment on the northwest trunk sewer. The project is forecast for completion by March of 2011. In 2006, city council approved an official plan amendment and a zoning by-law to allow a 12,500-square-metre Wal-Mart; a 9,500-square-metre Home Depot; 5,000 square metres of retail and service commercial space; and a parking lot for about 1,860 vehicles at this location.

The Sport Mart at Peterborough’s Parkway Centre is closing and merging with SportChek at Lansdowne Place. SportChek is being renovated and expanded. The store closure is tentatively scheduled for February 7. The staff will be transferred to the new location. Forzani Group Ltd. owns both Sport Mart and SportChek.

Utilities

In January, Renewable Energy Management Inc. (REM) of Pickering held an open house in Port Hope. The company plans to build a facility that will turn industrial, municipal, commercial, institutional and kitchen organic waste into power. It will also produce a by-product that can be used in roads and construction. The company plans to employ 75 people at this facility. The open house is part of the company’s consultation with the community. It will look at the economic and social effects of the proposed operation. The company's website contains additional information.

Miscellaneous:

The Conference Board of Canada has released “City Magnets II: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of 50 Canadian cities”. This report ranked Peterborough in seven categories: economy, education, environment, health, housing, innovation and society. The study was based on 2006 census data. Peterborough's highest grades were earned for commuting distances, the number of school teachers, the fact that few people travelled outside the city for work, and the proportion of people employed in health-care occupations.

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 also to 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.