In The News

Top employers in the GTA

Aon Hewitt Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Aon Hewitt's annual rankings of the best employers in Canada are in. The organization has been ranking companies based on employee, leader, and human resource practices surveys submitted by participating organizations for more than 15 years.

There's good news for the GTA this year as the top four companies in the region are also the top four companies in the country (in the same order). Cisco Systems Canada, EllisDon Corporation, Bennett Jones LLP, and Marriott Hotels of Canada have been selected as the four best companies to work for in the nation.

Here is the full list of top organizations in the GTA:

Large Organizations

1. Cisco Systems Canada*

2. EllisDon Corporation*

3. Bennett Jones LLP*

4. Marriott Hotels of Canada*

5. Chubb Insurance Company of Canada*

6. McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited

7. Flight Centre

8. Keg Restaurants Ltd.*

9. Edward Jones*

10. LoyaltyOne Inc

11. PCL Constructors Inc.*

12. Hatch*

13. The Co-operators*

14. SAP Canada*

15. Stikeman Elliott

16. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Canada

17. OMERS Administration Corporation*

18. TD Bank Group*

19. Novotel Canada

20. Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

21. Delta Hotels and Resorts

22. Aecon Group Inc.

23. G&K Services Canada Inc.

24. National Bank

25. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada*

26. Golder Associates Ltd.

27. GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

28. Earl's Restaurants Ltd.

29. Amex Canada Inc / Amex Bank of Canada

30. Dillon Consulting Limited

31. Procter & Gamble — Market Development Organization

32. Miller Thomson LLP

33. The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited

34. Morguard Corporation

35. Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

Small and Medium Organizations

1. Arrow Professional Services*

2. iGATE Global Solutions Ltd

3. Intelex Technologies In.

4. Achievers*

5. IHG

6. Intuit Canada

7. Klick Inc.

8. OPTIMUS I SBR Inc.

9. CAAT Pension Plan

10. C.S.T. Consultants Inc.

11. peopleCare Inc.

12. Geo. A. Kelson Company Limited

13. 99 bottles Inc. o/a beerbistro

14. TIC Travel Insurance Coordinators Ltd.

15. Furlani's Food Corporation

16. Gibraltar Solutions Inc.

17. Wakefield Canada Inc.

18. Vital Insights Inc

19. SOCAN - Society of Composers, Authors and Music Pu

20. Pinchin Environmental Ltd.

21. Phonak Canada

22. Ryan ULC

23. CWB Group - Industry Services

24. Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc.

25. MasterCard Canada

* Also appeared on the Best Employers in Canada list

For the full list of Canada's best employers, click here.

Original Source: Aon Hewitt

Mohawk College wins top regional Smart Commute award

SmartCommute.ca Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The year is winding down, so it's no surprise top employer lists are piling in. The Smart Commute awards recognize the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Region's top employers when it comes to implementing smart commute programs. These are employers that demonstrate "exceptional leadership, innovation and success in motivating employees to re-think their commutes," according to the website's criteria.

It recognizes one overall Regional Employer of the Year in addition to individual awards given to organizations based on region. This year's top winner was Mohawk College. Mohawk's sustainability office played a key role in taking the crown as it supporting smart commute options thanks to its Discount Transit Pass program. In addition, the college offers carpool parking and sheltered bike parking, and has made transportation a "key element of their recent sire redevelopment" including new multi-use pathways that connect the campus to local neighbourhoods.

Here is the full list of winners broken down by region:

Parsons Brinckerhoff Employee Engagement Award - City of Mississauga

Smart Commute Champion - Sante Esposito

Smart Commute Brampton-Caledon Employer of the Year – Region of Peel

Smart Commute Central York Employer of the Year – Scholastic Canada Ltd. - Newmarket

Smart Commute Durham Employer of the Year – Region of Durham’s Hillsdale Estates & Terraces

Smart Commute Halton Employer of the Year – Halton Region

Smart Commute Hamilton Employer of the Year – Mohawk College

Smart Commute Markham, Richmond Hill Employer of the Year – Town of Richmond Hill

Smart Commute Mississauga Employer of the Year – Hatch Ltd.

Smart Commute Northeast Toronto Employer of the Year – Royal Bank of Canada RBC – York Mills

Smart Commute North Toronto, Vaughan Employer of the Year – PowerStream

Smart Commute Toronto-Central Employer of the Year – Brookfield Properties – Queen’s Quay Terminal

To read about why each employer won the award, click here.

Original Source: SmartCommute.ca

Toronto named world's most youthful city

Global News Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Toronto is the most youthful city in the world, according to a new report that compares cities globally and ranks them according to the potential for work and play.

The Youthful Cities Index rates cities on an annual basis and looks at economic status (high minimum wage, good annual income, affordable housing), political participation (voting age, youth voter turnout, volunteer opportunities), diversity (openness to LGBT communities, immigrants, different religions), employment (youth employment rates, employment rates post-graduation and student debt levels), encouragement of entrepreneurship (startup loans, age to register a business) and dozens more categories, as well as 112 indicators.

In an article that appeared on Global News, Robert Barnard, the co-founder of Youthful Cities, said Toronto is "a city that’s amongst the most diverse in the world. It’s got a great film and music scene and it’s on the leading edge of things like digital access. On an economic standpoint, it’s a pretty good place even up against its American competition."

Berlin, New York City, Dallas and Paris followed Toronto in that order. Although Toronto's youth unemployment rate is at a high, when it comes to other aspects of the city Toronto is an international leader.

"The excitement comes from the diversity and the playful aspects of Toronto. And there’s balance to it – overall it seemed to do pretty well in everything," Barnard said.

Read full story here.

Original Source: Global News

More evidence Toronto a top city for entrepreneurs

Forbes Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Forbes has compiled a list of the top cities for entrepreneurs, naming Toronto as a key region.

"Toronto is home to Canada's largest entrepreneur ecosystem and one of the largest in the world. Toronto entrepreneurs have their attention on new markets and outsourcing is increasingly popular. Some entrepreneurial success stories are Wave Accounting, FreshBooks, and Achievers," the article says.

Incidentally, Toronto was listed second, surpassed only by Silicon Valley.

Techvibes also recently weighed in, wondering if Toronto has what it takes "to become the entrepreneurial capital of the world."

"Toronto was recently ranked among the top five startup hubs globally, one of the most livable cities in the world, and the fourth-largest city in the North America in terms of population—but what does this all mean for community’s entrepreneurial future?" Techvibes wrote.

The article cites the city's multi-cultural, "diverse and entrepreneurial workforce" as a key component. "Universities in Ontario have a strong emphasis on research and innovation. They are producing the deepest talent pools in business, engineering and science with many of these graduates choosing to start their own businesses."

Government funding opportunities, accelerator programs, VC funding, and a "great ecosystem for young companies" are also cited as reasons why Toronto is a top city for entrepreneurs.

Read the full story here.

Original source: Forbes

Corus Quay named one of world's most impressive offices

HUH Magazine Wednesday, August 28, 2013

HUH magazine, a UK-based publication about art and design (among other things), has named Toronto's Corus Quay building one of the top 10 most creative office environments in the world.

Landing alongside impressive establishments such as MTV star Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory in Los Angeles, California as well as Red Bull's office in London, UK, Corus Quay is recognized for its vast space and unique building features.

"Corus Quay in Toronto, Canada - Coming in at a massive 500,000 sq ft, Corus Entertainment had plenty of space to be creative with. To boost the productivity of their 1,100 staff, the building features a five-storey atrium with a three-storey slide, a large lounge area, a vertical garden, and multiple TV studios," the magazine says. The unique interior is the work of Toronto-based Quadrangle Architects.

Corus Quay, the award winning headquarters of Corus Entertainment, is located along the waterfront at Sugar Beach and houses "11 independent Toronto-based operations, including 24 television services, three Toronto radio stations and over 1,100 employees," according to its website. It is also the "anchor project in the revitalization of East Bayfront, bringing life, energy and business opportunities to Toronto's waterfront neighbourhood."

Check out the full list here.

Original source: HUH Magazine

Thumbnail photo by Tyler. Chris Tyler from Toronto, Canada [CC-BY-SA-2.0] via Wikimedia Commons.

Daniels Spectrum ArtScape's most successful capital fundraising campaign to date

Artscape Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A new report issued by ArtScape states that its $10-million capital fundraising campaign for Daniels Spectrum helped make 2012 the company's most successful fundraising year in its history.

Daniels Spectrum, located in the Regent Park neighbourhood, was a $38-million development, making it a "major catalyst for the $1+ billion revitalization of Regent Park," the report states. Located at 585 Dundas St. East, the 60,000 sq. ft building opened last year to support seven non-profit arts and social-mission organizations as well as to become a central events space in the neighbourhood.

The building helped Artscape, a non-profit that provides affordable studio and housing for artists and their families, increase revenue to more than $2-million, or 33 per cent in one year. The building is built to LEED silver standards.

Beyond Daniels Spectrum, the report highlights the success of its many creative placemaking initiatives. Yonge Street highlighted some of this recently in a profile on creative placemaking, which is the intentional use of the arts to transform a neighbourhood or city.

The report states that Artscape's 1,348 tenants held 1,720 events in Artscape buildings and around the city in 2012.

"We learned that our spaces help to build Artscape tenants’ profiles and allow them to build their practices. Our research into market rents revealed that our 2012 subsidy to our tenants equalled close to $2.5-million. And with more staff and volunteers than ever before, we are better equipped to deliver greater impacts and to create the conditions in which artists can thrive," the report states.

Read the full report here.

Original Source: Artscape

By Tyler. Chris Tyler from Toronto, Canada [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

First immigrants under Federal Skilled Trades Program welcomed

South Asia Mail Wednesday, August 21, 2013

On Friday, Canada welcomed the first permanent residents to stem from its new Federal Skilled Trades Program. The program is "designed do attract and retain skilled workers," Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander says in an article that ran on South Asia Mail.

Of the new residents is Eric Byrne, originally from Ireland. He received his Ontario trades certificate of qualification last May and "currently works as a plumber for University Plumbing and Heating. He first arrived in Canada through the International Experience Canada program, which provides opportunities for international youth between the ages of 18 and 35 to travel and work in Canada," the article says.

"Canada is a great country and the people here have been exceptionally warm and welcoming," says Byrne in the article. "I am very pleased that I qualified for the Federal Skilled Trades Program as it recognizes the value of my skill set and has allowed me to stay in Canada and integrate seamlessly into my new status as a permanent resident."

The welcoming ceremony was held on August 16. The program was launched in January 2013. So far, successful applicants have come from India, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany and various others.

Read the full story here.

Original source: South Asia Mail