Leonardo DiCaprio criticizes Ottawa over B.C. salmon farms
Salmon farms have long been a point of contention between environmentalists and fish farmers in British Columbia, but a much bigger net is now being cast on the topic.
A new report from RBC Economics says it expects a renewed surge of retirements in the second half of this year as Canada works to get past the pandemic.
Senior economist Andrew Agopsowicz says in the report that the number of retirements fell about 20 per cent last year compared with the 12 months ended February 2020.
He says the dip was likely a result of uncertainty about retirement savings as the pandemic arrived.
"It's what's held a lot of people back," Agopsowicz said in an interview.
He added that recent data suggest the level of Canadian retirements began to return to normal during the second quarter as the economy took steps toward reopening.
"The return to normal could be a good period for people to make a decision … they probably were going to be making (anyway)," Agopsowicz said.
Retirement levels have been high for about 10 years as the large baby boom generation reaches the age of 65 and that trend will continue for several years, he said.
There may be a near-term labour shortage for some types of jobs, he said, because of a combination of the higher retirement levels, Canada's low birthrate and fewer new immigrants during the pandemic.
"I think all these kind of come together and are going to start adding a lot of pressure to labour markets as we head into the fall," Agopsowicz said.
A recent business survey published by the Bank of Canada said there was still some slack in the overall job market but employers are having difficulty hiring certain type of workers with specialized skills, he added.
The RBC Economics analysis follows a Statistics Canada report on Friday that said the economy added 230,700 jobs in June as restrictions put in place to slow the pandemic were rolled back across the country.
The country still had 340,000 fewer jobs than in February 2020, the last month before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and governments began imposing restrictions to contain the disease.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2021.
Salmon farms have long been a point of contention between environmentalists and fish farmers in British Columbia, but a much bigger net is now being cast on the topic.
High winds and turbulence have forced a United Airlines flight from Israel to be diverted from its destination of Newark Airport in New Jersey to Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, N.Y..
The Vancouver Canucks weren’t the only ones who stumbled during Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars.
Two men from Senegal froze to death were found in the snow of a wooded area close to the Canadian border, New York state police said.
An historic downtown Toronto bar is closing its doors next week after nearly 200 years in business.
Austin Hunter Turner died in 2017, on a night that his mother has rewound and replayed again and again, trying to make sense of what happened.
Not getting enough sleep may cause you to feel five to 10 years older than you really are, according to two new studies.
Manhattan prosecutors suggested Friday that Donald Trump violated a gag order in his hush-money criminal case this week by assailing the judge's daughter and making a false claim about her on social media.
Niagara Region says it has declared a state of emergency 'out of an abundance of caution' as it prepares for an influx of visitors for next month’s total solar eclipse.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.