July 10, 2020

Your CFA Daily Update on COVID-19

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Economy adds 953,000 jobs in June, unemployment rate falls

Statistics Canada says the economy added nearly one million jobs in June as businesses forced closed by the pandemic began to reopen. The agency says 953,000 jobs were added last month, including 488,000 full-time and 465,000 part-time positions. The unemployment rate fell to 12.3 per cent in June after hitting a record-high of 13.7 per cent in May.

The average economist estimate for June had been for an addition of 700,000 jobs and the unemployment rate to fall to 12.0 per cent, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate would have been 16.3 per cent had it included in unemployment counts those who wanted to work, but did not look for a job.

The jobs report this morning says there are still some 3.1 million people affected by the shutdowns of March and April when public health restrictions forced businesses to close and workers to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19. About 2.5 million didn't have jobs in June, either due to temporary or permanent layoffs, while the remainder are working less than half their usual hours.

As restrictions eased, the number of people participating in the labour force grew by about 786,000 after May's 491,000 gain, bringing those considered in the labour force to within 443,000 of its pre-pandemic level.

The unemployment rate for women was 12.7 per cent in June compared to 12.1 per cent for men. Similarly, the participation rate for core-aged men was less than one percentage point below the February level, while for women it was 1.4 percentage points short.

The underutilization rate -- which counts those who are unemployed, those who want a job but didn't look for one, and those working less than half their usual hours -- was 28.3 for women and 25.5 per cent for men.

The Bank of Canada and federal government say the worst of the economic pain from the pandemic is behind the country, but Canada will face high unemployment and low growth until 2021.

Regina working to streamline pot store application process as market opens up

The City of Regina is working to streamline the application process for marijuana retail stores in the city once the cap is lifted on the number of stores allowed in each community. The Saskatchewan government announced last October that the cap on stores in communities would be lifted in September of this year. In a delegation to the city's planning commission meeting on Wednesday, one pot shop owner expressed concern over the plan.

The committee voted in favour of a change to the wording of the zoning bylaw, which would essentially ensure prospective applicants for permits to open new stores are approved and cleared by the province prior to applying to the City of Regina.

An amendment, introduced by Coun. Andrew Stevens, was approved to prepare a report on the economic impact assessment on the city as a result of legalization. That report is expected back before the committee in 2021. Stevens, who noted the agenda item was about the application process and not the market, said the meeting highlighted the city's opportunity to get ahead of the provincial government when the process changes in the fall. 

The decision needs approval by city council, which will meet July 29.

U.S. members of Congress push Canada to reopen border

In an open letter addressed to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, 29 bipartisan members of Congress called on the Canadian government to plan a phased reopening of the Canada-U.S. border and to consider easing existing measures.

"We are asking that the United States and Canada immediately craft a comprehensive framework for phased reopening of the border based on objective metrics and accounting for the varied circumstances across border regions," read the letter, which was published on Western New York Congressman Brian Higgins' website on July 3.

Despite the United States' plea, a spokesperson for Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that the health and safety of Canadians is "absolutely priority." "Decisions about Canada's border are made by Canadians, for Canadians," said Freeland's spokesperson, Katherine Cuplinskas, in the statement. "Since the beginning of this global pandemic, we have been having friendly ongoing conversations with our American partners about our shared border. Both sides agree that the current measures in place, which are set to expire on July 21st, have worked well in restricting non-essential travel while allowing essential crossings to continue unimpeded."

Freeland's office wasn’t alone in pushing back against the call. Social media posts show the Canadians are opposed to reopening the border for non-essential travel. These posts were much less diplomatic than the official response from Minister Freeland’s Office.

Sherrard Kuzz LLP Legal Support Program
To help navigate the recovery of COVID-19, CFA members have the opportunity to contact Sherrard Kuzz LLP for one free phone-consultation, once per calendar year, to a maximum of 15 minutes. A member may use their 15 minutes to seek information about any employment, labour or human resources issue related to the User (subject to Sherrard Kuzz LLP successfully completing a conflict check to ensure it may advise on the matter).

HOW TO ACCESS THESE SAVINGS:
To take advantage of this CFA member benefit, contact Michael Sherrard at msherrard@sherrardkuzz.com or 416-603-6240.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

JULY 13, 2020
AT 2:00 PM ET

Business Resilience Planning: Preparing your business for long term success
 50 CFE PARTICIPATION  CREDITS  

SPEAKER: Phil Racco, Senior Manager, Enterprise Risk Services, MNP LLP

COVID-19 caused a wave of disruption to business and life in Canada.In this interactive discussion, gain practical insights on how to prepare your business to respond to disruption now and in the future.

We encourage you to submit your questions ahead of time.

JULY 21, 2020
AT 2:00 PM ET

Getting consistent, measurable return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts has always been hard. Running a business is even harder. In this session, Luke Aulin will untangle the changes you can make in your digital marketing strategy and execution to put your franchise system on the path to measurable, repeatable and scalable results for head office and for your franchisees.

 JULY 22, 2020
AT 2:00 PM ET

Diversity and Inclusion in Franchising
 50 CFE PARTICIPATION  CREDITS  

Members of the franchise community know that everything else aside, franchising is about people - and successful franchise owners are ones who take this to heart. Join this session to gain insight into diversity and inclusion practices that will foster growth and innovation in your workplace, giving your company an extra edge as you grow your business.

 JULY 28, 2020
AT 2:00 PM ET

Navigating the digital world and digitizing your business
 50 CFE PARTICIPATION  CREDITS  

Join this panel discussion for an in-depth conversation about business in the digital world including: digital payments and cyber security, managing the customer experience in a digital world, choosing the right solution(s) for your business and where to find them, moving business processes online (e.g. accounting, payroll, etc.), and managing your data.

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Feedback from our Members

“I would like to take this moment to express how amazing the CFA webinar series has been for myself and my stores. I am regularly sharing the information and enjoy the daily "break" around lunch time, basically having a nearly daily lunch and learn.”

 - Suzanne Howie, Franchise Support, Print Three Franchising Corp.

COVID-19's impact on the world is creating waves across all sectors and industries.

Every member of the CFA community is dealing with an issue that is affecting the world, our industries, our communities, our businesses, and our people.

We would like to hear from you if you have any topics, issues or questions to navigate turbulent times in order to support you further: 

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