TORONTO – Experts said they are encouraged by a new Statistics Canada report showing a rise in the percentage of people with disabilities finding jobs, but cautioned that they continue to face challenges in their path toward full integration into the work force.
The latest data released Thursday from the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) found that between 2001 and 2006, the increase in the employment rate was highest among people with disabilities, rising from 49.3 per cent to 53.5 per cent.
The employment rate for people without disabilities increased from 73.8 per cent to 75.1 per cent over the same five-year period.
That translates to 339,590 more people with disabilities working by 2006, compared with 874,960 more people without disabilities.
Canada's economy during the five-year period – which was strongest among all G7 countries – likely accounts for the increase, said Statistics Canada analyst Andrew MacKenzie. --{QR}Feds, Ontario set aside bickering to announce billions in infrastructure agreement
LONDON, Ontario – The federal and Ontario governments papered over some deep fiscal disagreements on Thursday as Ottawa pledged billions of dollars in new money for roads, the Internet and other infrastructure in a province heavily bleeding manufacturing jobs.
Four senior ministers from the two levels of government were all smiles for the announcement, taking care to praise the co-operation that led to the funding deal that will see a total new investment of $9.3 billion in Ontario infrastructure over the next seven years.
Ottawa will kick in $6.2 billion while the province picks up the rest of that tab.
Federal Infrastructure Minister Lawrence Cannon, whose Conservative government has often been harshly critical of Ontario's Liberal government, took pains to thank the province for its “exemplary co-operation and collaboration.”
“Our government will work with Ontario to identify and deliver upon those infrastructure needs most critical to Ontarians,” Cannon said.
“We will do that in the spirit of open federalism and co-operation.” --
Nova Scotia minister's response to proposed EU seal product ban: kill more seals
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia's fisheries minister called for an expanded annual seal hunt Thursday, thumbing his nose at a proposed move by the European Union to ban the import of seal products amid growing complaints from overseas that the hunt is inhumane.
Ron Chisholm said he believes the hunting methods used by Canadian hunters are humane and he encouraged Ottawa to press the European Parliament to reject the proposed ban.
Under legislation introduced Wednesday, the EU's 27-member states would ban seal products from countries where hunting practices are deemed cruel – though the proposal does not offer a definition of what constitutes inhumane treatment.
Nova Scotia does not have a big stake in the annual slaughter.
The province has a yearly quota of 12,000 grey seals, but hunters have rarely taken more than a few hundred annually.
The bulk of the hunting takes place off the north coast of Newfoundland, where about 200,000 harp seals were taken last year.
Still, Chisholm said Nova Scotian fishermen should be allowed to kill more seals because the grey seal population is growing too fast and they are eating too many fish.
“I know the fishermen feel that a quota of around 20,000 or 25,000 quota per year would probably level out the seal population over a certain period of time,” said Chisholm.
Chisholm said the grey seal population had exploded in recent years, and he'd like to see the hunt expanded to areas like Sable Island, where the bulk of the 300,000-strong herd can be found.
