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Newsstand: January 22, 2015
If you’ve ever been lost in the maze that is the PATH, you’ll be happy to know that new, easier-to-use directional signage and maps are coming to the system in time for the Pan Am Games. Google is also developing a way for the PATH to be listed on Google Maps. In other news: Median income in Toronto is on the decrease while it sees gains elsewhere across the country, a new general manager for the CNE, no new chair for the Police Services Board, and a possible strike at York University.
A new analysis of Statistics Canada figures on median employment income by the Broadbent Institute indicates that quality of life is stagnating in Toronto and across Ontario. The new research shows that most workers in the province are making less, even though income levels have been steadily on the rise across much of the country. The median income in Ontario decreased by 1.7 per cent between 2006 and 2012, while all other provinces and territories (except British Columbia) recorded increases. In Toronto the median fared worse, dropping 2.8 per cent during the same period. Elsewhere across the country, national median incomes went up by 3.5 per cent. Andrew Jackson, a senior policy advisor at the Broadbent Institute, says that a limited recovery of well-paid manufacturing jobs after the 2009 recession and the rise in precarious employment have contributed to sluggish income growth. Deena Ladd of the Worker’s Action Centre says the provincial government could boost workers’ wages by targeting employers who rely on temporary or contract employees to do full-time work, often paying them far less than those in permanent positions.
The times they are a-changin’ at the Canadian National Exhibition, where Virginia Ludy has been named general manager, replacing the long-serving David Bednar who will retire this spring. Ludy is a CNE veteran who has over 30 years’ experience in the fair industry. She becomes the first-ever woman to hold the post after spending time as the assistant general manager and director of operations at the CNE.
The times are not exactly a-changin’ at the Toronto Police Services Board, though. The seven-member board voted on Wednesday afternoon to re-elect chair Alok Mukherjee. Mukherjee has held the post since 2007, which makes him the longest-serving chair of the board in history. Mayor John Tory, who serves on the board, has been critical of Mukherjee in the past but said that he supported the one-year extension because Mukherjee was an appropriate choice to lead a year of transition that will see the departure of Police Chief Bill Blair and the re-opening of contract negotiations.
CUPE 3903, the union that represents teaching assistants and contract faculty at York University, will begin a week-long strike vote this Friday, as contract negotiations hit an impasse around working conditions for contract teachers. The union argues that contract teachers are hired on a per-term basis that offers no predictability whether or not the course they are teaching will be offered again in future semesters. This instability means that temporary teachers have less time to prepare course materials, which negatively impacts students’ learning experience. The vote will not automatically guarantee that teachers will walk out on campus. According to union chair Faiz Ahmed, it will simply mean CUPE 3903 has been given a mandate to strike. On Thursday, a provincially appointed conciliator will be brought in to advise on negotiations to try to avoid any strike action.