KITCHENER - Sittler Environmental Inc., a recycling and waste management company based in Elmira, Ont., was fined $95,000 on May 15, 2007 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in the death of an employee at a road construction project in Cambridge, Ont.

On September 14, 2005, a worker was supervising the removal and grinding up of tree parts and other debris when the worker was struck by an excavator and died later that day in hospital. Just before the incident the worker had approached a "tub grinder" (machine that grinds trees, stumps and roots) to get a better view of its operation. One of the excavator operators noticed the worker, made eye contact twice and signalled an intention to move a log into the tub grinder. The operator thought the worker understood and proceeded to move the excavator into position. A scream was heard and the operator looked around and saw the worker underneath the excavator's right track. The operator reversed the excavator off the worker.

The incident occurred at a roadway construction project to extend the Can-Amera Parkway from Conestoga Boulevard to Hespeler Road in Cambridge. Sittler Environmental Inc. had been hired by the project's constructor Cox Construction Limited, of Guelph, Ont., to remove trees and other debris to make way for the new road.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found the tub grinder was very loud and prevented workers from hearing one another. A combination of eye contact and hand signals was a normal method of communication between workers, but there was no adequate standardized system of communication. As a result, the excavator operator and deceased worker were unable to communicate with each other with the degree of certainty needed to ensure the deceased worker's safety.

Sittler Environmental Inc. pleaded guilty, as an employer, to one count

of failing to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring an adequate,

standardized system of communication between workers was established and

maintained at the work site. This was contrary to Section 25(2)(h) of the act.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Robert Gay of the Ontario

Court of Justice in Kitchener. In addition, the court imposed a 25-per-cent

victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The

surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist

victims of crime.

One out of every three Canadians identifies themselves as a workaholic, and these individuals are much more likely to be dissatisfied with the balance between their work and family time than other workers, a new study has found.

The study, published today in the May online edition of Canadian Social Trends, used data from the 2005 General Social Survey (GSS) to examine whether quality of life is different for workers who describe themselves as workaholics than for those who do not self-identify as workaholics.

The self-identification question is one of a set of questions designed to measure Canadians' perceptions of time pressure, especially as it affects the balance between work and family life. These questions have been asked since 1992 in the GSS and have been used extensively in academic research.

Quality of life was measured using three criteria: balance between work and family time, time pressure and general life satisfaction. The perceptions and thresholds depend to a large extent on a worker's family, social and work circumstances. Crossing these thresholds can have important impacts on their lives.

The study found that almost one-third (31%) of working Canadians aged 19 to 64 identify themselves as workaholics. This proportion has not changed since the GSS first began collecting these data 15 years ago.

About 39% of self-identified workaholics reported that they usually worked 50 or more hours per week, twice the proportion of only 20% among non-workaholics.

On the other hand, 65% of workaholics worried that they do not spend enough time with family and friends, a much higher proportion than the 45% of non-workaholics who reported doing so. They were also more likely to report that the general state of their health was fair or poor, and that they had trouble sleeping.

However, they did not enjoy their jobs more than other workers. On a 10-point scale, both groups reported an average satisfaction score of 7.4 with their work.

Similarly, there was no difference in terms of satisfaction with their financial situation, suggesting that people who consider themselves workaholics are driven to work as they do by reasons other than the need to earn more income.

The study found that a higher proportion of self-identified workaholics appeared to recognize that they have a problem using their time effectively.

They were more likely than non-workaholics to feel rushed, trapped in a daily routine, and unable to accomplish what they set out to do at the beginning of the day.

Over one-half (56%) felt they simply did not have time for fun, much higher than the one-third (34%) of non-workaholics who felt that way.

According to the 2005 GSS, there was no significant difference between self-identified workaholics and non-workaholics in terms of their personal income, education, marital status, family structure, or place of residence.

But compared with non-workaholics, workaholics were more likely to be in management jobs and less likely to be professionals. It is possible that professionals accept that working longer hours are an integral part of their professional role.

This online edition of Canadian Social Trends also contains the article "Aboriginal languages in Canada: Emerging trends and perspectives on second language acquisition."

The article uses census data for 2001 and 1996 to show that the declining transmission of Aboriginal mother tongues from generation to generation was offset by the fact that Aboriginal languages were also being learned as second languages.

One-quarter (24%) of the Aboriginal population in Canada was able to speak or understand an Aboriginal language, down from 29% in 1996. Much of this was due to the declining population of people who had an Aboriginal mother tongue.

However, the loss of mother tongue speakers was counterbalanced to some degree by the number of people learning an Aboriginal language as their second language. According to the 2001 Census, 20% of all people who spoke an Aboriginal language, more than 47,100, had learned it as a second language.

Furthermore, people who spoke an Aboriginal language as a second language tended to be considerably younger than those who spoke it as a mother tongue. About 45% of those speaking it as second language were less than 25 years old, compared with 38% of people having an Aboriginal language as mother tongue.

Interestingly, younger generations living outside Aboriginal communities, especially those in urban areas, were also likely to learn an Aboriginal language as a second language rather than as a mother tongue.

For example, among registered Indians living off-reserve, 165 children aged 10 to 14 were able to speak a First Nation language for every 100 children with a First Nation mother tongue.

The growth of a youthful population of second language speakers may have significant implications for the long-term viability of Aboriginal languages, especially those that are considered endangered.

Among some of the most endangered languages, for example, Tlingit, Haida and some of the smaller Salish languages, second language learners accounted for over half the speaking population.

The Bureau alleges that starting in the fall of 2004, Mr. Roy and PCMG made representations to prospective clients which created the false or misleading impression that they have an extensive network of personal contacts or "links" with senior level executives in the corporate world, and that they will use this network to provide contacts and arrange job interviews for clients with these "decision-makers".

The Bureau also alleges that Mr. Roy and PCMG misled prospective clients by creating the false or misleading impression that potential clients will almost certainly find work quickly with their help, typically within 90 days, and at a position with salary and benefits equal to or better than their previous job.

PCMG typically charged clients fees in the range of $5,000 to $7,000 for their services. PCMG advertised in newspapers and magazines, and promoted itself on "Careers Today", a weekly program broadcast by CFUN radio, and on the Internet.

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that promotes and maintains fair competition so that all Canadians can benefit from competitive prices, product choice and quality service. It oversees the application of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act.

Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) data also show that, based on after-tax income, the percentage of Canadian families living below Statistics Canada's low income cut-off (LICO) remained unchanged in 2005.

An estimated 655,000 Canadian families were living in low income in 2005, 7.4% of all families. Some 788,000 children under 18 were living in low-income families, 11.7% of the total.

Market income remained virtually unchanged

Families and singles earned the lion's share of their total income from market income. Median market income of both families and singles remained virtually unchanged between 2004 and 2005.

In 2005, the median market income of two-parent families with children was $72,800.

The median market income of female lone-parent families, at $22,200, remained virtually unchanged from 2004. However, this was a huge increase compared with the 25-year low of $8,600 in 1996. Much of the gain during this last decade reflects higher earnings and a larger proportion of working mothers.

Stability in taxes and transfers

Median taxes and transfers changed little for both families and unattached individuals.

For every $100 in total income received by Canadian families in 2005, an average of $10 came from government transfers. This compared with the 25-year low of $8 in 1980, and highs of $13 in the early 1990s.

Families paid $17 of every $100 in personal income taxes in 2005, compared with a low of $15 in 1980 and a high of $20 in 1998.

These changes between 1980 and 2005 reflected factors such as economic recessions and booms, changes in tax and transfer programs, and changes in demographics such as family composition, student status and population aging.

Income inequality: Gap widens between the lowest- and highest-income families

To analyse income inequality, families were divided into five groups, or quintiles, in ascending order of families' after-tax income. Each quintile represented 20%, or one-fifth, of all families.

The gap between the families with the lowest and highest incomes, an indication of income inequality, widened during the past decade. The gap between the top and bottom quintiles started at $83,800 in 1980, and fluctuated between $79,500 and $84,500 until 1996. By 2005, the gap had reached $105,400.

Average after-tax income in 2005 was $128,200 for the 20% of families with the highest incomes, compared with $22,800 for the 20% with the lowest.

Though all quintiles benefited from the positive economic conditions that prevailed since the early 1990s, families in the top one-fifth gained the most. Since 1996, their average after-tax income rose 24% compared with about 18% for the other quintiles.

Highest 20% of income recipients pay almost 60% of personal income taxes

The 20% of families and unattached individuals who took home the highest amount of after-tax income in 2005 collectively paid almost 60% of all personal income taxes that year, up from 50% in 1980.

This change reflects, in part, increases in their share of total after-tax income and the redistributive nature of Canada's personal income tax systems.

Government transfers and federal-provincial-territorial income tax systems help redistribute income from higher income Canadians to lower income Canadians — hence reducing income inequality.

In 2005, the average market income for families in the highest quintile was 12.8 times higher than those in the lowest quintile. However, once all government transfers are distributed, this ratio fell to 6.9 times higher. After taxes the average income for families in the highest quintile was 5.6 times higher than their counterparts in the lowest.

Low-income rate remained unchanged for most family types

Statistics Canada's low-income rate measures the percentage of families below the low income cut-off (LICO). The LICO is a statistical measure of the income thresholds below which Canadians likely devote a larger share of income than average to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing.

In 2005, an estimated 655,000 Canadian families were below the LICO after taxes, representing 7.4% of all families, a proportion unchanged from 2004. The families in low income faced an average gap of $7,900, which represents the amount of income they required to bring their income above the cut-off.

Female lone-parent families saw a decline in their low income rates, from 36.0% in 2004 to 29.1% in 2005. This reflects an upward trend in market income in recent years driven by higher earnings and a larger proportion of earners.

Although this decline continued a four-year downward trend, the incidence of low income for female lone-parent families remained more than four times as high as that of two-parent family with children.

In 2005, about 3.4 million people were in low income. They accounted for 10.8% of all Canadians in 2005, compared with 11.4% in 2004 and well below the peak of 15.7% in 1996.

In 2005, the low-income rate among seniors remained stable at 6.1%.

An estimated 788,000 children under 18 years of age lived in low-income families in 2005, down from 1.3 million in 1996. About 11.7% of children lived in low-income families in 2005, well below the peak of 18.6% in 1996.

In 2005, 320,000 children, just under one-half of all the children in low-income families, lived in female lone-parent families. The low-income rate of children in female lone-parent families was more than four times higher than that of children living in two-parent families. However the low-income rate for these children fell from 40.4% in 2004 to 33.4% in 2005.

Provinces: Alberta families had highest median income for the second consecutive year

For the second consecutive year, Alberta families with two or more people had the highest median after-tax income.

Alberta families reported a median of $64,700 compared with $61,000 for Ontario families. Both were well above the national median of $56,000.

Incomes in Alberta and Ontario were virtually identical in 2003. Alberta families took the lead in 2004 and saw it increase in 2005.

Quebec families saw a 3.5% increase of their after-tax income to $50,400 in 2005. After-tax income was virtually unchanged in all other provinces. Families in Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest after-tax income at $43,100.

Selected income concepts by main family types, 2005
	Median
	Market income	Government transfers	Income taxes	After-tax income
	2005 constant dollars
Economic families, two persons or more	57,700	3,900	8,600	56,000
Senior families	22,100	22,000	2,900	40,400
Non-senior couples without children	63,700	200	10,400	55,700
Two-parent families with children	72,800	2,700	11,600	65,700
Female lone-parent families	22,200	6,800	500	30,400
Single persons	18,100	500	2,000	21,400

Median income for economic families and single persons
	1996	1998	2000	2002	2003	2004	2005
	2005 constant dollars
Economic families, two persons or more
Market income	49,900	52,700	56,400	55,600	55,700	56,800	55,700
Government transfers	4,800	4,100	3,300	3,900	3,900	4,100	3,900
Income tax	9,000	9,400	9,600	8,700	8,600	8,700	8,600
After-tax income	48,100	49,900	52,400	54,400	54,400	55,100	56,000
Single persons
Market income	12,400	13,700	15,700	17,500	17,500	17,500	18,100
Government transfers	3,400	3,100	1,000	1,300	900	700	500
Income tax	1,500	1,800	2,100	2,300	2,200	2,300	2,000
After-tax income	18,100	18,800	19,900	21,700	21,300	21,500	21,400

Low income rates (1992 base after-tax income low income cut-off) by main family types
	1996	1998	2000	2002	2003	2004	2005
	%
Economic families, two persons or more	12.1	10.1	9.0	8.6	8.5	8.0	7.4
Senior families	3.3	3.9	3.1	2.9	2.7	2.1	1.6
Non-senior couples without children	8.4	6.7	6.9	7.1	6.6	6.4	6.4
Two-parent families with children	10.9	8.6	8.3	6.6	6.8	6.9	6.7
Female lone-parent families	52.7	42.9	36.3	39.4	38.8	36.0	29.1
Single persons	37.3	35.1	32.9	29.5	29.6	30.1	30.4

Percentage of persons in low income (1992 base after-tax income low income cut-off)
	1996	1998	2000	2002	2003	2004	2005
	%
Persons under 18 years old	18.6	15.5	13.8	12.2	12.5	13.0	11.7
In two-parent families	12.4	9.9	9.5	7.3	7.9	8.4	7.8
In female lone-parent families	55.8	46.1	40.1	43.0	41.2	40.4	33.4
Person 18 to 64 years old	15.7	13.9	12.9	12.1	12.2	11.9	11.4
Person 65 and over	9.8	8.6	7.6	7.6	6.8	5.6	6.1

Selected income concepts for economic families of two persons or more by province, 2005
	Median
	Market income	Government transfers	Income taxes	After-tax income	After-tax low-income rate
	2005 constant dollars				%
Canada	57,700	3,900	8,600	56,000	7.4
Newfoundland and Labrador	36,900	11,000	5,800	43,100	6.5
Prince Edward Island	44,000	8,200	6,600	47,600	3.1
Nova Scotia	49,100	5,900	7,700	49,400	4.6
New Brunswick	43,200	6,400	6,000	45,400	7.3
Quebec	50,100	6,300	8,200	50,400	7.3
Ontario	63,600	3,200	9,600	61,000	7.7
Manitoba	55,100	3,200	8,500	52,700	8.5
Saskatchewan	52,200	3,000	7,400	51,600	7.6
Alberta	70,300	1,400	10,300	64,700	5.5
British Columbia	57,000	3,300	7,300	57,100	8.4

Note to readers

This release examines economic family income and low income in Canada. The data prior to 1996 are drawn from the Survey of Consumer Finances. Beginning with 1996, the data are taken from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics.

Note that this report analyses family income on the basis of medians. The median is the point at which half of all families had higher income than the rest, and half had less. All income estimates are expressed in constant 2005 dollars to factor in inflation and allow for comparisons across time in real terms.

Market income is the sum of earnings from employment and net self-employment income, investment income (excluding capital gains), and private retirement income. It is also called income before taxes and transfers. After-tax income is the total of market income and government transfers, less income tax.

Statistics Canada's low-income rate measures the percentage of families below the low income cut-off (LICO). The LICO is a statistical measure of the income thresholds below which Canadians likely devote a larger share of income than average to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing. For further information, consult the article "On poverty and low income" (13F0027XIE) available free online.

A follow-up report, which will be published shortly, will focus on the low income experience of unattached Canadians aged 18 to 64.

International Coach Federation GTA PRISM Awards to be presented May 25

TORONTO - Four Canadian organizations will be honoured at the 2007 International Coach Federation (ICF) GTA PRISM Awards for achieving excellence in performance and leadership through coaching. The four winners, representing a cross section of industries - from not-for-profit to construction, food service and marketing - exemplify how professionally-certified coaches have played an instrumental role in driving new business, engaging employees and leading executive teams through times of significant transition.

"This is the seventh year for the PRISM Awards, and we are delighted to see such a strong cross-section of success stories that showcase the power of professional coaching," says Thomas Schulz, President of ICF GTA. "Each of this year's winners has a compelling tale to tell about how coaching has truly made a difference to their businesses - from a one man operation who believed that coaching was the key to future growth, to a Canadian charitable foundation whose CEO has since received national recognition for her leadership efforts."

The 2007 PRISM Award winners are: <<

- Large Business: Sysco Canada Inc.

Sysco Canada Inc. is being recognized for its three-year multi-phased leadership development initiative that was conducted during a time of unprecedented growth for the food services leader. Developed and executed by Prophet Coaching under the guidance of Cassandra L. Gierden, PCC(1), the program allowed Sysco to steer its rapidly evolving executive team through several acquisitions and aggressive growth targets.

- Medium Business: Tribute Communities

Building on 25 years of success as one of Ontario's largest volume home builders, Tribute Communities introduced a one-year coaching program that began in the fall of 2005 and focused on the 'internal' Tribute community - the employees and organization's culture. Led by Eileen Chadnick, ACC(2), ACPC(3) of Big Cheese Coaching, this initiative dubbed "Building on Success through Engagement" was instrumental in creating a higher level of employee engagement and support for Tribute's purpose and overall mission.

- Small Business: Impact Communications

Peterborough-based marketing and advertising company Impact Communications initiated a coaching program in 2003 when the company had just one employee. Working with Sophie Cousins-Mathewson, PCC, of Prism Group International, owner Mike Melnik has continued to foster a "think-tank" approach as new employees have come on board to encourage creative thinking and competitiveness. This ongoing initiative has laid the groundwork for continued success.

- Non Profit: National Ovarian Cancer Foundation (NOCA)

Significant growth through regional office expansion prompted CEO Elisabeth Ross to accept a donation of services from Sarah Robinson, ATC4, of A Muse Coach and Colleen Hurst, ATC, of Coach for C.H.A.N.G.E to help the organization build a stronger foundation. By building a sense of connection between members, the coaching program enabled more efficient reporting systems and a consistent management approach across all facets of operations throughout this time of major transition. As a result of her leadership efforts, Elisabeth has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women. >>

At the event, Award winners will provide insights on how coaching has made a difference in their organization and its affect on bottom-line results. Keynote Speaker Brett Richards, is the leading North American Master Trainer in Effective Intelligence, an international business-based system designed to improve thinking and organizational performance.

Jo-Anne Hughes, of the Child Witness Centre in Waterloo Region and Wellington County, received her award for providing outstanding service to victims of crime in the province of Ontario.

Lynn Zammit, of the Choices for Youth Program and Restorative Justice Project, Waterloo Region District School Board, received her award for exceptional support and dedication to youth and other victims.

“I am pleased to congratulate these two exceptional women on receiving these significant awards, the first provincial awards to recognize the exemplary volunteers and professionals who provide high quality and innovative services to victims of crime and those victims who have gone on to raise the profile of victims’ issues in their communities,” said John Milloy, Kitchener Centre “These awards are a tribute to the recipients’ dedication, creativity, motivation and strength.”

“I am deeply honoured to receive this award,” said Jo-Anne Hughes. “I appreciate the recognition of the important services we provide in protecting the rights of child witnesses, making them feel safe and secure in court and addressing their special needs as they make their ways through the courts system.”

“I want to thank the Attorney General and panel for this honour,” said Lynn Zammit. “Throughout my career I have worked to give a voice to victims of school violence and I am pleased that this award will help raise the profile of efforts to make schools safer.”

Eligible nominees for the awards include individuals or groups, and can be nominated by any person or organization in the province. The nominations were reviewed by a panel consisting of a member each from the victim services community, Ministry of the Attorney General staff and the Office for Victims of Crime. The Office for Victims of Crime offers advice to the Attorney General on ways to ensure that the principles set out in the Victims’ Bill of Rights are respected.

“We are very pleased to participate in such an important program, that highlights the recipients’ outstanding qualities of leadership,” said Ruth Campbell, Chair of the Office for Victims of Crime. “These recipients are excellent role models for the entire victim services community.”

“These awards recognize the many attributes of the recipients, and their efforts to develop and carry through effective and innovative services and strategies,” said Attorney General Michael Bryant. “The McGuinty government is committed to continuously increasing the effectiveness of victim services across the province, and one step in achieving that goal is to make sure that local agencies know about and learn from the successes of exemplary individuals and organizations.”

In Canada's largest industrial sectors, year-to-date growth reached 3.1% in health and social assistance, 2.8% in manufacturing, 0.8% in retail trade and 0.4% in educational services.

Among the provinces, Alberta continues to lead earnings growth with a year-to-date increase of 5.2%.

In Canada, there was an increase of 7,900 (+0.1%) payroll jobs in February, making the total estimated number of payroll jobs 14,252,400. Nova Scotia (+0.6%), Alberta (+0.5%), and Prince Edward Island (+0.5%) recorded the largest percentage increases in employment for February. The largest absolute increases were in Alberta (+8,500) and British Columbia (+5,200).

The average hourly earnings for hourly paid employees fell 0.4% in February to $18.85. The average weekly hours for hourly paid employees declined 0.6% to 31.3 hours.