April 24, 2023

In today’s episode: the effect of the public servant strike on Canadian residents, new support from the federal government to help address workforce challenges and retention in nursing field, survey findings related to employer benefits and mental health, how a retail company is trying to fill the seasonal jobs and other topics. Stay with us to get the latest HR updates. 

1. More than 155,000 federal public servants across the country have been on strike since April 19. PSAC union is preparing to ramp up its ongoing strike | How the PSAC strike will affect Canadians | CBC News / How the PSAC strike will affect Canadians | CBC News / PSAC strike: Union stepping up picketing efforts starting Monday | CP24.com
2. CUPE 233 picket lines went up April 17 morning at Toronto Metropolitan University | Picket lines went up Monday morning at Toronto Metropolitan University | Canadian Union of Public Employees (cupe.ca) 
3. The Government of Canada announces support to help address workforce challenges and retention in nursing field | Government of Canada Announces Support to Help Address Workforce Challenges and Retention in Nursing Field - Canada.ca 
4. Saskatchewan is getting an injection of $900,000 in federal funding for the training and mentorship of aspiring media production workers | Sask. film and television industry gets $900K in funding for new training, mentorship program | CBC News 
5. 7-Eleven is hosting a National Hiring Day event across more than 13,000 locations | 7-Eleven to Fill 50,000 Roles on National Hiring Day in Canada and the U.S. (newswire.ca) 
6. An association of health insurance providers warns small businesses may drop dental benefits once the government launches a national dental-care plan | Insurance association warns federal dental plan could lead employers to drop coverage | CityNews Toronto 
7. 42% of global employees consider the availability of fertility benefits through their employer a ‘deal breaker’ in accepting a job | 42% of global employees say lack of employer-provided fertility benefits is a 'deal breaker:' survey | Benefits Canada.com 
8. 71% of Canadian employees feel their mental health has interfered with their ability to work in the past year | 71% of Canadian employees say mental health impacted their ability to work in the past year: survey | Benefits Canada.com