Stricter employment insurance rules start

[Analtude]

and now your spouse has a job doing what the training taught her/him? Just curious

At that time, Yes. She has moved on since then, but at least you can get your training funded.

[cutter7]

The amount of people businesses see who are on EI and maintaining it by coming in for interviews (with the plan to blow it so they maintain not working.) is pretty bad. It's not just abuse but the EI system as it is does not encourage anyone to "try to get work" or "desire to be employed"...making it an pain to be on EI isn't a bad thing.

And seasonal workers that are off work for 4 month a year but still make 120,000 shouldn't need EI either, they need a monthly budget for their annual income, they just make it in a different way. (instead of every weekend off they get 3 months off then lots of work)

I don't see these changes as a bad thing.

Seasonal workers who make that kind of money and collect EI have to pay it back.

The max you could make without repayment used to be 37g not sure what it is now.

[Merry]

I think its about $56,000 now. Anyone who makes over that amount in a calendar year has to pay all or a portion of their EI back, depending on the amount made. I know several folks who've had to repay every single penny of their EI back when doing their income tax the following year.

Even though this sounds like it's fair, it can be quite a hardship for folks who did not know that this would happen and suddenly have to come up with thousands of dollars to repay the government.

[zzontar]

Yet we have to import workers to pick fruit in the summer because she and others like her won't take menial jobs, despite their need for the money. Make $10 an hour on EI, make $12 an hour to pick fruit - the choice always seems to come down to the easy way out, which costs us all more in the long run to subsidize those who get "money for nothin'."

I used to wonder why they had to import workers to pick fruit until I tried to make some money doing that this year and couldn't because I had no experience. "Pick with the stem, don't bruise the fruit," is there really much more to it than that, or is it a multi-year university course you have to take? EI also has to work with the employers and encourage them to hire local when local workers are ready and able to work.

[Merry]

Yet we have to import workers to pick fruit in the summer because she and others like her won't take menial jobs, despite their need for the money. Make $10 an hour on EI, make $12 an hour to pick fruit - the choice always seems to come down to the easy way out, which costs us all more in the long run to subsidize those who get "money for nothin'."

The lady lives in the north, so picking fruit is not an option.

[SurplusElect]

Yet we have to import workers to pick fruit in the summer because she and others like her won't take menial jobs, despite their need for the money. Make $10 an hour on EI, make $12 an hour to pick fruit "

My family owned a orchard in the South OK valley for 20+ years. You do not know what you are talking about.

The Provincial Government Closed the fruit pickers employment office that used to find Canadian fruit pickers jobs.

The reason "Mexicans" are hired now over French-Canadian transients, is that Mexicans can be abused more easily, worked harder for less and will not complain if you sexually harass or put their lives at risk. They wont complain about using a death trap tractor with a jimmy-rigged modified PTO for minimum wage, for example. Unscrupulous farmers love to charge "kangaroo rental fee's" to their pickers, charge them gas, rent picking baskets to them, charge them for questionable damage to trees and irrigation spigots and even just stiff them paycheques and accuse them of theft and call the police, to have them removed from the farm.

Mexicans also will ride in the back of your truck out to the Orchard in the cold and rain and not complain - just drive down to Oliver and see it.

The locals spit on, assault, harass and destroy the property (used to be called Frenchmen tent raids) and are ungrateful of French Transit help.

So now the French Canadians stay away, and the local farmers are all too happy to hire Mexican slaves instead. The fact there is little money in fruit production also has contributed to farmers bringing in Mexicans. Less labor costs.

[Rwede]

^^^ Hilarious. Bago, I speak regularly with the Mexican folks who work in the orchards near my home. I've made friends with those who return on a yearly basis, and often give them rides to the grocery store, etc.

They are some of the friendliest, happiest people I've ever met. They have no reason to lie to me, and the unwavering theme in their conversations is how much they enjoy their jobs, how much they enjoy the ability to earn more, and how much they are looking forward to coming back next year.

Your stories of "abuse" are complete works of fiction you've made up to push your social agenda. Next time, please add a disclaimer to your post that details your fabrications, as forum readers deserve to know.

[SurplusElect]

My family had a packing house in Oliver for 20 years. I used to drive downtown Oliver with a truck and hire my French labor force at Triangle park. My classmates used to go on the "tent raids". My family was one of the local families pushing for French Canadian's and bettering their experiences.

Any Oliver/Osoyoos local will gladly tell you what they call fruiting picking work. "Black racial slur" - work. The attitudes towards the work also reflects how they treat the workers.

You speak with a few workers from a 3rd world country who wouldn't dare rock the boat and think you are a expert, lol.

[twobits]

So now the French Canadians stay away, and the local farmers are all too happy to hire Mexican slaves instead. The fact there is little money in fruit production also has contributed to farmers bringing in Mexicans. Less labor costs.

What a load of dung. Any interaction I have had with Mexican farm labourers, and it's many, have been really positive. Sure, there are a few abusive orchardists out there and there always was and will be but for the most part, they are happy and grateful to be here. They also happen to be excellent workers and ten times more reliable than the transient "student" quebecois pickers were.
Prevailing labour laws also apply equally to both groups. If the Mexican labour costs less for the farmer it is not because they can pay them less, it is because they pick more and are more productive in all aspects of farm work.
If anyone was treating a class of people as slaves you might look inward when you drove to the park every day to pick up the poor and desperate labour pool only when you had extra picking to do. Real steady employment you provided and an incentive to do a good job huh? Many Mexicans today are hired for the season and typically are involved with all aspects of farm labour, not just harvest. That's why they are better employee's and return to the same employer every year.
I suspect I know why your family had an orchard/packing house.