Eric O’Brien
CAMPBELL’S BAY – About ten local businesses attended an information session organized by the MRC Pontiac, SADC Pontiac, and multiple Québec ministries as part of a business information tour of the Outaouais region, November 15 at the RA Hall.
Eric O’Brien
CAMPBELL’S BAY – About ten local businesses attended an information session organized by the MRC Pontiac, SADC Pontiac, and multiple Québec ministries as part of a business information tour of the Outaouais region, November 15 at the RA Hall.
The different ministries — Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation and the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration — gave presentations on the various programs, services and measures they offer. Recruitment and the current labour shortage in the Outaouais particularly caught the attention of those present.
“I got more information than I was expecting. We can tell the government is willing and pushing to help us develop,” said Nicolas Greco of El Camino Farm, which specializes in the manufacturing of rose petal products including jelly, vinegar and syrup. Greco said he will now be able to move forward more effectively than he would have without the government’s help.
Although the presenters answered a few important questions during the meeting, some businesses said the information provided didn’t really apply to them. “We’ve been trying to find solutions [to the labour shortages] for quite some time. Their process is a little too demanding and doesn’t take into account [the reality of] small and medium businesses,” said Connie Gutoskie, co-owner of BMR Matériaux JLS.
According to Services Québec-Outaouais, businesses face an employee turnover averaging 18 months for those between the ages of 18-34. Emploi-Québec said funding is available for recruitment purposes, but the current labour shortage
has made it difficult to find qualified, committed candidates for local positions.
