Topic: Labor shortage in Kelowna, BC?

[Benhaze]

Hey ovr, I thought this was interesting... The job was advertised in Southwestern Ontario. We now see often oil related jobs advertised in Ontario but this has nothing to do with the booming job market in the West.

[dr_spock]

Kelowna is not bad place.   Maybe they're trying to get some fresh blood. 

[prufrock]

It seems to me that the Daily Courier there is often turning over managing editors, at least in terms of what you'd expect in a newspaper. Maybe the new one can make the paper worth reading.

Looking at Kelowna's labour market in general, it is really just starting to feel the pinch that other areas have been hurting from for a long while now. I grew up there and can testify to how companies happily exploited the workforce, saying that they didn't need to pay more as everyone wanted to move there for the weather.

Now, housing starts at $200K for a condo and people can't live off of the minimum wage salaries they are given. Consider that other than the new growth in telecommunications (call centres), there is little industry there other than the mill. Western Star shut down years ago, and it was a huge source of jobs.

Great wealth poured in from Vancouver, and that changed the entire face of that valley.

[Snowman]

Every major player in the Alberta oil and gas industry has had and is continuing to have carer fairs in Sudbury. It started in late August and has not stopped since. This will be the single biggest factor in limiting the Canadian economy to grow. You can thank industry and government for inaction on this when this was first recognized as a problem 15 years ago.

[ovr50]

Well - just some random points:
- there is a labor shortage generally most everywhere in Alberta and BC
- Kelowna has grown up and grown in pop a lot in the past 5 or so years
- Kelowna and the OK Valley are considered one of the top places to live in the entire country
- the Kelowna Courier is a poor newspaper IMO, and I read it only on Firdays for the "Wheels" section
- the Courier is owned by a large group (I'll have to get the name) and it is easy for them to advertise thru that group anywhere in Canada.
- it is rather unlikely that a position such as advertised would be filled by someone from here, more likely to be someone from elsewhere
- being here, the position may appeal to someone in Ontario, whose economy is not as strong as BCs is right now
- The Courier may well be looking for fresh leadership - if they aren't, they should be.
- true there is not a lot of large industrial employers here; but the hospital and school/university areas employ many thousands. There is a lot of independent and enthrepreneurial ppl here and small businesses are common.
- Kelowna is becoming a centre for technology, although not yet employing thousands, there are lots of small start-ups here, and who knows which could become the next Microsoft.
- many ppl here do not need to work, or don't need to work at high paying jobs.
- some ppl work far up North (eg Diavik diamond mines in NWT) or in oil field jobs in northern BC & AB and commute from here, on a days-in/days-out basis.

For some ppl, being here and earning $50k is better than being in Flin Flon and earning $80K.

[davidy]

I believe that the average house in Kelowna is in the $350,000 range. Ouch! Unfortunately, some of the salaries in the Kelowna area don't measure up to other similar sized cities (eg. professional occupation).....moderately high house prices and average (or a bit below) salaries are not a good combo IMO. However, it does have nice sunny weather in the summer....a bit too hot and dry for me when I was growing up in the Okanagan. Fairly mild winters too.

I prefer the West Kootenays over the Okanagan...much more scenic (eg. mountains appear to be right in your face). More laid back lifestyle too. However, a vehicle is a must since the transportation modes are weak. Similar weather to the Okanagan in the summer (maybe a touch lower temps) and winters are hardier too. Not a whole of jobs like the Okanagan though. Probably a good place to retire if you like recreation and being less busy.

Dave

[wing]

Can a 2 year old be the editor?  WOW that's bad!

[ovr50]

I believe that the average house in Kelowna is in the $350,000 range. Ouch! Unfortunately, some of the salaries in the Kelowna area don't measure up to other similar sized cities (eg. professional occupation).....moderately high house prices and average (or a bit below) salaries are not a good combo IMO. However, it does have nice sunny weather in the summer....a bit too hot and dry for me when I was growing up in the Okanagan. Fairly mild winters too.

I prefer the West Kootenays over the Okanagan...much more scenic (eg. mountains appear to be right in your face). More laid back lifestyle too. However, a vehicle is a must since the transportation modes are weak. Similar weather to the Okanagan in the summer (maybe a touch lower temps) and winters are hardier too. Not a whole of jobs like the Okanagan though. Probably a good place to retire if you like recreation and being less busy.

Dave

Housing affordability index for Kelowna is probably poor right now, as prices are high, and high paying jobs are scarce. BUT, a great many folk who come here are not needing a job or very little in the way of a job. It is tough for young families starting out, but that is always the case. A lot of what is driving local prices here is the Alberta buyers, and some Vancouver money. I agree the Koots are nice, and the scenery is different, one could argue whether it's better or not - depends what you like. I would say the winters in the Koots are a LOT harsher with a LOT more snow than in the OK Valley. I doubt there a lot of high paying jobs in the Koots either, but house prices are less. Both areas do attract folk from other parts of Canada, and all that expanse of land east of the Rockys. 

Wife and I took a serious look at moving to the Grand Forks area a couple years, but in the end, decided it was just too small yet for us. I like to be able to go the Chapters, get a Starbucks, and eat out in a decent place once in a while. Besides there are not enough car dealers, have to drive to Kelowna anyway. Lots of ppl from the Koots and the Grand Forks area come to Kelowna to shop. Might as well live here, I figure. 

[barrie1]

I was surprised when they shut down the Western Star factory as it had been there forever almost and in the hands of the founding family as well. Why they never had a clause in it that it would stay there when they sold it is beyond me in thinking as they owed that to the loyal employess who built it into what it is to-day. Still one of the heaviest built trucks there is on the road to-day from any company. 

[ovr50]

I was surprised when they shut down the Western Star factory as it had been there forever almost and in the hands of the founding family as well. Why they never had a clause in it that it would stay there when they sold it is beyond me in thinking as they owed that to the loyal employess who built it into what it is to-day. Still one of the heaviest built trucks there is on the road to-day from any company. 

Actually Western Star had had several different owner groups in the years before it was sold to Freightliner, a division of DC. At one time, it was owned by White Motors. At the time of sale, it was majority owned by Australian interests, although it was a public co having gone public in 1994 IIRC. About a year after the sale, it was closed and some employees moved to the Portland area for Freightliner, and some to the Cleveland area. Most employees just got other jobs (usually at less money) or moved on. The market for Class 8 (or is it 10?) trucks was very much a feast or famine type of market but, as correctly stated, the Western Star truck was a good truck, and it was the local workforce that did it. At its largest, it employed only about 1600 ppl.

[prufrock]

Maybe only 1600 direct jobs, but you can't ignore all the manufacturing and transportation jobs directly tied to the plant.

I worked a couple of summers for a local moving company that had contracts for hauling a lot of items into the plant. There were some local businesses that essentially only existed becuase of Western Star.

It was, from what I heard, a decent place to work. A friend form high school was hired when he was 18 and was making enough money by 21 to have bought his own house (with a mortgage, of course). I often thought about that as I was sitting in lectures for 6 years.

As for the quality for the local rag, I prefer the free paper that comes twice a week. Myabe it's left over resentment for a wasted childhood of delivering the damn Courier until I got a real job -- selling coffee and smokes at the bingo hall! 

[ovr50]

Sorry, I was not belittling 1600 mfg jobs as they do create somewhere around 7 other jobs for each direct mfg job. Kelowna is much more diverse than it was say 15 or 20 years ago. If a plant such as WS had closed in say 1982, the impact would have been far worse. I'm sure those that lost a job would disagree, but the closing was not all that painful here and other things (such as tech) have come to take it's place. The other industry I had not mentioned yet is the rapidly growing wine-tourism business which is becoming quite a major player here. Add the golf and ski industries, and the lake itself, and the tourism sector is strong. 

BTW, they are no longer called lowly "bingo halls"; we prefer the term "gaming entertainment centre".
And the smoking area is totally segregated and no air flows between the two areas. A marvel of modern HVAC engineering. 

[safristi]

FORWAD THINKING!!!...seems like a 2 year old is already in the JOB..... maybe they want a MANGLING EDITOR.......

[Benhaze]

Looks like the new managing editor is doing somewhat a better job than his predecessor. Job experience requirement is up quite a bit (50%) from 2 to 3 years!   

[tpl]

so no more forwad, Presidennt, workin gknowledge, reporterss, conjuunction, mannagement and aggreement but now we have   superivising, manager editor.  SO I guess the new managing editor is doing a good job...on the error rate at least.

[ovr50]

Ralph Klein should apply, he is out of work soon, and he used to be City Editor for the Herald in Calgary..

[avtoller]

Ralph Klein should apply, he is out of work soon, and he used to be City Editor for the Herald in Calgary..

I understand that he already has a teaching job in Calgary - communications IIRC. 

[kelli]

Uh.. the Managing Editor would be the City Editor's boss... so i'm not sure what the comparison is there..

Many Managerial positons get posted nationally. If you don't have anyone to hire internally, and you don't like in a metropolis like TO or Van, you tend to have to make the net a bit larger to find someone qualified to run the editorial part of a paper.

I worked for a local publishing company (3 industry papers) and we always published out ME jobs nationally.