Wage Cuts for Foreign Workers - Wait, Its Not Good News

On Wednesday the Canadian government quietly changed labour rules regarding foreign temporary workers. Employers will now be allowed to pay them 15 per cent less than the average wage.

This isn't good news. Yes, we have an affordable childcare shortage, and yes, temporary foreign workers from the Phillipines and Hong Kong have been wonderful at filling that need. But, we shouldn't be solving problems on the backs of other humans. Regardless of nationality or citizenship, everyone needs to be treated fairly.

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley stated “We are taking action to ensure that the temporary foreign worker program support our economic recovery and effectively responds to local labour market demands,” at a manufacturing plant in Nisku, Alta.

The need for workers will only get worse as baby boomers age out and retire. The need for caregivers will also increase, as elder care is needed for ailing baby boomers. Instead of looking at policies that encourage workplace flexibility for families, the government is going for a short term, easy win. On the backs of others.


Here's a link to CBC article with more details.

Two Words That Struck Fear into My Heart

Open. Permit.

Scared Face.

As in Dear A got hers and can now apply for employment outside of our sponsorship and the Live In Caregiver Program. I almost didn't write about this because I'm terrified that someone will read this and come and steal her away. (Please don't.)

In the big picture, this is great news for someone I truly adore. Dear A has worked hard for this opportunity and it means she's one step closer to the life she wants to build in Canada, but... GULP, what if she leaves?

I've been thinking about it for a while - since we started the applications - and we've talked about it. I know that our new contract is good, and that she's happy with us. I know that always talking to her about part-time jobs, future jobs, schooling and ways for us to help her on that path will ensure no big surprises.  But, I also know the wait lists for good day homes and day cares in our neighbourhood and the problems families are facing finding childcare all over the city.

So, I'm still scared.

A Life Without

Dear A's back from holidays tomorrow. She's been off for three weeks. The first two weeks we were on a family mostly staycation. We missed Dear A but it was lovely to spend time together, sleeping in and goofing around. Last week we were both back at work, and juggling childcare. It was a challenging, and enlightening  dry-run for when, eventually, we are without a nanny.

So far I've realized:

Without a nanny, I will be at least 10lbs heavier. Since she's been gone, I've gained 4lbs. Chasing after my kids does burn calories but it's counter to the large amounts of crap food we eat when I don't have time to cook properly. And with Dear A, I can usually find 30 minutes to get some form of exercise, without having to pay for a gym with drop in childcare.

Without a nanny, the dog would be at least 10lbs heavier. Because Dear A can help manage the kids breakfasts, our dog gets at least a few minutes for a walk each morning. 


Without a nanny, my house would be at least 10lbs heavier... due to all the dust and dog and cat hair it accumulates daily. When Dear A's here, the house get swept every day, and dusted every few. With us... well lets just say even the dog is sneezing right now. I'm working on the child labour but neither one of them is there yet!

Without a nanny, my hubby'd probably be 10 lbs lighter because we'd never get any alone time so he'd probably be all about the working out etc. so he could have an affair. Well, maybe not quite, but we'd definitely get a lot less time together to re-connect and keep our marriage going.

All in all, a life without our nanny would be a lot heavier... and a lot less.

Nanny Upgrade & Poll: What to do about Baby #2

So, I had our 2nd baby 4 months ago....

A baby girl. She's amazing! She's gorgeous, funny, smart and kind of looks like Winston Churchill. Amazing. I spend hours each day amazed. It means so much to me to be home to see her each day. I really missed out, going back to work so soon with K.

Luckily, this time, I've been able to structure it so I only work a few hours a day, from home, around Mini Churchill (MC)'s naps. I'm happy. She's happy. It's working. But its not going to work forever.

I've only got about 7 more months of this pseudo maternity leave leeway. And even now, I do occasionally need to leave her with Dear A so I can take a conference call or meeting. At this point MC isn't difficult. She's cuddly and I'm taking care of diaper and boob milk duty, so its mostly just fun. But, I have started to consider how to eventually transition her full-time into Dear A's care.

Does this seem like a good idea?

Came across a blog post today about poor treatment of live in caregivers. I've touched on this a few times because I think its really really crappy. But, the thing that gets me the most? Even if you are the type of horrible person who thinks that a foreign worker doesn't deserve a decent wage, isn't the well being of your kid worth more?

Here's the blog post: A Snapshot of the Vulnerable Underclass of Foreign Workers in Canada

In the News - Discount Nannies in the US?

In Canada, we're dealing with changes to the live-in caregiver program that will increase recruitment and monthly costs. Apparently in the US, the soft economy has resulted in discount nannies.... Bigger question in my mind, should you be looking for discount childcare? Lets hit the poll - vote and leave your comments below!

Friday FAQ - What if I need more?

Today’s question comes from a reader who's juggling work demands, home stuff and childcare. Sounds familiar right?

Q: A couple of my friends with nanny's and I have been asking the same thing. If we need our nanny to work more then the 44 hours a week consistently - what is the best way to do it? I'm not talking the odd Friday night babysitting gig - but a consistent 50 hour a week or something like that? Many of us who work downtown have to leave by 6:30am to get home by 5pm.

A: I think you have to consider a couple of things in this situation. There’s the legal/employment laws aspect of course, but also your relationship with your nanny.

Friday FAQ - Nanny applying for Permanent Residency?

Today's FAQ is mine - Dear A is in the process of applying for Permanent Residency and asked me for help. This, as usual, led me to a bunch of research... and an emotional crack up.

Q: What happens when my nanny applies for Permanent Residency? Does it affect her contract with me? What do I have to provide?

A: Your nanny's application for Permanent Residency does not affect your employment contract with you. Conditions for termination of employment would still be the same as before. What Permanent Residency does do

Nanny Playdate

We had a surprise visit last week. A newly arrived nanny was brought over to make friends with Dear A. It was a weird situation. While I don’t begrudge the new nanny a network of other Filipinos to make her life in this new country easier, through her employers 'drive-by nannying', I felt like some of that responsibility had been transferred to us. For me, its no problem. With this blog, I wanted friends, family, and strangers to have a place to go to for nanny-related stuff. Because Dear A didn't sign up for it, after the introductory 'play date', I took over. 

Dear A, of course was terrific. And, while it added a few tasks to my To Do list, it turned out fine. The new nanny was from the same area, so she was very comfortable talking to Dear A. I made a few calls and found another member of the community of the same religion, so she was able to attend Easter Sunday services and was invited to a party that evening. Connections made, problem solved.

It does highlight why its worth using a licensed, local agency rather than simply browsing online, though.

The new nanny was brought in using an agency in Toronto, not the one I used.  While our agent makes a point of introducing each nanny to a network of their peers, this nanny was left to meet her employer at the airport and had no connection to a community at all.

I would hope everyone would want their nanny to have interests and friends outside of the home. Other nannies are a great way to reach the local Filipino community, to understand Canadian culture and customs, and even trade childcare tips.

On that subject, the agency I used also offers ongoing ‘professional development’ for recruited nannies, and even extends courses to the parents. If you’re in Calgary, check out the sidebar for upcoming courses and go to www.nannyconnection.ca for more information.

And my tips if you're not in Calgary:*

1. Find out if your area has a Filipino community association
2. Help your nanny find a source for Filipino groceries or food
3. If she's religious, help your nanny find a nearby church

Pretty basic stuff, but worth mentioning IMHO.

* I'm specifying the Filipino community because my nanny is Filipino, but I would think this would apply to any foreign worker. And, as always, today’s tip content is offered as information only. Please conduct your own research or consult a professional for advice on your personal situation.

Friday FAQ - Employment Contracts Follow Up

Just a quick follow up today, to the whole live-in caregiver policy change situation.

Along with the changes that I mentioned in my previous blog posts, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has now posted a template for the new suggested employment contract.

Again, if you already have a live-in caregiver with a valid work permit, who was brought in on a previous LMO, you don't need to use this contract. But it couldn't hurt to follow their standards right?


Please note today’s FAQ content is offered as information only, and relates only to Canadian regulations. Please conduct your own research or consult a professional for advice on your personal situation.

Friday FAQ - Recapping Trips and Fines

This Friday, I'm going back to my questions - the polls. I'm still getting the hang of blogging, and blog gadgets in particular. I haven't figured out how to archive polls. Until I do, I thought I'd recap and share the results in a post.

In the first poll I asked "Who should pay library fines?""Me, The Nanny, or Both Share," after learning that Dear A and Kiran had racked up quite a bill. In the end we had 11 responses:

• 8 for Me paying
• 3 for Sharing the fines and,
• 1 "Other" who suggested I set up a 'swear jar' for Potty-mouth K and garnish future allowance to pay the fines!

I have to admit, I wasn't really surprised by the results (other than the ingenious swear jar idea.) They pretty much reinforced my gut feelings. I'm going with it (you) and paying any fines incurred. I'm also keeping a closer eye on the book bag after Friday Story Time at the library. Especially last weeks, since K went with Daddy.

Foreign worker abuses on rise - Alberta

I posted an article a few days ago, from the US, about a school principal, who essentially coerced several Filipino teachers in buying make-up from her business, taking their credit card numbers and more. Today, there is an article closer to home. The Edmonton Journal is reporting that the NDP has found that foreign-worker abuses are on rise in Alberta. While this article doesn't detail explicit abuse like the Baltimore case, but it does bring up two things to note:

Firstly, the province is conducting inspections. In my experience, when this type of stuff hits the news, Ministry will increase the number of inspections etc. to show up the NDP critics.

More important, though, is the detail of violations:

Friday FAQ –If I already have a nanny, what happens with changes to the LCP?

My post about the recent changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program had quite a few of you asking me the same question:

"Does this affect me if I have a nanny already?"

More importantly, you’re wondering if we now have to pay health insurance and workplace safety insurance?

Well, I was wondering the same thing, so I went to the source to get some answers. After looking through the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada website and the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website to no avail, I called 1-800-O-CANADA and was referred to the Live-in Caregiver Program General Inquiries phone line (1-877-227-4577). Here are the answers I got:

What I learned today (International Women's Day and Fallout from Changes to the LCP)

I spent a bunch of this weekend thinking about impact of the changes to the Live-in Caregiver program, and even more today, on International Women's Day, when the Parkland Institute released depressing research on the gender pay gap. My conclusion: In Canada women are supposed to stay home and raise the children.

Friday FAQ - Changes to Live-in Caregiver Program

I was getting ready to write a Friday FAQ about food, but while doing tax stuff came across some information about changes to the Canadian Live–in Caregiver Program:

As of April 1 2010, new applications to the program require the employment contract between you and your caregiver (nanny) to describe:

• employer paid benefits (health care insurance, workplace safety insurance, travel costs and recruitment fees)
• job duties 
• hours of work 
• wages
• accommodation arrangements (including room and board) 
• holiday and sick leave entitlements
• termination and resignation terms

So, beyond the usual contract, employers are now required to pay any recruting fees, travel costs, health insurance and workers compensation benefit insurance. Further details are here and here.

Anyway, I thought this was slightly more relevant than my pasta recipe. I’ll leave you to absorb this info and will get back to you once I’ve got more information on how this affects those of us who already have workers in the home.