WestJet backs down from TFW hiring plan
Calgary-based airline cites 'economic uncertainty' for reversal
WestJet says it no longer plans to use the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program to hire captains for its regional Encore airline, a decision welcomed by the union.
In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for WestJet said the move was due to "economic uncertainty."
"We are referring to the heightened unpredictability most businesses are facing in the current economic climate, including but not limited to demand," the Calgary-based airline said. "WestJet, like many airlines, are constantly assessing the demand for travel, and making adjustments as required."
WestJet had previously said the program was among several avenues it was pursuing to address a labour shortage.
"We're very happy," said Capt. Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada, which had criticized WestJet for pursuing the TFW program rather than improving working conditions to attract more domestic applicants.
"This is the outcome that we were looking for," he said.
Amid the final weeks of the federal election campaign, Perry said the union now hopes to push the various political parties for commitments to reform the TFW program, if elected.
In particular, Perry said he would like to see a stronger requirement that the government consult with relevant labour groups before giving an employer a green light to use the program.
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The Offering will be priced in the context of the market with the price, total size and other final terms of the Offering and the Units to be determined at the time of entering into an underwriting agreement for the Offering. Hycroft will also grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the base Offering, to acquire Units, shares of Common Stock and/or Warrants (or any combination thereof), at the underwriters' discretion. Closing of the Offering will be subject to a number of customary conditions, including the entering into of a definitive underwriting agreement. The Offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-279292) that was filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC"), as amended. A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of the Offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website at Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, as well as copies of the final prospectus supplement, once available, may be obtained upon request by contacting BMO Capital Markets Corp., Attn: Equity Syndicate Department, 151 W 42nd Street, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10036, or by email at [email protected]. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor will there be any sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation is a US-based gold and silver company developing the Hycroft Mine, among the world's largest precious metals deposits located in northern Nevada, a Tier-One mining jurisdiction. After a long history of oxide heap leaching operations, the Company is focused on completing the technical studies to transition the Hycroft Mine into the next phase of commercial operations for processing the sulfide ore. In addition, the Company is engaged in a robust exploration drill program to further expand the newly discovered high-grade dominant silver systems and unlock the full potential of this worldclass asset, including oxide leaching potential at Manganese. For further information, please contact: [email protected] Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein and public statements by our officers or representatives, that address activities, events or developments that our management expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward- looking statements, including but not limited to such things as future business strategy, plans and goals, competitive strengths and expansion and growth of our business. 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Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to changes in our operations at the Hycroft Mine, including risks associated with the cessation of mining operations at the Hycroft Mine; uncertainties concerning estimates of mineral resources; risks related to a lack of a completed feasibility study; risks related to our ability to re-establish commercially feasible mining operations; industry related risks, including fluctuations in the price of gold and silver; the commercial success of, and risks related to, our exploration and development activities; uncertainties and risks related to our reliance on contractors and consultants; and the availability and cost of equipment, supplies, energy, or reagents. 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Cardinal with close ties to Pope Leo XIV travels to Canada to support peaceful G7 activists
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Mark Carney has a national unity problem. A Liberal voice in Calgary might help
Viewed from a certain angle, it could be read as good news that only 30 per cent of Albertans believe their province would be better off on its own, a share that has grown only slightly over the last five years. In a hypothetical referendum, just 28 per cent said they would vote to secede. But among those who believe Alberta would be better off outside of Canada, feelings have seemingly hardened. And a referendum is no longer purely hypothetical. "What I always tell [people outside Alberta] is like, hey, Alberta has been a place of western alienation for a long time, and that's been worthy of resolving for a long time. What you're seeing right now is it getting louder and being more legitimized than it's ever been," says Corey Hogan, the newly elected Liberal MP for Calgary Confederation. "I've worked in the public opinion space a long time. And ultimately, public opinion does follow the conversation. That's just a simple reality. And so we're at this moment right now where the conversation has shifted. Public opinion will shift if we don't get on top of this. And we need to take this very seriously." Hogan, a former political consultant who then worked as a deputy minister in both Rachel Notley's Alberta NDP and Jason Kenney's UCP governments, compares the conversation in Alberta about separation now to public opinion a decade ago on a carbon tax in that province. Initially, most Albertans didn't feel strongly one way or the other. But the debate was ultimately driven by the loudest and most polarized voices. When Hogan says the conversation about Alberta has shifted, he says he is "referring to the fact that being a separatist is now a thing people say at cocktail parties in Alberta." WATCH | Can the new natural resources minister reset the conversation?: Reshaping Alberta's energy relationship with the federal government 29 days ago Duration 2:20 At least in Hogan's adult life — he's 44 years old — he had not previously encountered such party chatter. "So you are starting to see a social acceptability to the idea of being an Alberta separatist that honestly, I find a little baffling, but I also find very concerning," he said. Holding the country together has always been one of the primary tasks of a Canadian prime minister. But given the cocktail chatter, it is fair to say that responsibility may weigh heavier on Mark Carney than it has on any prime minister since Jean Chrétien. Can Carney rebuild the relationship? It is too easy to blame Carney's predecessor for separatist sentiments in Alberta. The roots of western alienation are deep — Mary Janigan's 2013 book Let the Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark takes its title from an iconic bumper sticker of the 1970s, but actually focuses on a federal-provincial conference in 1918 — and can't solely be pinned on the federal government. Hogan, for instance, points to the general dominance of voices from Central Canada in the public discussion of politics in this country. It's also not hard to build an argument that the criticism heaped on Justin Trudeau as an alleged opponent of the province's oil and gas industry is undeserved — the purchase and completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) was not cheap, either practically or politically, and oil production reached a record high in 2024. (If Trudeau was anti-oil, he was at least not very good at it.) But in Calgary, Horgan argues, the federal purchase of TMX is not understood as an example of the federal government acting for the benefit of Alberta, but as an example of regulatory failure and capital flight. And while some voices in Alberta might unfairly latch on to federal climate initiatives as grounds for complaint, Hogan says, a policy like the government's clean electricity regulations could be viewed as putting a heavier burden on western provinces. Carney is eventually going to be tested by the same sorts of policy questions that bedevilled the Trudeau government. If it was easy to square the circle on climate and resource policy to the satisfaction of everyone, someone would have done it already. For now, Hogan suggests there needs to be an emphasis on relationship-building. "Alberta and Central Canada — basically, we end up in this loop with each other where we're almost saying to each other, why won't you show some gratitude? And we're not having actual real conversations with individuals," Hogan says. "Alberta [will say] why won't you acknowledge how much money comes from this province.… And then people out here might say, well, we built you a pipeline, why aren't you happy? And the reality is, neither side is going to be happy if they're just [talking about] things that they had to begrudgingly do for each other. That's not how a nation is built." WATCH | Smith encouraged by first ministers' meeting: Hearing PM talk about northwestern pipeline 'very encouraging': Alberta premier | Power & Politics 9 days ago Duration 8:37 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tells Power & Politics she found Prime Minister Mark Carney's comments on a possible northwestern pipeline 'very encouraging' and a 'sea change' from where first ministers' discussions on energy projects were six months ago. Hogan says he was "pretty heartened" by Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson's recent trip to Calgary, not so much for the well-received speech the minister delivered, but for the meetings Hodgson had with executives and industry groups in Alberta. (Hogan has since been named a parliamentary secretary to Hodgson.) "He built those connections and he heard them out. And I think that's got to be done a hundred more times, right? It's not about inviting Albertans into the room. It's about taking the room to Albertans in some cases and saying, 'OK, what are we trying to do here? How are we going to make this nation work for everybody?'" That does not mean, Hogan adds, that the federal government should acquiesce to every concern. But building up trust and goodwill might at least make it easier to live with disagreements. Being a voice for Confederation Trudeau and members of his government would likely protest that they too made good-faith efforts to build trust between themselves and leaders in Alberta. Trudeau himself seemed determined, at least initially, to shake off the ghost of his father's reputation in Alberta (though Hogan argues that after Trudeau's first three years as prime minister, a certain "bunker mentality" set in). Regardless of how or why Trudeau's time in office didn't produce better feelings in Alberta, Carney's arrival is at least an opportunity to reset the relationship and start fresh — and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's positive tone after last week's first ministers' meeting suggests there is at least an opening for progress. In terms of the broader conversation, Hogan could be a potentially valuable voice — for both the Liberals and the broader federalist cause. Though something of an accidental candidate — he only decided to run after the Liberal Party's original candidate in Calgary Confederation was forced to withdraw in late March — he is a former vice-president at the University of Calgary and a prominent political commentator (in addition to his experience in government). His campaign printed up signs that said "Confederation is worth fighting for" and he has used his own newsletter to directly challenge some of the arguments been advanced by would-be separatists. "We can't cede the conversation space. We need to be in the conversation," Hogan says of Albertans who like him oppose separation. "If we love this country, we need to fight for this country. And Albertans love this country, so it's time to stand up." Success, he says, would mean that some of the loudest voices on the other side are "less loud," but also "a broader appreciation that we do have a challenge as a nation and that the idea of sovereignist threats does not end at the Quebec border … that this is a country that needs to make sure it's investing in a sense of nation-ness."
