Timmins Retiree Registry created

Timmins city council has endorsed a plan by the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) to recruit retirees who may like the idea of going back to work… for a few hours a week, or a few days a month. The plan was outlined at the city hall this week by Cathy Ellis, the director of community economic development for the TEDC.
“The TEDC has officially launched a retiree registry,” Ellis told council. She said this came from consultations with business owners and community leaders
“Employers need people from every walk of life to provide skills to help them grow and prosper,” said Ellis.
She quoted a Statistics Canada report, which estimates that one-fifth of Canadian retirees after 2002 have returned to work.
Ellis says more and more retirees are taking “official retirement” at a younger age and find it easier to return to the workplace on an occasional basis.
She says TEDC is creating a database of retirees who wish to return to work to bridge the “knowledge and skills gap” that exists in the local workforce.
Councillor Gary Scripnick commented there are many businesses in the city that can make use of “mature staff” at busier times of the year. Scripnick said he was confident there are many retirees looking “for something to do” before or after golf season.
Mayor Tom Laughren said he was pleased to see the initiative saying he speaks to a lot of men and women in their fifties and sixties who “have a lot of skills they can bring to the table.”