The government's October 12 announcement that they will extend two EI pilot projects for eight more months ("Best 14 Weeks" and "40 per cent Allowable Earnings") is welcome news for the many workers who find themselves in precarious employment. The government should move quickly to make them permanent features of the EI Act.

But at the same time, too many workers are being left out in the cold.

People who live in Canada's most populous urban centres are being shut out from the five-week EI extension also announced by the federal government on October 12. For those who are laid off, the cancellation of the five week extension could add up to a loss of $2,285.

This is no small matter. The vast majority of Canadians live in large urban centres.