Ontario delivers first COVID-19 vaccine dose to half of adults in province
Ontario has administered first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to over 50 per cent of Ontarians aged 18 and over. Over one million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ontario since the start of May, and the province remains on track to have administered first doses to 65 per cent of Ontarians aged 18 and over by the end of May.
Third survey provides updated picture of COVID-19 impact on Niagara’s businesses
Niagara’s Economic Rapid Response Team (ERRT) now has up-to-date information on the state of recovery of Niagara’s businesses, thanks to a recently completed Niagara COVID-19 Business Impact Survey – Part 3.
- 81 per cent of businesses reported a loss of revenue in 2020. 354 businesses reported a combined loss of $388.5 million in revenue, an average of $1.1 million per business
- Businesses expect a prolonged recovery process, with 30 per cent expecting a recovery within one year, 22 per cent within two years, 24 per cent within three years, and 18 per cent in over three years
- The top obstacles facing businesses included a slow return of customers, cash flow/increased debt loads, and hiring/training staff, among others
- Business indicated their immediate needs for the next six months included marketing and promotion, financial assistance, employee training, sourcing critical supplies, and hiring staff
- The top five factors reported that are negatively affecting workforces during the pandemic include employee mental health, ownership mental health, overall business stability, uncertainty regarding employment stability and demand for products and services
You can download the full report online.
Canadian Chamber of Commerce launches Women in Business Summit
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Salesforce announced, today, the launch of the Women in Business Summit: Empowering an Inclusive Recovery. The one-day event on June 23, 2021 will focus on ensuring an inclusive economic recovery is a reality.
By bringing together influencers, business and community leaders, the Women in Business Summit aims to mobilize the business community to take immediate action to keep women in the workforce and build their success as entrepreneurs through the pandemic’s recovery.
Investment in building construction increased again in March
Total investment in building construction increased 5.9% to $18.6 billion in March, led by the residential sector, Statistics Canada has reported. On a constant dollar basis (2012=100), investment in building construction was up 5.2% to $14.3 billion in March.
Residential construction investment increased for the eleventh consecutive month, up 7.6% to $14.0 billion in March.
Investment in single units jumped 10.7% to $7.8 billion. Quebec led the way with an increase of 30.4%, bringing investment in single homes to $1.9 billion for the province. Investment in Ontario was up 9.8% to $3.3 billion, driven by renovations to single family homes in the census metropolitan area of Toronto.
Book Depot named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies
Book Depot was recognized for overall business performance and sustained growth with the prestigious Canada’s Best Managed Companies designation. The 2021 Best Managed program award winners are amongst the best-in-class of Canadian owned and managed companies with revenues over $25 million demonstrating leadership in the areas of strategy, capabilities and innovation, culture and commitment, and financials to achieve sustainable growth.
Thorold-based Book Depot is the largest bargain book wholesaler and retailer in North America.
Reading Recommendations
These people were vaccine hesitant. Here’s why they changed their minds
Angelina King, CBC News
Vaccine hesitancy is decreasing in Canada, according to those who work on the issue and two recent surveys. Health-care workers say it’s due to a combination between more information being communicated to the public, people seeing others get their shots and on-the-ground work addressing hesitancy in various communities.
Ontario not ready to lift stay-at-home order and should extend lockdown, OMA says
Sean Davidson, CTV News
Ontario is not ready to lift the stay-at-home order and should extend the current lockdown measures past May 20, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) says.
The OMA said the number of new COVID-19 cases daily, along with the current number of people in hospital, makes it unsafe to lift restrictions at this time.
The organization does believe though that some restrictions on outdoor recreational activities, like golf, tennis and basketball, should be lifted to improve people’s mental and physical health.
Niagara COVID status tracker (May 8)
Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are the most recent published by Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.
The Province of Ontario is currently under a stay-at-home order. The COVID-19 Response Framework does not apply during this order. Click here to review the restrictions currently in place.
▲: Metric has increased since last published measurement
▼: Metric has decreased since last published measurement
— : Metric has not changed since last published measurement
| December 18 | December 25 | January 1 | January 8 | January 15 | January 22 | January 29 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive number | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| New cases per 100,000 | 101.2 | 267.3 | 469.8 | 575.8 | 507.1 | 295.5 | 250.6 |
| New cases per day (not including outbreaks) | 60.7 | 178.7 | 311.7 | 376.9 | 325.4 | 182.7 | 145.7 |
| Percent of hospital beds occupied | 97% | 95.2% | 98.2% | 103.2% | 104.5% | 103.6% | 106% |
| Percent of intensive care beds occupied | 78.8% | 77.3% | 87.9% | 87.9% | 90.9% | 89.4% | 93.9% |
| Percentage of positive tests | 6.1% | 15.6% | 28.1% | 28.6% | 26.6% | 21.2% | 16.2% |
Definitions:
- Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
- Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
- Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker (May 12)
Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.
Total doses administered in Niagara: 208,854
Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 3,264
| Percentage of population with one dose | Percentage of population fully vaccinated | |
|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 82.7% | 78.2% |
| Ontario | 84.6% | 79.1% |
| Canada | 84.7% | 78.6% |
| United States | 75% | 64% |
| United Kingdom | 78% | 72% |
| Germany | 76% | 74% |
| France | 80% | 77% |
| Italy | 83% | 76% |
| Japan | 80% | 79% |
| World | 63% | 53% |
Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.
