Free rapid COVID-19 testing kits are now available to businesses
Visit gncc.ca/workplace-self-screening-kits/ to learn more and reserve kits for your organization.
Ontario to begin reopening on June 11
The Ontario government has announced that it will move the province into Step One of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021.
In order to safely enter Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen, Ontario needed to have vaccinated 60 per cent of adults with at least one dose for two weeks or longer, ensuring the first dose offers a strong level of protection against COVID-19. As of June 6, 2021 at 8:00 p.m., 72 per cent of the 18+ population in Ontario had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with over 10 million doses now having been administered.
Click here for a business guide to Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen.
Deputy Prime Minister clarifies new Canada Recovery Hiring Program and extension of business support measures
Once the Budget Implementation Act, Bill C-30, receives Royal Assent, it will be retroactive to June 6. In effect, it will apply as of this Sunday and will cover up to 50 per cent of the increase in payroll paid by eligible employers, through November 20 of this year.
The Canada Recovery Hiring Program has been carefully targeted to help employers whose revenue continues to suffer because of the pandemic. It can offset up to half the new labour costs incurred by eligible employers. A for-profit company would only be eligible for the Hiring Program if it is a Canadian-controlled private company. Other eligible employers are individuals, non-profit organizations, and registered charities. The government estimates that this program will cost $595 million dollars in 2021-22.
The types of remuneration eligible for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy would also be eligible for the Hiring Program. These generally include salaries, wages and other remuneration on which employers are required to withhold income tax. However, it does not include severance pay or employee stock option benefits. In addition, the remuneration for these employees must be paid during the qualifying period.
Niagara Regional Councillor Diana Huson elected to FCM board of directors
At their annual general meeting on June 4, 2021, Pelham Regional Councillor Diana Huson was elected to the Board of Directors, Ontario Caucus for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). FCM has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901 and plays an important role in advocating to ensure the needs of municipalities are reflected in federal policies and programs.
Councillor Huson was selected by FCM members from around Ontario and will serve a one-year term. The FCM Board of Directors sets policy priorities that reflect the concerns of municipal governments around the country. The board meets quarterly to develop policy positions on key national municipal issues.
Of the 444 municipalities in Ontario, there are only 14 seats for the Ontario Caucus. Prior to Councillor Huson’s appointment, Niagara Region had not been fully represented on the board by a voting member.
Reading Recommendations
Canada’s Freeland says G7 deal shows it’s possible to end ‘race to the bottom’ on taxes
Reuters
A landmark deal by the Group of Seven advanced economies to pursue higher global taxation on large companies shows it is possible to end the “race to the bottom” and will benefit Canada, Canada’s finance minister said on Saturday.
Chrystia Freeland spoke with reporters after a meeting in London, where G7 countries agreed to back a minimum global corporate tax rate of at least 15%. read more
“We’ve shown today that it is possible to end the global race to the bottom on taxation,” Freeland told reporters. “Multinational companies need to pay their fair share of taxes. Jurisdiction shopping allowed them to avoid doing that.”
Freeland said the issue was of particular importance to Canada as a “relatively high-tax country.”
Employers put to the test on work-from-home post-COVID
BNN Bloomberg
Once the initial shock of working from home at the onset of pandemic wore off, it became a game-changer for many Canadians who quickly realized a morning commute from the bedroom to a home office is much more enjoyable and cost effective than traffic jams and crowded transit rides.
Spending more time at home also allowed many people to narrow in on what was truly important to them in a home: more space.
Remote work capabilities have opened up new living possibilities for many Canadians; and suddenly, small towns across the country have found themselves engulfed in a housing boom usually reserved for major cities.
Now, with vaccination rates accelerating across the country and economic reopenings on the horizon or already underway in some provinces, those who moved out of urban cores might have to start commuting back into city for all or some of the work week.
Niagara COVID Stats Tracker (May 29)
| 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% |
These data show the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Niagara. The Province of Ontario is now using a provincewide approach to reopening, and these data no longer have any influence on Niagara’s restrictions.
Data are drawn from Niagara Region Public Health.
Guide
Reproductive number: the average number of new cases each case causes. If each person infects one other person, the rate is 1; if each person infects two people, the rate is 2. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 1.
New cases per 100,000: the total number of new cases per week identified per 100,000 population. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 10.
New cases per day: the total number of new cases identified per day over seven days using a rolling average. This number does not include identified outbreaks.
Percent of hospital beds occupied: the total percentage of the Niagara Health System’s hospital beds currently in use. The average occupancy rate of both acute care beds and total hospital beds in Ontario was 96 per cent in 2018-19. It should be noted that this rate was the highest (worst) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Percent of intensive care beds occupied: the total percentage of the Niagara Health System’s intensive care hospital beds currently in use. The average occupancy rate of both acute care beds and total hospital beds in Ontario was 96 per cent in 2018-19. It should be noted that this rate was the highest (worst) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Percentage of positive tests: the percentage of COVID-19 tests that were positive. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 0.5%.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker (June 7)
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: 318,927
Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 2,114
Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen will begin when Ontario has vaccinated 70% of adults with one dose, 20% of adults with two doses, has positive public health indicators, and has been in Step One for at least 21 days.
| 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.
