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.

Reminder: Ontario entered Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen at midnight tonight. The GNCC has prepared a summary of business-related changes here.

GNCC poll: Vaccine Passports

The GNCC is running a two-question poll on support for vaccine passports. Click here to take the poll.

Prime Minister hints at border reopening plan

Canada may permit fully vaccinated travellers into the country by early September, the country’s prime minister said on Thursday, if the current trend in vaccination rate and public health conditions continue.

Justin Trudeau made the remarks in a call with Canadian provincial leaders, according to a readout of the call released by his office.

Click here for more information.

Niagara Workforce Planning Board launches 2021 Labour Market Update

This week, the Niagara Workforce Planning Board launched its 2021 Labour Market Update. This report provides the Niagara region with an update on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted employment conditions in 2020 and the early months of 2021.

This report is available for download and review through this link. A two-page summary infographic is also available through this link.

Some findings from this report include:

• Between 2019 and 2020, 13,700 Niagara residents lost employment
• Among those people who lost work, almost 80% worked in sales and service occupations
• During the same time period, Niagara employers lost an estimated 21,000 jobs
• Job losses were concentrated in three industries: accommodation and food services, retail trade, arts, entertainment and recreation
• Between February and April of 2021 7,000 Niagara residents gained employment

The complete report provides a demographic profile of the Niagara region, migration data, deeper insights on job trends within small-to-medium enterprises, Niagara’s job demand profile, and preliminary insights from employers on the year ahead.

All of NWPB’s recent reports, including our monthly Eye on Employment, can be found on their website, www.nwpb.ca.

Communications Security Establishment finds cyber-interference in next election “very likely”

The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) today published the 2021 update to its report on Cyber Threats to Canada’s Democratic Process.

This assessment informs Canadians of global trends in cyber threat activity against democratic processes and evaluates the threats in a Canadian context. While CSE assesses that Canada remains a low-priority target for electoral interference relative to other countries, Canada is not entirely immune. It is very likely that Canadian voters will encounter some form of cyber interference ahead of, and during, the next general election.

Click here for more information.

Government of Canada launches consultation on a modern copyright framework for AI and the Internet of Things

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, are launching a public consultation today on a modern copyright framework for artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

A consultation paper outlines the challenges to the copyright framework for each of these topics and presents questions to help design specific options and approaches to address them. The government is seeking additional evidence from stakeholders concerning these challenges and welcomes all comments and perspectives. Participants have until September 17, 2021, to share their input: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/693.nsf/eng/00317.html

Click here for more information.

Government of Canada invests over $3 million in climate action and awareness for young Canadians

Today, Francesco Sorbara, Member of Parliament for Vaughan–Woodbridge, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced that the Government of Canada will be investing $3,326,206 in Project 2050: Community Climate Challenge.

With this funding, Earth Rangers will engage 300,000 children aged six to twelve across Canada to help meet Canada’s target of net-zero emissions through collective action at home, at school, and in their communities.

Click here for more information.

Welland offering Vote by Mail kits

Starting July 19th, Welland Ward 3 residents may contact the City Clerk’s office to request assistance with completing their vote by mail kits. Staff will answer any questions and explain the instructions via phone or email.

Electors that require special assistance or did not receive a Vote-By-Mail kit in the mail can make an appointment to attend in person by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 905-735-1700 ext. 2153 or emailing election@welland.ca.

Click here for more information (PDF link).

Canadian wholesale trade sets record high

Sales of wholesale goods rose 0.5% in May to $72.2 billion, the third consecutive monthly increase. More than 95% of the gain came from the food, beverage and tobacco subsector, which reported growth of 2.7%.

Since reaching a low of $49.0 billion in April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, sales have risen in 11 of the 13 months. In May 2021, they were 11.0% higher than the pre-pandemic level in February 2020. The 10 months with the highest sales of all time in the sector were the 10 months from August 2020 to May 2021, with May 2021 being the highest month on record.

Click here for more information.

Reading Recommendations

‘Pandemic of the unvaccinated’: COVID-19 deaths up 26% over previous week in U.S.

CBC News

The delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide and is driving a surge of deaths around the United States, almost entirely among unvaccinated people, U.S. officials said Friday.

Cases of COVID-19 are up 70 per cent over the previous week and deaths are up 26 per cent, with most of the surge occurring in counties with below average vaccination rates, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a news briefing.

“This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Walensky said, adding that 97 per cent of people entering hospitals in the United States with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.