Canadians have re-elected a Liberal minority government
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has won enough seats in this 44th general election to form another minority government. Check here to find breakdowns from your riding and races across the country.
Have your voice heard on the future of transit in Niagara
Niagara Region and all 12 local area municipalities are considering moving to a single, consolidated public transit system – a decision that could be made as early as this fall.
The proposed model, based on consultation with all municipalities, would bring consistent operating hours and fares, new digital payment technology, and better connections for riders across Niagara.
The GNCC has supported this project and its implementation, recognizing that a streamlined, unified, and improved public transit system creates more opportunities for our workforce and for employers in the region.
We ask that you visit MovingTransitForward.ca to show your support for better transit in Niagara.
Proof of vaccination to be required in Niagara municipal areas and facilities
From tomorrow, Ontarians will be required to prove their vaccination status before entering certain businesses and facilities. Here is a list of Niagara municipalities that have announced restrictions based on vaccine status.
Click here to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines.
More than 1,000 COVID cases reported in Ontario schools, government states “this is not cause for alarm”
Over the first few weeks of the school year, there have been 1,046 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students and staff who attend school in-person. With over 2 million students, over 300,000 education workers and school partners and 4,844 publicly funded elementary and secondary schools in the province, the Government of Ontario reports this is not cause for alarm and in-person learning continues to remain safe. The Government of Ontario reports that it is monitoring closely and as expected, most cases are contracted in the community and not in the schools themselves.
Click here for more information.
City of Port Colborne receives $19,000 to help local small businesses with digital transformation
Through renewed investment in Digital Main Street’s Ontario Grants Program (OGP), the City of Port Colborne has received $19,000 to help local small businesses with digital transformation. Renewed funding of the OGP — including investment from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade — will provide qualified brick-and-mortar businesses with the assistance of a Digital Service Squad (DSS) member and the opportunity to receive a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant. The OGP is administrated by the Ontario BIA Association, in partnership with the Toronto Association of BIAs (TABIA).
Click here for more information.
Premier Ford calls for unity over vaccinations, stresses need to avoid future lockdowns
In a media release, Ontario Premier Doug Ford reminded Ontarians that the province would introduce its own vaccine certificate this Wednesday to enter certain higher-risk businesses and settings. The Premier stated that he understood concerns about protecting civil liberties and right to privacy, but that the greater concern is having to shut down again or experience a sudden surge in cases like in Alberta and Saskatchewan, concluding that we need to do everything in our power to avoid future lockdowns and closures.
Click here for more information.
Click here to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines.
Reading Recommendations
The election is over. Time to get serious about economic growth
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO, Perrin Beatty, issued the following statement today on the actions that Canadians and the business community need to see from our next Parliament.
“The clear message from last night’s election is that our politicians need to get back to work on the issues that matter. With an election that lacked a meaningful debate on the economy, it is critical for Parliament and the government to resume the business of governing the country. Canadians want less politics and more leadership from their elected officials.
Businesses and the millions of Canadians they employ need action on two critical issues: safely managing the fourth wave of the pandemic without further lockdowns and implementing a strategy to restore economic growth to address our urgent and growing fiscal challenges.
The recovery must be led by the private sector. We cannot borrow our way to prosperity, and we cannot confuse government spending with economic growth. We need to get very serious about growth if we are to have any hope of paying for our enormous pandemic debt and dealing with the coming costs of climate change.”
Global economy will suffer as long as rich countries don’t help vaccinate poor ones, OECD warns
CBC News
A leading international economic watchdog urged developed countries to put more effort into providing low-income countries with coronavirus vaccines in order to ensure that the global recovery from the pandemic is more even.
In its latest assessment of the state of the global economy, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday that the global recovery from the shock of the pandemic is faster than it anticipated a year ago. Though the global economy has more than recouped the 3.4 per cent output lost in 2020, it cautioned that the recovery is “uneven.”
The OECD, which monitors and advises its 38 member countries, modestly downgraded its growth forecast for this year to 5.7 per cent from 5.8 per cent previously. For 2022, the OECD raised its forecast to 4.5 per cent from 4.4 per cent.
Click here to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines.
Another minority government. Now what?
CTV News
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the 2021 federal election, he said it was because he thought Canadians should have their say about where the country is going. Well, voters have spoken, and it’s another minority Liberal government.
With an almost identical House of Commons heading to Ottawa in terms of seat distribution, are Canadians in for more of the same? Or, could the outcome of this election result in consequential political changes?
Here’s where things stand on the day after the 44th General Election.
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
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. Lower numbers are better in all metrics.
| 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% |
Last updated: September 11, 2021
Click here for definitions of terms used in this table.
On September 20, there were 7 patients admitted to Niagara Health with COVID-19, of which 6 were unvaccinated, 0 were partially vaccinated, and 1 was fully vaccinated. There were 3 patients with COVID-19 in a Niagara Health Intensive Care Unit.
Over the last 28 days, a Niagara resident vaccinated with 1 dose was 4.2 times more likely to contract COVID-19, and an unvaccinated person was 7.5 times more likely.
Data are drawn from Niagara Region Public Health and Niagara Health.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.
| 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% |
Total doses administered in Niagara: 690,540
New daily doses administered to Niagara residents: 1,779
Last updated: September 21, 2021
Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.
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.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here. The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.
Through the Daily Updates, the GNCC aims to deliver important business news in a timely manner. We disseminate all news and information we feel will be important to businesses. Inclusion in the Daily Update is not an endorsement by the GNCC.
