In this edition:
Deputy Premier Christine Elliott will not seek re-election
Women interested in municipal politics encouraged to participate in Seat at the Table
Entrepreneur Jenn Harper honoured at GNCC International Women’s Day event
Mental health-related disability rises among employed Canadians during pandemic
Legislation to increase access to rapid testing across the country receives Royal Assent
Deputy Premier Christine Elliott will not seek re-election
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is facing another high-profile resignation just months away from the provincial election, CBC news reports, as Christine Elliott, his deputy premier, announced on Friday that she’s leaving politics.
Elliott has served as health minister since Ford’s Progressive Conservatives took office in 2018, putting her at the forefront of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement issued Friday morning, Elliott said she made the decision to not run in the coming provincial election after “considerable reflection and discussion” with her family.
Elliott will stay on as health minister until the spring.
Women interested in municipal politics encouraged to participate in Niagara Region Seat at the Table
Niagara Region is partnering with the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) Women in Niagara (WIN) Council, the City of St. Catharines, YWCA, Future Black Female, Services 4 Humanity, Muslim Senior Circle and Niagara Region’s Women’s Advisory Committee to encourage more diversity in elected councils in 2022.
Niagara Region’s Seat at the Table program aims to address barriers that women and gender diverse people face when running for municipal office, while also improving the environment once elected. Despite being just over half of the Niagara population, women are underrepresented in local government, especially in senior leadership.
The program consists of four workshops that will help women, gender diverse people, and underrepresented groups feel informed and educated when making the decision to run for local government or supporting a female or gender diverse candidate.
The first session, taking place virtually on Thursday, April 7 at 6 p.m., will be open to all women and gender diverse people across all 12 local municipalities. The workshop will inspire and prepare women from underrepresented backgrounds to run for election and change the face of elected councils to better represent the people of Niagara. Register by April 5 for the first session on Niagara Region’s website.
Entrepreneur Jenn Harper honoured at GNCC International Women’s Day event
The GNCC, in partnership with PenFinancial Credit Union and Niagara Economic Development, conferred an award on St. Catharines Indigenous entrepreneur Jenn Harper, founder of Cheekbone Beauty, an ethical cosmetics company renowned for its charitable activity and activism for the environment and for Indigenous youth.
The keynote speech, delivered by advocate and organizer Steph Guthrie, discussed the topic of intimidation and harassment and those who commit crimes using “free speech” as a shield. With incidents of vandalism, intimidation, and threats on the rise against Niagara’s elected officials and community leaders, conversation on the subject could not be more timely.
View the livestreamed event here.
Mental health-related disability rises among employed Canadians during pandemic
New combined data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Canadian Income Survey shed new light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of disability in the workplace. Among those who were employed during the first four months of 2021, more than one in five (21.5%) had a physical, mental health, cognitive or other disability. This was an increase of 2.7 percentage points compared with 2019 (18.8%), continuing a long-term upward trend associated with population aging and other factors.
Legislation to increase access to rapid testing across the country receives Royal Assent
oday, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, welcomed the Royal Assent in Parliament of Bill C-10 – An Act respecting certain measures related to COVID-19. This bill provides Health Canada with $2.5 billion in funding and the statutory authority to purchase and distribute COVID-19 rapid tests across Canada.
With this funding, the Government of Canada will ship hundreds of millions of additional COVID-19 rapid tests to provinces and territories and Indigenous communities over the next three months, free of charge. The funding also allows Health Canada to continue to provide tests for distribution through partners such as the Canadian Red Cross, chambers of commerce and pharmacies.
Reading Recommendations
Commodities soar as anxiety over supply shortages increases
Bloomberg News
Commodities extended their massive rally as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to roil global markets and fuel fears of supply crunches.
Prices from crude and nickel to aluminum and wheat soared, as raw materials stage their most stunning weekly surge since 1974, during the days of the oil crisis.
Russia’s growing isolation is choking off a major source of energy, metals and crops, sparking fears of prolonged shortages and accelerating global inflation. Traders, banks and shipowners are increasingly avoiding business with Russia because of the difficulty in securing payments, while shipping lines are shunning bookings from the region.
Tensions rose early Friday after Russia attacked a Ukrainian nuclear plant, the biggest in Europe, according to Ukrainian officials. As Russian forces occupied the area, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator said its last check before it halted monitoring showed normal radiation levels.
Update on Ukraine
Russia to foreign firms: stay, leave or hand over the keys
Financial Post
Companies around the globe grappled with a dilemma over what to do with their Russian investments today as Moscow laid out their options: stay in the country, exit entirely or hand over their holdings to local managers until they return.
First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov spelt out the government’s position a little more than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine, and a day after French bank Societe Generale sent a chill through the corporate world by saying Russian authorities could seize its assets in the country.
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
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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.
