In this edition:
St. Catharines firms partner in Ontario Automotive Modernization Program
Welland building permits on course for record-breaking year
Niagara Health surgical program temporarily ramping down
Auditor General: Canadian environmental efforts falling short
Niagara College receives Award of Excellence
Ryerson renamed to Toronto Metropolitan University
St. Catharines firms partner in Ontario Automotive Modernization Program
The $22-million Ontario Automotive Modernization Program (O-AMP) was launched in September 2019 as a key action item of the Driving Prosperity automotive plan. O-AMP seeks to boost supply chain competitiveness to help position Ontario as a North American hub for building the car of the future. The program partners with small- and medium-sized automotive parts suppliers to invest in projects that support technology adoption and/or training in lean manufacturing.
Following three intake rounds, nearly 150 projects are now either completed or underway that will help firms get better, stronger and faster, while also creating more than 820 jobs. Funding awarded since the launch of O-AMP has leveraged more than $36.5 million in industry investments.
Included in Phases 1 & 2 are St. Catharines-based firms Tora Investments and Girotti Machine.
Welland building permits on course for record-breaking year
The City of Welland is experiencing another record-breaking year for building permits, including a range of housing options. To date, in the first quarter of 2022, 173 permits have been issued, including the start of 309 new dwelling units in the City.
Driving the numbers are the various types of housing units under construction. Consisting predominately of apartments, condominiums, and accessory dwellings, options for non-traditional housing units make up the majority; townhouses and single-detached makeup only a small portion of the residential growth.
Niagara Health surgical program temporarily ramping down
The Niagara Health system is experiencing growing pressures with patient volumes and staff and physician illness, resulting in the need to adjust operations to use limited resources where they are most needed.
Today, the surgical program will temporarily ramp down to 70% capacity. This measure will allow Niagara Health to use these beds to care for COVID-19 positive patients and other patients with urgent needs.
Niagara Health has been working to catch up on their surgical backlog created during earlier waves, and expressed their regret at having to make this move.
In non-emergency situations, Niagara Health encourages patients to reach out to their primary care provider first or make an appointment with Virtual Urgent Care (www.UrgentCareOntario.ca).
Auditor General: Canadian environmental efforts falling short, smaller businesses disproportionately affected by carbon pricing
A report released today by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry V. DeMarco concludes that Environment and Climate Change Canada had ensured that carbon pricing systems were in place in all provinces and territories.
The audit found that weaker requirements for large emitters continue to undermine the ‘polluter pays’ principle in some parts of the country. In addition, Indigenous groups and smaller businesses remained disproportionately affected. Though provinces and territories will have to report on how they use the revenues from carbon pricing, it is still unclear how the revenues will be used to alleviate the disproportionate burden felt by some groups across Canada.
A further report concludes that Natural Resources Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada and other partners acting on behalf of the federal government were not prepared to support workers and communities through a just transition to a low-carbon economy, with no federal implementation plan, formal governance structure, or monitoring and reporting system in place.
The federal government’s efforts to green government operations also fall short in several areas, including planning, reporting and risk management, while weakened criteria call into question the value of government investments in climate-ready infrastructure. Further, the government’s hydrogen strategy assumed many best-case scenarios, including a low price for electricity, the adoption of aggressive and sometimes nonexistent policies, and an ambitious uptake of new technology.
Click here to read the reports.
Niagara College receives Award of Excellence from Colleges and Institutes Canada
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan)’s 2022 Awards of Excellence were presented at its annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 26. The annual awards celebrate excellence and leadership, and acknowledge individual or collective achievements that contribute to making colleges and institutes dynamic learning institutions.
NC received a silver Excellence in Global Engagement Award, which recognizes institutions whose initiatives exhibit innovation, creativity and leadership in their internationalization.
Ryerson renamed to Toronto Metropolitan University
Ryerson University has announced a “new chapter” with its official renaming to Toronto Metropolitan University.
After broad community engagement and extensive research, the university’s Standing Strong (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) Task Force recommended that the university be renamed to better reflect our institutional values.
The recommendation to rename was not based on a vilification of Egerton Ryerson but instead was based on the understanding that a new name is necessary to create a more inclusive campus culture and environment.
Reading Recommendations
Finally heading back to the office? It’s getting more expensive to do that
CBC News
Experts say employers should think carefully about what they can do to support their office-bound staff, if they want to hang on to their services in a job market that has a lot of people used to working more independently and seeking to keep up with the increasing cost of living.
“Organizations, more than ever, need these workers,” said Sima Sajjadiani, an assistant professor in the organizational behaviour and human resources division at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.
“They should care about organizational commitment, they should care about retaining their top talent.”
Five reasons you should care about Elon Musk buying Twitter
Financial Post
Elon Musk sealed the deal Monday to buy Twitter Inc for US$44 billion cash.
The transaction was approved by the company’s board but is still subject to a shareholder vote.
Since the deal, which Musk will pay for with US$25.5 billion of debt and a US$21 billion equity commitment, speculation on what it means for investors, the 16-year-old social media platform and seemingly democracy itself have been running rampant.
Here are a few things you might care about.
Update on Ukraine
How Russia’s fixation on the Second World War helps explain its Ukraine invasion
The Conversation
Russian media references to the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine to justify its invasion have placed Russia’a fascination with the Second World War in the public eye.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government say they’re fighting a threat equal to Nazi Germany. While this perspective is absurd to the global community, it may draw upon Russian memories of the Second World War.
These memories regard Soviet sacrifices as Russian sacrifice, and the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazism one of the great triumphs of the Russian people.
Actions and statements by Russian leaders and its military suggest the Soviet experience in the Second World War is inspiring their current approach.
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.
