In this edition:
- Ontario makes $3.7 million investment to combat labour shortage
- Partridge Park opening and honouring Bob Miller
- Staffing shortage leads to temporary closure of Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre
- Brock maintains top national rankings for student support
- Ford tells education workers who voted in favour of strike ‘don’t force my hand’
- Niagara College honours ‘First Lady’ Saundra Patterson with memorial garden
- End vaccination mandate at Canada-U.S. border, New York senator urges White House
Ontario makes $3.7 million investment in Merit Ontario to combat labour shortage
The Ontario government is investing $3.7 million to help up to 2,500 workers start or advance in careers in the construction industry. This decade, Ontario will need 100,000 more construction workers to help deliver the province’s infrastructure plans, including 1.5 million homes by 2031.
This investment will help Merit Ontario, an organization that supports contractors who employ both unionized and non-unionized workers, to expand their online job bank to match thousands of people with construction jobs at more than 300 small, medium and large employers in their communities. The job bank helps jobseekers assess their skills, access additional training, and prepare for interviews. Furthermore, this funding continues to support Merit’s online training centre.
Partridge Park opening and honouring Bob Miller
St. Catharines city staff and Councillors were joined by members of the Old Glenridge Community Association (OGCA) and members of the Partridge and Miller families to celebrate the official opening of Partridge Park, recognize the park donors, and unveil a plaque honouring Bob Miller’s contributions to the community.
To complete the improvements, the OGCA partnered with the City through the Parks Legacy Fund which matches donations for community projects to renew and upgrade play assets in City parks.
Staffing shortage leads to temporary closure of Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre
Due to a staffing shortage, the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre (UCC) is required to temporarily close on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 4 p.m., and will reopen on Sunday, Oct. 9, at 8 a.m.
As with other hospitals across the province, this temporary closure is the result of physician shortages and is a measure of last resort. Despite exhaustive efforts, including seeking assistance from partners outside of Niagara, Niagara Health has been unable to safely staff the Port Colborne UCC during this time period.
Brock maintains top national rankings for student support
Long recognized for its commitment to student excellence and experience, Brock continues to be ranked highly among its peers in this year’s Maclean’s magazine rankings.
Brock is ranked among the top 10 comprehensive institutions in the country in a range of categories, including its commitment to providing scholarships and bursaries (6th) and student services (7th).
Brock also continues to climb the reputational rankings overall, moving to 27th from 29th in the nation, an improvement of 11 spots in the past three years.
Ford tells education workers who voted in favour of strike ‘don’t force my hand’
Days after Ontario education workers gave their union a strike mandate, the premier is telling them not to force his hand.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees announced earlier this week that its members, such as early childhood educators, custodians and administration staff, voted 96.5 per cent in favour of a strike.
Premier Doug Ford was asked at a news conference today if he would legislate them back to work in the event of a stoppage, and he said “please don’t go on strike, don’t force my hand.”
CUPE is set to bargain today and Friday with the government and the union has said the two days of talks would be key in determining next steps.
Niagara College honours ‘First Lady’ Saundra Patterson with memorial garden
At the campus named after her husband, Niagara College’s “First Lady” Saundra Patterson now has a memorial garden named in her honour.
Patterson passed away on Jan. 27, 2021, just over a year after her husband, Dan Patterson, retired as the college’s president.
“Saundra would be so honoured to know that her spirit and work will be always remembered in this incredible garden,” said Saundra’s husband and Niagara College President Emeritus, Dan.
End vaccination mandate at Canada-U.S. border, New York senator urges White House
A prominent New York senator is joining the ranks of American lawmakers who want the White House to end vaccination rules at the Canada-U.S. land border.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Brian Higgins, Democrats both, have written to urge President Joe Biden to “reciprocate” Canada’s new COVID-19 border policy.
Gillibrand says businesses, hospitals and medical suppliers in New York have been suffering throughout the pandemic as a result of border restrictions.
Focus on Business Law
Canada strengthens protections for temporary foreign workers with new regulations
Canadian Lawyer
New regulations to help prevent the mistreatment or abuse of temporary foreign workers during their stay in Canada have officially come into force.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) confirmed that the new regulations outlined 13 regulatory amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. They aim to strengthen protections for temporary foreign workers and enhance the integrity of the “Temporary Foreign Worker Program” (TFWP) and the “International Mobility Program” (IMP) administered by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
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.
