In this edition:
- Ottawa announces $27m in funding for apprenticeships
- Canadian home sales show signs of stabilization in June
- Manufacturing sales bounce back in May
- Town of Lincoln receives Greenbelt Foundation grant
- St. Catharines launches new 12-month payment plan for property taxes
- Brock research on Crawford Lake makes global headlines
- Study says Niagara’s emerging economic future is green and marine
- Reading Recommendations: Sustainability
Ottawa announces $27m in funding for apprenticeships
Today, in advance of World Youth Skills Day, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced more than $27 million over five years for Skills Canada, under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy. This funding supports the organization’s project Engaging youth in the skilled trades through competitions and career exploration, which encourages young people to explore careers in the skilled trades and technology
Canadian home sales show signs of stabilization in June
Statistics released today by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show national home sales were up again on a month-over-month basis in May 2023.
Home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems posted a 1.5% increase between May and June 2023, smaller increase than in April and May. (Chart A) Sales were up in June in a little over half of all local markets, with gains in British Columbia and Alberta offsetting fewer sales in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
The actual (not seasonally adjusted) number of transactions in June 2023 came in 4.7% above June 2022. This was the largest year-over-year national sales increase in two years.
Canadian manufacturing sales bounce back in May after disappointing April
Manufacturing sales increased 1.2% to $72.9 billion in May, following a 0.1% decline in April, mainly driven by higher sales of chemical products (+4.8%), motor vehicles (+4.8%) and machinery (+4.2%). Sales in primary metal manufacturing decreased the most (-6.9%). Year over year, total sales were up 0.2% in May.
Total sales in constant dollars rose 2.2% in May, indicating a higher volume of goods sold. The Industrial Product Price Index fell 1.0% in May.
Town of Lincoln receives Greenbelt Foundation grant for innovative soil cell technology in Jordan Village
The Town of Lincoln is the proud recipient of a $25,000 grant through the Greenbelt Foundation to improve stormwater management, mitigate urban flood risks, and increase climate resiliency through the creation and protection of urban tree canopy installations in Jordan Village, a Greenbelt Settlement Area.
This initiative is part of the Jordan Village Improvement project – a major undertaking by the Town to rebuild and improve infrastructure in Jordan Village.
St. Catharines launches new 12-month payment plan for property taxes
The City of St. Catharines has recently implemented a new tax billing system with enhanced functionality, accompanied by the introduction of a 12-month Pre-Authorized Payment (PAP) plan.
This payment option aims to provide property owners with greater flexibility and convenience in managing their property taxes.
The 12-month PAP plan offers an alternative payment and budgeting solution, allowing property owners to spread their tax payments over a year. Notably, the City is waiving the requirement for property taxes to be paid in full for the year 2023 in order to sign up for this plan, making it accessible to a wider range of residents.
Brock research on Crawford Lake and proposed Anthropocene makes global headlines
This week, all eyes were on Crawford Lake — and the Brock University Earth Sciences professors who conducted research there.
Brock Professors Francine McCarthy and Martin Head were among an international group of experts who chose Crawford Lake, in Milton, Ont., to be the site of the proposed Anthropocene. Announced July 11 by the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG), the selection received significant media attention this week from around the world.
McCarthy, Head and Carleton University Professor of Earth Sciences Tim Patterson led a research team that has been collecting and analyzing the lake’s sediment record for evidence of human-induced changes to Earth. This evidence includes plutonium-239, microplastics, fertilizers and fly ash.
Study says Niagara’s emerging economic future is green and marine
A multi-part consultant’s report on Niagara’s emerging economic sectors has identified electric vehicle battery manufacturing and the marine industry as two of the most promising.
George Spezza, the Region’s economic development director, said a commitment to attract companies and foster emerging sectors is integral to the Region’s 10-Year Economic Development Strategy.
“I think one thing the pandemic has taught us is the more diversified our economy is, the better our position will be moving forward and weathering some of these storms that come our way unexpectedly,” Spezza said.
Did you know?
The world’s largest salt mine is in Ontario, over half a kilometre below Lake Huron.
Focus on Sustainability
Is it possible to measure sustainable development?
Applying sustainable development (SD) is complex. SD, for that matter, is a utopia: “The only thing that is sustainable in the history of life is change and adaptation,” writes ecologist Francesco di Castri in the preface to the environmental educational guide, “Qui a peur de l’an 2000?”
So how do you measure what does not yet exist? How can we do this in an objective and systemic way? And how do we avoid greenwashing?
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.
