In this edition:
- St. Lawrence Seaway traffic starts moving as strike ends, but backlogs persist
- Town of Lincoln invests $25,000 in Niagara Benchlands businesses through Destination Development Fund
- General Motors reaches tentative agreement with UAW while Unifor workers at Stellantis walk out
- New federal immigration targets coming this week
- Governments of Canada and Ontario invest $8m in apple, tender fruit, and wine grape producers
- Grimsby recruits for committees
- 14% of Canadians cannot afford to properly heat or cool homes: Statistics Canada
- Meta launches business verification program in Canada
- WeChat and Kaspersky banned on government mobile devices
- Focus on Small Business
St. Lawrence Seaway traffic starts moving as strike ends, but backlogs persist
Cargo is moving again on the St. Lawrence Seaway after management and Unifor struck a tentative deal on Sunday, but it could take most of the week to clear the backlog of ships halted during the labour stoppage — and even longer for supply chains to normalize.
The company said workers were back on the job as of 7 a.m. on Monday, as ships were expected to start moving again throughout the day. The tentative agreement, which must still be ratified, ended a strike that began on Oct. 22.
The job action by 360 workers represented by Unifor brought a stop to ships though the key trade corridor.
Town of Lincoln invests $25,000 in Niagara Benchlands businesses through Destination Development Fund
he Town of Lincoln is thrilled to announce the approval of a $25,000 grant from the 2023 Niagara Benchlands Destination Development Fund, supporting six successful applicants in the tourism sector. This funding aims to assist local tourism-based businesses in the development, enhancement, and expansion of tourism products and offerings in the Niagara Benchlands destination.
General Motors reaches tentative agreement with UAW while Unifor workers at Stellantis walk out
A tentative GM deal capped a furious few days of agreements that still need to be ratified by 146,000 UAW members at GM, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis. Ford agreed to a new contract last week and was followed by Stellantis on Saturday, which raised the pressure on GM to settle for essentially the same terms.
Meanwhile, Unifor says Canadian autoworkers have gone on strike at Stellantis operations in Canada after failing to reach a deal by Sunday’s deadline. A statement from the union says more than 8,200 workers have walked off the job at all Stellantis facilities.
New federal immigration targets coming this week
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he is not in favour of lowering Canada’s immigration targets, as Ottawa prepares to publish new goals for the number of permanent residents it plans to welcome each year until 2026.
Mr. Miller says the cabinet is still in 11th-hour discussions about whether annual targets for permanent residents should remain static, rise or go down. He said ministers are also looking at whether the categories of migrants who can stay in Canada should be refined.
Governments of Canada and Ontario invest $8m in apple, tender fruit, and wine grape producers
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $8 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to help apple, tender fruit, and wine grape producers grow popular varieties of produce.
The initial apple and tender fruit intake of the Growing Future Opportunities Initiative will provide eligible producers with cost-shared funding to purchase new plants that will create new opportunities for their business.
Grimsby recruits for committees
The Town of Grimsby is recruiting for the Grimsby Economic Development Advisory Committee, the Culture Advisory Committee, and the Age Friendly Advisory Committee.
The Town has various Boards and Committees intended to provide a forum for public input so recommendations can be made to Council on issues within their defined areas of responsibility.
14% of Canadians cannot afford to properly heat or cool homes: Statistics Canada
Temperature extremes in Canada, including intense heat and cold weather events, inevitably affect energy consumption among Canadian households, which need proper heating and cooling systems for individuals and families to live safely and comfortably in their homes. However, in the face of rising energy prices, not all Canadian households are able to adequately heat and cool their dwellings, resulting in possible increased risk of climate-related morbidity and even death. In 2023, 14% of Canadian households reported that they kept their dwelling at an unsafe or uncomfortable temperature for at least 1 month in the past 12 months because of unaffordable heating or cooling costs.
Meta launches business verification program in Canada
Canadian businesses using Facebook or Instagram have a new way to mark their authenticity.
The platforms’ owner, Meta Platforms Inc. announced Monday that it has begun testing a paid verification program for businesses using either social network in Canada.
In exchange for $36.99 per month, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based social media giant will give subscribing companies a verification badge confirming their business is authentic and grant them access to proactive monitoring for impersonation.
WeChat and Kaspersky banned on government mobile devices
Today, the President of the Treasury Board, Anita Anand, announced a ban on the use of the WeChat and Kaspersky suite of applications on government-issued mobile devices. Effective October 30, 2023, the WeChat and Kaspersky suite of applications will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the applications in the future.
The Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that WeChat and Kaspersky suite of applications present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.
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Focus on Small Business
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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.
