In this edition:
- Government of Ontario to ban road tolls, permanently freeze driver’s license fees
- Regular GO Train service resumes at St. Catharines GO station
- NotL Council reverses decision that blocked St. Davids project
- Royal George Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake in need of rebuild
- HOPA Ports celebrates expansion of P&H Milling / Parrish & Heimbecker facility
- Motor vehicle industry slump leads manufacturing sales downturn
- Residential, non-residential construction sectors both post slight uptick in December
- Applications open for Foodpreneur Lab’s accelerator program for Black entrepreneurs
- Trade Contractors Council demands federal construction secretariat
- Brock raises awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls
- Focus on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Government of Ontario to ban road tolls, permanently freeze driver’s license fees
The Ontario government is introducing legislation that would, if passed, ban tolls on provincial highways. This ban would apply to the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway once uploaded to the province, as well as the province’s 400-series highways.
The province is also proposing to make the current freeze on driver’s licence and Ontario Photo Card fees permanent through legislation, saving drivers an estimated $66 million over the next five years.
Regular GO Train service resumes at St. Catharines GO station
CN construction on the Seaway Bridge has been completed a week ahead of schedule, and regular GO Train service resumes today at St. Catharines GO station.
In January, CN Rail had temporarily limited access to St. Catharines GO for daily repairs on the Seaway bridge.
The repairs were orignally supposed to be finished on February 23rd, but work has already been completed.
NotL Council reverses decision that blocked St. Davids project
In the process of trying to approve part of a controversial development application in St. Davids, they say they inadvertently made an error and rejected something that actually had already been approved.
That led them to get legal advice and then reverse a decision they made just two weeks ago.
Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said there was nothing nefarious about the reversal and the town was just ensuring all decisions on the project were consistent with each other.
Royal George Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake in need of rebuild
The Royal George Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake is in need of a major facelift. The theatre, on Queen Street, was built in 1915, and is Shaw Festival’s second largest venue for its world-class performances.
Executive Director Tim Jennings wants to rebuild and upgrade the theatre to ensure its accessible for all, but yet keeps the look and feel of the historic building. The Shaw Festival is a major economic driver for the Niagara Region, pumping an estimated $240 million dollars each year into the local economy, beyond what is spent at Shaw.
Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates is advocating for the theatre’s rebuild by sending a letter to the Minister of Tourism asking for support.
HOPA Ports celebrates expansion of P&H Milling Group / Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. facility
Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) congratulates P&H Milling Group and Parrish & Heimbecker Limited (P&H), a long-time port partner, on the announcement of a significant expansion of the company’s facility at the Port of Hamilton. This expansion underscores P&H’s commitment to serving Canadian agriculture producers and the needs of a booming Ontario baking industry.
The expansion will see P&H’s existing facility on Pier 10 in Hamilton grow with the construction of a new flour mill, the third mill at this location, with shovels in the ground this spring. Two new storage silos will also be added, dedicated to handling essential ingredients such as soymeal and distillers dried grains, as well as wheat for milling.
Motor vehicle industry slump leads manufacturing sales downturn
Following a 1.5% increase in November, manufacturing sales fell 0.7% to $71.2 billion in December, mainly attributable to the motor vehicle industry group (-13.5%) as well as the chemical product subsector (-3.1%). Production of aerospace products and parts marked the largest increase, rising 10.6% to $2.5 billion in December.
Total sales in constant dollars edged down 0.1% in December, while the Industrial Product Price Index fell 1.5% in December.
Residential, non-residential construction sectors both post slight uptick in December
Investment in building construction edged up 0.3% month over month to $19.8 billion in December. The residential sector grew 0.3% to $13.8 billion, and investment in the non-residential sector rose 0.3% to $6.1 billion.
On a constant dollar basis (2017=100), investment in building construction was unchanged (+0.0%; +$5 million) at $12.2 billion in December.
Applications open for Foodpreneur Lab’s accelerator program for Black entrepreneurs
Foodpreneur Lab is looking for Black entrepreneurs in southwestern Ontario who are interested in starting or scaling a packaged food business. Applications are now open at www.foodpreneurlab.com until March 1, 2024, at 11:59 am ET. Applicants from Niagara region, and others, are eligible for support.
Information sessions for cohort four will be held in English on February 22, at 6:30 pm ET. Registration is available at www.foodpreneurlab.com. The Government of Canada funds this project through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
Trade Contractors Council demands federal construction secretariat
The National Trade Contractors Council of Canada (NTCCC) recently made a pre-budget submission to federal Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland calling for the formation of a federal construction secretariat or department.
This would be a dedicated entity to address ICI construction-specific issues, providing focused attention and resources.
The creation of a joint inter-departmental and industry advisory group could include representatives from relevant federal departments, industry stakeholders and provincial/municipal representation to examine ongoing infrastructure investment needs and plan for the expansion of labour and market capacity.
Brock raises awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls as part of REDress Project
Brock’s Pond Inlet was filled to capacity Wednesday, Feb. 14 as the University community came together with a common goal: to honour and remember missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit people.
Hosted by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement and the Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, the gathering was part of the REDress Project, an initiative that began as an art installation by Métis artist Jaime Black at the University of Winnipeg in 2011 to signify the loss of thousands of Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGTBQQIA) people to colonial violence.
Did you know?
Only 17% of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses are owned by women.
Focus on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
An employer’s duty of religious accommodation at work
One of your new employees shows up a few weeks in wearing a hijab (head covering scarf) and niqab (a veil that leaves the eyes unconcealed). Some other workers and a few customers express discomfort. What should you do?
Or an employee refuses to work on Saturdays because that’s when they celebrate their Sabbath. But business is rough and you’ve demanded that all hands be on deck for weekends. Do you have options?
Religious accommodation laws in Canada set some fairly rigid guidelines. Make sure you understand these before mistakably trampling on a staff member’s rights.
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.
