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Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Daily Update: October 2, 2024

In this edition:

  • Niagara College earns WWF-Canada Living Campus Certification
  • Proposed pay hike for St. Catharines city councillors to cost $118,577 per year
  • Ontario considering buying back Highway 407, Premier Doug Ford says
  • Government of Canada begins work to update Environmental Protection Act
  • Ontario invests $5M in free training for Indigenous, Black, and racialized entrepreneurs
  • KPMG International’s CEO Outlook shows confidence high, but pressure intensifying
  • 2023 survey shows young adults drinking less
  • Focus on Technology

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Ecosystem Restoration program student Maria Fernanda Sanchez Salgado removes phragmites on the edge of the lagoon at NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Photo credit: Niagara College / supplied

Niagara College earns WWF-Canada Living Campus Certification

Niagara College’s commitment to sustainability has earned national recognition.

On September 12, World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) recognized NC for its outstanding commitment to sustainability, conservation and the environment. The College was one of only nine post-secondary institutions in the country to earn the WWF-Canada Living Campus Certification.

Click here to read more.


St. Catharines City Hall

Photo credit: City of St. Catharines

Proposed pay hike for St. Catharines city councillors calculated to cost $118,577 per year

St. Catharines’ 12 city councillors should each be paid $9,000 more annually and the way their pay is calculated should be revamped, a task force has recommended in a report coming to council next week.

The citizen task force to review remuneration for council, boards, agencies and commissions found St. Catharines councillor salaries are falling behind comparable municipalities and is recommending a new methodology for coming up with the amounts.

Click here to read more.


Highway 407 ETR west of Burlington

Photo credit: Gilberto Mesquita / Adobe Stock

Ontario considering buying back Highway 407, Premier Doug Ford says

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government is considering buying back Highway 407, which runs across the Greater Toronto Area.

The Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government sold Highway 407 in 1999 for $3.1 billion dollars to a consortium that included SNC Lavalin, Quebec’s provincial pension fund and Spanish company Ferrovial.


A green globe on a green background

Photo credit: Stratocaster / Adobe Stock

Government of Canada begins work to update Environmental Protection Act

Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced the modernization and administration of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).

Over the coming months, the public will have the opportunity to have their say on several initiatives, including a Draft Implementation Framework on the Right to a Healthy Environment, a proposed Watch List Approach for substances of concern, a proposed Plan of Priorities describing how the government will address chemical substances in Canada, and a Draft Strategy to Replace, Reduce, or Refine Vertebrate Animal Testing.

Click here to read more.


A woman working on a computer

Photo credit: Prostock-studio / Adobe Stock

Ontario invests $5M in free training for Indigenous, Black, and racialized entrepreneurs

The Ontario government is investing $5 million in the Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Entrepreneurs (RAISE) program for 2024-25 to provide free access to business coaching, training and grants for more than 400 Indigenous, Black and other racialized entrepreneurs. This is part of the government’s $15 million investment over three years to provide more than 1,200 entrepreneurs with the training and support to launch and grow successful small businesses.

Click here to read more.


A man in a suit working looking concerned

Photo credit: Viacheslav Yakobchuk / Adobe Stock

KPMG International’s 2024 CEO Outlook shows confidence high, but pressure intensifying

While confidence in their three-year outlooks remains high, Canadian business leaders are feeling the pressure to deliver on environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments and find new ways to boost their organization’s productivity, finds KPMG International’s 2024 CEO Outlook.

The CEOs of Canada’s largest and most-influential companies remain confident in their organization’s three-year growth prospects (76 per cent) and the Canadian economy (83 per cent). But 76 per cent also said they feel under more pressure to ensure the long-term prosperity of their business.

Click here to read more.


A woman refusing an alcoholic drink

Photo credit: Pixel-Shot / Adobe Stock

2023 survey shows young adults drinking less

Results released from the 2023 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) today show that in the seven days preceding the survey, 54% of people aged 18 and older reported not drinking any alcohol, although more than three-quarters (77%) reported drinking at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 12 months.

Alcohol consumption is lower among young adults, with a higher proportion of younger Canadians aged 18 to 22 reporting not drinking any alcoholic beverages in the past seven days (67%) compared with those in all other age groups, for which the proportions varied from 51% to 57%.


Did you know?

The use of cash is increasing in Canada, with 15% more cash transactions reported in 2023 than in the previous year.


Focus on Technology

Leveraging AI for smarter procurement decisions in manufacturing

Many Canadian business owners are turning to AI to combat rising prices and maintain customer retention rates through optimization. In the first quarter of 2024, 28.5% of large companies were actively using this technology or had plans to use it soon. As expected, just 12.3% of small businesses — those with four or fewer employees — felt the same way.

Canadian manufacturers should follow suit and leverage AI for procurement. They would benefit from incorporating its automation, predictive or analytical capabilities into their workflows. Regardless of its application, this technology can increase accuracy, speed and efficiency, resulting in downstream gains.

Click here to read more.


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.


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