Vital updates:

• Niagara-on-the-Lake has passed a mandatory face mask bylaw, becoming the second Niagara municipality to do so after St. Catharines. The bylaw is modeled on the one passed by St. Catharines, which is in force today. The Niagara-on-the-Lake bylaw will take effect on July 23. Enforcement will focus on education and voluntary compliance. Sample policies, guidance documents and signs are not yet available, but will likely be very similar to those available in St. Catharines.
• The Prime Minister today announced that the federal government will provide $19 billion to the provinces and territories to help fund a “safe restart” of the Canadian economy. The funding will focus on seven priority areas, including $4.2 billion for enhanced COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, $4.5 billion for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line and essential workers, and $625 million to fund more child care spaces so that parents can get back to work, according to a government background document. The Government of Canada will put up to $2 billion toward the operating costs of Canadian cities for six to eight months; provinces and territories will be required to match that amount from their own funds. The federal government also will match any new funding that provinces and municipalities put toward public transit, up to $1.8 billion.

Reading recommendations:

• How to properly use your pandemic mask, Grant LaFleche, St. Catharines Standard
• How to find time for a side hustle when you’re staying at home, Stephanie Vozza, FastCompany
• After the fastest recession in U.S. history, the economic recovery may be fizzling, David J. Lynch, Washington Post
• Pandemic-rattled Canadians still cautious about everything from schools to 2nd lockdowns, polls say, Éric Grenier, CBC News