• Today saw the final session in the Niagara Economic Summit series, which can be seen here. Moderator Janice Thomson of Niagara Falls Tourism was joined by Anthony Annunziata from the Tourism Partnership of Niagara, Dottie Gallagher from the Great Lakes Metro Chamber Coalition and the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership, Dan Paszkowski of Wine Growers Canada, and keynote speaker the Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, Executive Advisor, International at Deloitte Canada for a wide-ranging conversation on tourism, recovery, and rebuilding that touched not only on what has been lost in the pandemic, but how we could seize opportunities for regrowth.
  • “This pandemic will accelerate history… In my lifetime, this has been the most challenging situation we’ve had.” — Pierre Pettigrew
  • “40% of Niagara’s business rely on an open border.” — Anthony Annunziata
  • “35% of Buffalo-Niagara Partnership members said the border closure had affected their business.” — Dottie Gallagher
  • “The wine industry is not pandemic-proof, it is pandemic-resistant… For small craft wineries, 85% of the wine sales take place at the winery. The other 15% is at bars and restaurants. At the beginning of the pandemic, the only option left was direct consumer delivery.” — Dan Paszkowski
  • “Government has to take a different role. Liquidity has been exhausted, reserves have been depleted… this is all part of the equation that government needs to fund redistribution.” — Anthony Annunziata
• Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced that the Government of Canada has signed an agreement with Eli Lilly for an initial order of up to 26,000 doses of their COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy Bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555). Under the agreement, deliveries of Bamlanivimab will begin in December 2020 and be completed in February 2021. Beginning in March 2021, Canada will have the option to purchase additional allocations, based on the current medical need in Canada and the global product availability. Eli Lilly co-developed this therapy with AbCellera Biologics, a Vancouver-based technology company that searches, decodes and analyzes natural immune systems to find antibodies that can be developed to prevent and treat disease.
• On November 25, 2020, all provincial and territorial emergency management organizations will conduct public alerting tests in Canada, except for Nunavut. Test alerts will be distributed on TV, radio and compatible mobile devices connected to a LTE (long-term evolution) or a newer wireless network (5G) in all provinces and territories. Ongoing testing of the National Public Alerting System provides an opportunity for stakeholders to validate and improve the system’s performance and reliability to ensure it operates as intended in the event of a life-threatening situation. The messages will be identified as test alerts and will not require Canadians to take action. Testing in Ontario will be conducted at 12:55 p.m. (EST). If you have a wireless device that is connected to an LTE wireless or a newer wireless network (5G), wireless public alerting (WPA) compatible, and equipped with a recent Canadian version of its operating software, but do not receive the alert, contact your wireless service provider. To learn more about test alerts, visit Alert Ready.
• The Town of Pelham’s annual Christmas Market event, part of the overall Christmas in Pelham festivities, will not occur this year. After careful consideration and discussion of Provincial and Regional Public Health guidelines and recommendations, the decision to cancel the event was made in the best interest of health and safety pursuant to Public Health guidelines. Though the Christmas Market is not running this year, some of the most cherished market traditions will be upheld through a variety of other planned events. To learn more, click here.
• Port Colborne City Council approved the 2021 Operating Budget at last night’s meeting, which focuses on maintaining core programs and services, COVID-19 pandemic expenditures, economic development growth, and community support. The City is the first municipality in Niagara to approve their 2021 Capital and Operating Budgets. In 2021, Port Colborne taxpayers will see an overall increase of 2.44 per cent in property taxes per household, or about $82 more than last year. This increase was undertaken to support measures such as:
  • Allowing residents financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the flexibility to defer property tax bill payments, water, and wastewater billings without penalty until March 31, 2021. Residents interested in taking advantage of this deferral program can visit portcolborne.ca.
  • Increasing the community grant program by 20 per cent. The City is now able to provide more funds to local non-profit organizations in the community.
  • Expanding the student placement program to create more opportunities for students to gain hands on experience at a local municipality.
  • Increasing economic development capacity by creating a Tourism Coordinator position.
  • City staffing to offset COVID-19 related needs, including an additional Information Technology Specialist and Communications Officer.
• The members of the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) approved a resolution at their Annual General Meeting to change the organization’s name to the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI). OCI and the Government of Ontario are pleased to announce the organization’s rebranding as they work together to further increase and strengthen the role of OCI in Ontario’s innovation strategy. For over 33 years, the Ontario Centre of Innovation has fostered industry-academic R&D collaboration and accelerated the development, commercialization and adoption of emerging technologies in Ontario.
• Major airlines including Qantas, Korean Air, and Air New Zealand have opined that future air travellers may have to be vaccinated before boarding flights. These airlines are anticipating their respective governments requiring proof of vaccination before travellers arrive in order to safeguard their population from the virus.

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