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Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

COVID-19 Business Update: October 27th, 2020

Niagara Health is encouraging the community to be a Flu Fighter this fall by getting the influenza vaccination. The flu shot provides protection against contracting influenza and adds a layer of protection for those around you.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, as well as policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here.
The Government of Canada has a support page with summaries of current programs and application portals.

Vital updates:

  • The Government of Canada has begun consultations with provinces and territories, employers, workers, worker support groups, and other interested parties on a proposal to establish minimum requirements for employer-provided accommodations for the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program across Canada. As a first step, the Government of Canada is seeking input until December 22, 2020 on proposed accommodation requirements in the TFW Program’s primary agriculture stream. The Government is also seeking feedback on potential approaches to strengthen oversight of worker accommodations, both prior to and after workers’ arrivals. Agricultural employers in Niagara utilizing the TFW program should strongly consider providing their input to this consultation, and can do so by emailing Employment and Social Development Canada at NC-TFWP-APT-PTET-EPA-EPA-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca before December 22, 2020.
  • Niagara Health is encouraging the community to be a Flu Fighter this fall by getting the influenza vaccination. The flu shot provides protection against contracting influenza and adds a layer of protection for those around you. It also helps reduce strain on healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. A list of Community Flu Clinics can be found here. The shot is also available at many pharmacies. The GNCC recommends that employers encourage their staff to get vaccinated in order to reduce workplace absenteeism and sickness.
  • The City of St. Catharines will hold a public meeting on November 16, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss a proposed City initiated Zoning By-law Amendment to consider short term rental usage of properties, such as bed-and-breakfasts or AirBnB rental of properties or rooms. More information, including how to attend the virtual meeting, is available here.
  • The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is developing a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) which will serve as a long-range strategic plan for the Town that addresses existing challenges and opportunities, supports growth, and recommends policies that support an efficient, multi-modal transportation network – including vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit mobility.
  • New dates have been announced for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, which was previously pushed back owing to the pandemic. The Canada Summer Games in Niagara have been officially rescheduled for August 6-21, 2022. These new dates were identified after consultation with each provincial/territorial team, National Sport Organizations (NSOs), sport/non-sport venues and all levels of government.
  • The Bank of Canada will release its rate setting and Monetary Policy Report at 10 a.m. tomorrow, followed by a press conference at 11 a.m. with Governor Tiff Macklem. The Bank has recommitted to keep interest rates at historic lows, and will use its policy decision Wednesday to reinforce that guidance. It will hold the overnight interest rate at 0.25 per cent, possibly for years, and will continue purchasing government bonds worth $5 billion per week as part of a quantitative easing program.
  • Tech company Reddit has announced that it will offer its 600 staff the opportunity to work remotely, with exceptions such as IT support and facility maintenance. Shopify had previously announced that the vast majority of their staff would work remotely on a permanent basis, while other tech firms Twitter and Square had, like Reddit, offered their staff a permanent remote work option.

Reading recommendations:

  • 4 major long-term psychological effects of continued remote work, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Fast Company
    • Although scientific research has historically highlighted the benefits of remote working—including a boost in employee morale, health and well-being, and productivity—that was before the pandemic. The research assumed that working from home was a choice rather than a necessity and that organizations offered alternatives between telecommuting or coming to the office. But what happens when there is no choice and people who never worked from home are forced to do so?
  • Collateral damage: The unmet health-care needs of non-COVID-19 patients, Mehdi Ammi, The Conversation
    • As the second wave of COVID-19 has now officially hit Central Canada (Québec and Ontario), we can expect health-care system resources to again be disproportionally demanded by COVID-19 patients. Addressing the direct health implications of the pandemic is clearly necessary, but doing so may come at an indirect cost for non-COVID patients who may struggle to access needed care.

 

Niagara Economic Summit Series 2020

Where are we now, how did we get here, and where do we go? This year’s summit, taking place between November 10 and November 24, brings experts and leaders together from across the country to identify where we are economically, what our future opportunities are, and how we can seize them. Find out more and get a calendar save-the-date here.


 If you are showing symptoms, contact your health care provider, call the Public Health Info-Line at 905-688-8248, or chat to Public Health online. For testing, call 905-378-4647 ext. 42819 (4-CV19) for information on test centres in Niagara and to book an appointment.

Previous updates can be accessed here.

The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.

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