In this edition:
- Gas stations and auto industry leads sixth consecutive increase for retailers in June
- Health Canada authorizes Pfizer booster for children
- Nominations close for Niagara municipal candidates
Gas stations and auto industry leads sixth consecutive increase for retailers in June, but sales may have dropped in July
Retail sales increased 1.1% to $63.1 billion in June, the sixth consecutive increase. Sales were up in 8 of 11 subsectors, representing 76.8% of retail trade. Higher sales at gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers led the increase.
Core retail sales—which exclude gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers—edged up 0.2%.
In volume terms, retail sales were up 0.2% in June.
Retail sales were up 3.2% in the second quarter. In volume terms, quarterly sales were up 0.9%.
Given the continually evolving economic situation, Statistics Canada is providing an advance estimate of retail sales, which suggests that sales decreased 2.0% in July. Owing to its early nature, this figure will be revised.
Health Canada authorizes Pfizer booster for children
Today, Health Canada authorized the 10 mcg Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine for use as a booster dose in children aged 5 to 11 years and NACI released national guidance for its use in Canada. This booster dose provides a great option to restore protection for this age group, especially for those who are at high risk of severe illness.
Specifically, NACI recommends that:
- Children 5 to 11 years of age who have an underlying medical condition that places them at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, including children who are immunocompromised, should be offered a first booster dose of the 10 mcg Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine, at least 6 months after completion of a primary series.
- For all other children in this age group, NACI recommends the 10 mcg Comirnaty vaccine may be offered as a first booster at least 6 months after completion of a primary series in the context of heightened epidemiological risk.
Nominations close for municipal candidates in Niagara
Nominations for candidates standing for election in October’s municipal elections closed at 2pm today. Here are the declared candidates in each municipality:
- Fort Erie
- Grimsby
- Lincoln
- Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Niagara Falls
- Pelham
- Port Colborne
- St. Catharines
- Thorold
- Wainfleet
- Welland
- West Lincoln
Canada Summer Games continue
Click here for a list of events, times, and locations.
Focus on Technology
Chinese internet giants hand algorithm data to government
BBC
Chinese internet giants including Alibaba, Tiktok-owner ByteDance and Tencent have shared details of their algorithms with China’s regulators for the first time.
Algorithms decide what users see and the order they see it in – and are critical to driving the growth of social media platforms.
They are closely guarded by companies.
In the US Meta and Alphabet have successfully argued they are trade secrets amid calls for more disclosure.
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.
