In this edition:
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- Statistics Canada reports that retail sales increased in June 2022
- Back to the office life
- Almost half of Canadians report a strong sense of belonging to their local community
- Ukraine backs Scholz’s bid for Canadian LNG ahead of trip
- Ontario cannabis store delivery stoppage underscores urgent need for reform
- CUPE sets strike votes for end of September, says it doesn’t guarantee walkout
- Progress continues on Grimsby’s community and recreation hub expansion and renovation
- Vote in the upcoming municipal election
Statistics Canada reports that retail sales increased in June 2022
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. Leading the increase in retail sales in June were higher sales at gasoline stations (+3.9%), which recorded their sixth consecutive increase. In volume terms, sales at gasoline stations decreased 1.3%. Gasoline prices rose 6.2% on an unadjusted basis in June.
Back to the office lifeFeatured content
Approximately 64% of Canadian companies surveyed are requiring employees to come back to work in September of 2022 and 19% have changed their back to office plans over the past four months in an attempt to retain staff. “Collaboration and communication between colleagues and teams are the leading forces driving innovation, productivity and growth”; says Vice President, Operations for AWC Manufacturing, Rob Torresin. One of the biggest benefits of returning to the office is the improved connection with peers that can lead to more effective divergence, increased productivity and team synergy.
While 70% of over 1000 workers surveyed by PwC say that they prefer working remotely and not being the office more than two days per week most Canadian organizations are pursuing the fact that they would like to see all of their employees back to the office once the students return to class.
Almost half of Canadians report a strong sense of belonging to their local community
According to Statistics Canada, almost half of people in Canada (47%) reported having a strong sense of belonging to their community. This percentage was lower among young people aged 15 to 34 (ranging from 37% to 44%) and the LGBTQ2+ population (36%), among other groups.
Building relationships and social networks is critical to fostering a sense of belonging to a larger community, ensuring that people feel connected to each other, and that they have support when they need it. This makes a strong sense of belonging to a local community an important indicator of social integration. It is also associated with positive quality of life indicators such as being more hopeful about the future as well as better physical and mental health.
Ukraine backs Scholz’s bid for Canadian LNG ahead of trip
Shortly before his two-day trip to Canada, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz received support for his interest in Canadian liquid natural gas to help replace Russian gas imports from an unexpected ally: Ukrainian state-owned gas company Naftogaz.
Kyiv has been at loggerheads with Berlin over its gas imports policy: firstly over its deal with Moscow to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and more recently over its deal with Canada to get a repaired turbine for the Nord Stream 1 delivered back to Germany.
But the prospect of LNG deliveries to Europe from Canada, one of the world’s top gas producers, is something that not only Naftogaz supports, it’s something it has also been quietly working on itself.
Ontario cannabis store delivery stoppage underscores urgent need for reform
Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement in response to the Ontario Cannabis Store’s shipping delays due to a cyberattack of its third-party distribution partner: “This situation underscores the inherent risks of having the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) act as the province’s only wholesale purchaser and distributor of legal cannabis. Delays in distribution hurt both retailers and producers, particularly smaller operators who are unable to stock their shelves. With diminished product availability at legal retail outlets, public safety is also at risk as illegal retailers now have the opportunity to regain market share.”
CUPE sets strike votes for end of September, says it doesn’t guarantee walkout
Ontario education workers including librarians, custodians and administrative staff could walk off the job as early as October, after their union set a strike vote.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 55,000 workers, will open voting for members from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2 on whether to set a strike mandate. Education Minister Stephen Lecce has criticized the move as premature, as CUPE began planning for the votes before the government’s first offer was tabled.
Progress continues on Grimsby’s community and recreation hub expansion and renovation
On August 19th 2022, MPP Sam Oosterhoff was joined by Mayor Jeff Jordan, Regional Councillor Wayne Fertich and members of Town Council for the installation of an “Ontario Builds” sign in support of the Peach King Centre Expansion and Renovation Project. This comes as key steps move forward in the project including the selection of a project management firm and preparation to select a firm to complete the detailed design.
Vote in the upcoming municipal election
On Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, Niagara residents will vote to elect the positions of mayor, councillors and regional councillors. For voter information in your community, including a list of candidates, please click here.
Click here for information on the election.
Focus on Small Business
Canada’s disappearing ‘average farmer’ means one-size-fits-all policies no longer work
The Conversation
Canada’s agriculture industry has been undergoing significant changes over the past 45 years. Since the 1970s, the number of farms has been steadily declining, but not all farms have been impacted equally – mid-size farms have been hit the hardest, as the number of small and large farms increases.
While mid-size farms used to be the average farm, it is now difficult to define what the average farm is. This has implications on determining the need for policy intervention and what that policy will look like. It’s clear the one-size-fits-all approach to policy-making no longer works.
Eight lessons for leading a successful start-up
Forbes
Here are some tips to ensure that you can be better prepared and have some direction and structure for your start-up.
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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