In this edition:
- Ontario scraps mandatory five-day isolation rules
- Children aged five and over eligible for first booster shot
- GDP edged up 0.1% in June, early information indicates decline in July
- Prime Minister announces changes to the Ministry
- Thorold will not sell city park to DSBN
- CRTC to implement new 9-8-8 number for mental health
- Government of Canada invests in skilled trades
Ontario scraps mandatory five-day isolation rules
Ontario has scrapped its mandatory five-day isolation rule for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 as part of an “all respiratory virus approach” to an expected rise in general illnesses in the fall.
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said Wednesday individuals who feel ill should isolate while symptomatic and return to work or school 24 hours after their symptoms come to an end.
Masks should be worn for about 10 days after an individual ends their voluntary isolation period, Moore said, but it will not be mandatory to do so.
Children aged five and over eligible for first booster shot
The Ontario government is expanding eligibility for COVID-19 first booster doses to children aged five to 11 to provide an extra layer of protection to those who need it ahead of the new school year.
As of 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 1, parents and caregivers of children aged five to 11 will be able to book an appointment for a paediatric COVID-19 booster dose through the COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.
GDP edged up 0.1% in June, early information indicates decline in July
Real gross domestic product (GDP) edged up 0.1% in June, following an essentially unchanged May. Both services-producing (+0.2%) and goods-producing (+0.1%) industries were up, as 14 of 20 industrial sectors expanded in June.
Advance information indicates that real GDP edged down 0.1% in July. Output was down in the manufacturing, wholesale, retail trade and utilities sectors. Declines were partly offset by increases in the mining, quarrying, oil and gas sector and the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector.
Real GDP grew 0.8% over Q2 2022, driven by increased business investment in inventories, non-residential structures, machinery and equipment, and household spending on services and semi-durable goods. This was the fourth consecutive quarterly increase in real GDP.
Prime Minister announces changes to the Ministry
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced changes to the Ministry. These changes follow Minister Filomena Tassi’s request to spend more time in Southern Ontario due to family reasons.
Filomena Tassi, currently Minister of Public Services and Procurement, becomes Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
Helena Jaczek, currently Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, becomes Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
Thorold will not sell city park to DSBN
Thorold is not selling a city park to a school board.
A special council meeting was held last night to discuss a final proposal for McMillan Park to be sold to the District School Board of Niagara.
The DSBN proposal was to build a synthetic turf field at McMillan Park on Carleton Street North to address a number of challenges facing Thorold Secondary School.
CRTC to implement new 9-8-8 number for mental health
Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced that it will adopt 9-8-8 as the number to call or text for Canadians who are in need of immediate mental health crisis and suicide prevention intervention. Once implemented by telephone and wireless service providers, calls and texts to 9-8-8 will be directed to a mental health crisis or suicide prevention service, free of charge. The service aims to launch on November 30th, 2023.
Currently, people in Canada who are experiencing mental health distress can obtain assistance through Talk Suicide Canada by dialing toll-free 1-833-456-4566. Employers are encouraged to make their employees aware of the resources available to help them during these stressful times.
Government of Canada invests in skilled trades
Today, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced a call for proposals under Stream 1: Investments in Training Equipment of the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP). Up to $10 million in 2022–2023 is being invested by the Government of Canada for projects that provide unions with up to 50% of the cost of new training equipment and materials.
Focus on Climate
How to procure a green economy
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Government of Canada is rightly focused on achieving net zero by 2050. Yet, Ottawa is still resisting implementing procurement policies to support a green economy.
The federal government is the single largest buyer in the country. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it is estimated that the procurement of goods and services accounts for nearly 33 per cent of all federal government spending, and 13.3 per cent of national GDP. With nearly $22-billion in procurement spending per year, the federal government is in a perfect position to integrate environmental sustainability considerations into procurement decision-making processes and drive progress toward a net-zero economy.
To achieve net zero, it is time for all levels of government to get serious about green procurement policies.
Timber cities ‘could cut 100bn tons of CO2 emissions by 2100’
The Guardian
Building new urban homes from wood instead of concrete and steel could save about 10% of the carbon budget needed to limit global heating to 2C this century, according to a new study.
The overhaul of construction practices needed for such a shift would require up to 149m hectares of new timber plantations – and an increase in harvests from unprotected natural forests – but it need not encroach on farmland, according to the paper by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
Housing 90% of the world’s growing urban population in mid-rise wooden buildings could prevent 106bn tons of carbon emissions by 2100, says the research.
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.
