Share your thoughts on in-person events
The GNCC would like to hear how comfortable you would feel attending in-person events this year. Please take a minute to complete our confidential survey, and feel free to share with others. The results will be given in the Daily Update this week.
Ontario unveils back-to-school plan for September. Here’s what you need to know
All students will be able to return to the classroom full time this September under the Ontario government’s highly anticipated back-to-school plan.
The 26-page plan says elementary students and secondary students will attend school in-person five days per week, for the first time in months.
Remote learning will remain an option for parents and students who don’t feel comfortable returning to the classroom.
Click here for more information.
Federal government announces funding for the 2022 Canada Games in the Niagara region
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced an investment of up to $1.1 million for the 2022 Canada Summer Games Host Society in the Niagara region. This funding will help cover additional costs due to the postponement of the Games and impacts of COVID-19. The Games, which were originally planned for the summer of 2021, were rescheduled to August 6 to 21, 2022.
Click here for more information.
Canada rolls out first federal fund dedicated to rural transit solutions
Today, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, together with Pat Finnigan, Member of Parliament for Miramichi—Grand Lake, Keith West, Mayor of Chipman, and Erica Barnette, Mayor of Minto, announced the launch of the $250 million Rural Transit Solutions Fund—the first federal fund to target the development of transit solutions in rural and remote communities.
From on-demand services, to publicly-owned, electric vehicle ride shares, and volunteer community car-pooling, eligible communities and organizations from across Canada will be able to submit applications to the new Fund. The initial call for applications under the Fund will include grants of up to $50,000 in support of project planning for future capital projects or pilot projects, up to $3 million to help cover capital costs (e.g. purchase of a vehicle or digital platforms) and up to $5 million to support zero-emission transit solutions (e.g. for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles).
Click here for more information.
Reading Recommendations
Desperate employers dangle signing bonuses to lure in workers
CBC News
CBC News reviewed dozens of popular job listings sites in Canada such as Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, SimplyHired, and Workopolis — all of which are owned by the same corporate parent — along with WowJobs, ZipRecruiter, and individual company hiring pages.
CBC News found signing bonuses listed for jobs at big businesses like Amazon, Aspire Bakeries and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
The use of signing bonuses for common jobs signals that “these are desperate times” for some companies, says Marie-Hélène Budworth, an associate professor with the School of Human Resource Management at York University.
What if bitcoin went to zero?
The Economist
The recent expansion of the crypto-universe is a thing of wonder. Only a year ago there were about 6,000 currencies listed on CoinMarketCap, a website. Today there are 11,145. Their combined market capitalisation has exploded from $330bn to $1.6trn today—roughly equivalent to the nominal GDP of Canada. More than 100m unique digital wallets hold them, about three times the number in 2018.
This maturation, however, has failed to tame the wild gyrations that characterise crypto markets. Bitcoin sank from $64,000 in April to $30,000 in May. Today it hovers around $40,000, having dipped to $29,000 as recently as July 29th. Every downwards lurch raises the question of how bad the fallout might be. Too much seems at stake for the cryptocurrency to collapse—and not just for the die-hards who see bitcoin as the future of finance.
Niagara COVID-19 data
These data show the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Niagara. The Province of Ontario is now using a provincewide approach to reopening, and these data no longer have any influence on Niagara’s restrictions. Lower numbers are better in all metrics.
| December 18 | December 25 | January 1 | January 8 | January 15 | January 22 | January 29 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive number | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| New cases per 100,000 | 101.2 | 267.3 | 469.8 | 575.8 | 507.1 | 295.5 | 250.6 |
| New cases per day (not including outbreaks) | 60.7 | 178.7 | 311.7 | 376.9 | 325.4 | 182.7 | 145.7 |
| Percent of hospital beds occupied | 97% | 95.2% | 98.2% | 103.2% | 104.5% | 103.6% | 106% |
| Percent of intensive care beds occupied | 78.8% | 77.3% | 87.9% | 87.9% | 90.9% | 89.4% | 93.9% |
| Percentage of positive tests | 6.1% | 15.6% | 28.1% | 28.6% | 26.6% | 21.2% | 16.2% |
Last updated: July 24, 2021
There is currently 1 patient admitted to Niagara Health with COVID-19. There is currently 1 patient with COVID-19 in a Niagara Health Intensive Care Unit.
Data are drawn from Niagara Region Public Health and Niagara Health.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.
| Percentage of population with one dose | Percentage of population fully vaccinated | |
|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 82.7% | 78.2% |
| Ontario | 84.6% | 79.1% |
| Canada | 84.7% | 78.6% |
| United States | 75% | 64% |
| United Kingdom | 78% | 72% |
| Germany | 76% | 74% |
| France | 80% | 77% |
| Italy | 83% | 76% |
| Japan | 80% | 79% |
| World | 63% | 53% |
Total doses administered in Niagara: 625,618
New daily doses administered to Niagara residents: 470
Last updated: August 3, 2021
Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.
Free rapid COVID-19 testing kits are now available to businesses. Visit gncc.ca/workplace-self-screening-kits to learn more and reserve kits for your organization.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here. The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.
