GNCC survey finds most people comfortable with in-person events in 2021
Of 414 respondents, 65% indicated they would be comfortable attending an in-person, indoor event at some point in 2021. 68% of those willing would attend an event in September, with an additional 16.4% preferring to wait until October, 11.9% until November, and 3.7% until December.
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Ontario opposition leader Andrea Horwath addresses Niagara business community at GNCC event
Ontario rolls out vaccine clinic on wheels
The Ontario government is partnering with Metrolinx to offer a new, convenient option for people to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. Two GO buses have been temporarily retrofitted to serve as mobile vaccine clinics as part of the province’s last mile strategy to target those who have yet to receive a first or second dose. The GO-VAXX buses will travel to malls, festivals, community hubs and events throughout the summer and fall across the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region. No appointments are needed, and anyone aged 12 and over can get their first or second dose while supplies last. The mobile clinics are fully accessible and will be administering the Pfizer vaccine.
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Ontario partners with Telesat Lightspeed to expand high-speed internet access
The Ontario government is investing more than $109 million in Telesat’s next-generation Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite Network, Telesat Lightspeed. Telesat Lightspeed is the largest space program ever undertaken in Canada and represents a $6.5 billion capital investment by Telesat.
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Niagara Health moving vaccination clinic to St. Catharines Site
Niagara Health will officially close its mass vaccination clinic at the Seymour-Hannah arena on Aug. 15 and will open a new smaller clinic at the St. Catharines Site on Aug. 17.
The new vaccination clinic, which will be located in the Mental Health Outpatient Clinic at our St. Catharines Site, will open on Aug. 17 and will serve approximately 200 patients per day. This clinic will operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week and will offer both walk-in and booked appointments.
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Government of Canada announces first round of calls for proposals for the Renewed Investment Readiness Program
Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced the first round of calls for proposals under the renewed Investment Readiness Program (IRP). The IRP is a two-year, $50 million program that builds on the work already accomplished during its pilot phase. Through the IRP, the Government of Canada supports SPOs in building capacity to become investment-ready so that they can participate in Canada’s growing social finance market.
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Canada launches consultations on proposed tax on vacant homes owned by non-resident, non-Canadians
In the recent federal budget, the government announced its intention to implement Canada’s first-ever national tax on non-resident, non-Canadian owned residential real estate that is considered to be vacant or underused. Today, the Government of Canada, through the Department of Finance, is launching consultations with stakeholders on the design of this proposed new tax.
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Niagara unemployment rate falls to 10.4% in July
Employment rose by 94,000 (+0.5%) in July, adding to an increase of 231,000 (+1.2%) in June. The two consecutive months of growth brought employment to 246,000 (-1.3%) below the February 2020 level. Youth aged 15 to 24 and core-aged women aged 25 to 54 accounted for the bulk of the gains. All of the employment gains in July occurred in the private sector, where the number of employees rose by 123,000 (+1.0%). July employment gains were concentrated in full-time work (+83,000; +0.5%); the first increase since March 2021.
In Niagara, the unemployment rate has fallen from 13% in March to 10.4% in July while participation rose from 56.1% to 58.5%. The number of jobs in the Niagara CMA increased from 181,600 to 195,400; full-time jobs rose from 142,500 to 157,800 while part-time jobs fell from 39,100 to 37,700.
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Reading Recommendations
Thousands of COVID-19 doses set to expire while millions of Canadians haven’t signed up for a shot
CBC News
In the early days of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the main hurdle was having enough vaccines to meet demand. But now that a majority of Canadians have received their shots, pharmacists and health-care providers face a new challenge: getting enough people to sign up for a dose before their available supply expires.
Eighty per cent of Canadians eligible to get vaccinated have received at least one dose, and close to 64 per cent are fully vaccinated. That still leaves more than 6.5 million people who have yet to get a single shot — at a time when COVID-19 infections are ticking upward in Canada.
Charities hoarded cash and failed to address crises during COVID: Report
Financial Post
Canadian charities responded to the pandemic by hoarding cash and relying on government support, and most failed to pivot to address crises caused by COVID-19 and economic measures taken to control the spread of the virus, according to a comprehensive report by The Veritas Foundation.
The review spanned arts organizations, community and children’s hubs, food banks and poverty relief networks, and included well-known charities such as Plan International Canada Inc., World Vision Canada and the Ottawa Food Bank, as well as dozens of small charities.
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
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 31, 2021
Click here for definitions of terms used in this table.
There are currently 0 patients admitted to Niagara Health with COVID-19. There are currently 0 patients 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: 630,897
New daily doses administered to Niagara residents: 1,497
Last updated: August 5, 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.
