Ontario appoints Housing Affordability Task Force
Ontario Newsroom
Ontario has appointed nine members to a new Housing Affordability Task Force who will provide the government with recommendations on additional measures to address market housing supply and affordability.
The mandate of the Housing Affordability Task Force is to explore measures to address housing affordability by:
- Increasing the supply of market rate rental and ownership housing;
- Building housing supply in complete communities;
- Reducing red tape and accelerating timelines;
- Encouraging innovation and digital modernization, such as in planning processes;
- Supporting economic recovery and job creation; and
- Balancing housing needs with protecting the environment.
The Task Force, chaired by Jake Lawrence, CEO and Group Head, Global Banking and Markets at Scotiabank, represents a diverse range of experts in not-for-profit housing, Indigenous housing, real estate, home builders, financial markets and economics. The chair’s report outlining the Task Force’s recommendations will be published in early 2022.
Click here to see a list of task force members.
Click here to read the original news release.
Niagara MPs named Parliamentary Secretaries
Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, will become Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, while Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
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Q&A on the Omicron Variant
FactCheck.org
Scientists have cautioned that while there are reasons to be concerned about omicron, it’s not yet known whether the variant is more likely than others to spread easily or cause severe disease. Preliminary evidence suggests those who previously had COVID-19 could more easily be reinfected with this variant, as opposed to others. But the WHO said studies are underway to assess all of this, as well as the effectiveness of the available vaccines and treatments against omicron.
We’ll go through what we know so far about omicron.
Canadian employers, facing labor shortage, accommodate the unvaccinated
Reuters
Canada’s tight labor market is forcing many companies to offer regular COVID-19 testing over vaccine mandates, while others are reversing previously announced inoculation requirements even as Omicron variant cases rise.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government adopted one of the strictest inoculation policies in the world for civil servants and has already put more than 1,000 workers on unpaid leave, with thousands more at risk.
Airlines, police forces, school boards and even Canada’s Big Five banks have also pledged strict mandatory vaccine policies. But following through has proven less straightforward, especially as employers grapple with staffing shortages and workers demand exemptions.
Job vacancies in Canada have doubled so far this year, official data shows, and vaccine mandates can make filling those jobs harder, potentially putting upward pressure on wages. That could fuel inflation, already running at a near two-decade high.
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
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.
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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.
