In this edition:
- Ontario electronics retailer Factory Direct to liquidate stores
- Queen’s Park to streamline environmental assessment process for infrastructure projects
- Date set for reopening of Welland Canal
- Canadian farm sector income expected to reach new records
- Ontario will streamline EV charging connections to facilitate construction
- Brock celebrates successes, prepares for challenges at State of the University
- OEB decision “could drive another stake to the heart of homebuilding:” Residential Construction Council
- Focus on Human Resources
Ontario electronics retailer Factory Direct to liquidate stores
An Ontario court has given Factory Direct permission to liquidate its stores as it begins winding down the business. Court documents show the discount electronics and home goods retailer wanted to close its 14 stores in the province because it has found the business is “no longer viable.”
Factory Direct says it has experienced declining sales and increased costs that led to operating losses of about $1.7 million in the 11-month period that ended Nov. 30. The Vaughan, Ont.-based retailer says inflation has resulted in falling demand for its products, which include many non-essential goods like televisions.
Queen’s Park to streamline environmental assessment process for infrastructure projects
As the Ontario government is investing nearly $98 billion over the next ten years to build new roads, highways and public transit, it is streamlining and simplifying the complex 50-year-old environmental assessment (EA) process.
After several months of consultations, one of the changes to the EA process is moving to a project list approach, which will list the types of infrastructure projects that still require the highest level of environmental assessment such as large landfills and electricity generation facilities. These changes, which come into effect on February 22, 2024, will help get highways, rail and electricity transmission lines built up to four years sooner.
Date set for reopening of Welland Canal
In just more than a month, Niagara residents will contend with bridges going up as Great Lakes domestic and ocean-going shipping fleets again ply the 43-kilometre, eight-lock Welland Canal.
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. said in a release the 2024 navigation season launches March 22 at 8 a.m. on the canal and the Montreal-Lake Ontario section, subject to weather and ice conditions.
Canadian farm sector income expected to reach new records
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has completed its farm income forecast for 2023 and 2024, with results showing that overall Canadian farm income is expected to have reached a new record in 2023.
The agriculture sector continued to show very strong overall economic performance in 2023, despite numerous challenges, including droughts in western Canada and other extreme weather events, Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine, and other global conflicts. While every farm is unique and will have experienced the last year differently, this continued growth of overall farm income shows that despite the uncertainty and volatility of the past year, the sector remains resilient.
Ontario will streamline EV charging connections to facilitate construction
The Ontario government is making it easier to build and connect new public electric vehicle (EV) chargers to the province’s world-class clean electricity grid. Starting May 27, 2024, all local utilities will follow a streamlined process for EV charging connections that will make it easier to set up new charging stations and support the adoption of electric vehicles in Ontario.
Today, each of Ontario’s 58 local electricity utilities have different procedures for connecting new public EV charging stations, with different timelines, information requirements and responsibilities for customers.
Brock celebrates successes, prepares for challenges at State of the University
Like most Ontario universities, Brock is facing some significant challenges — but the campus community shouldn’t lose sight of the important role the institution continues to play in Niagara, across Canada and around the world.
That was the message delivered Thursday at Brock’s first State of the University address, given by President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg and Interim Provost and Vice-President, Academic Tim Kenyon.
OEB decision “could drive another stake to the heart of homebuilding:” Residential Construction Council
A recent decision by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), if allowed to stand, “will drive yet another stake into the new homebuilding industry,” Residential Construction Council President Richard Lyall wrote in an op-ed today.
“The ruling has the potential to cause significant, negative and enduring consequences for the residential construction industry at a time when we are grappling with a critical shortage of housing,” Lyall said. “It would kneecap the industry and saddle developers with additional hefty fees for gas connections at a time when we should be working on ways to encourage the construction of more housing.”
Did you know?
Focus on Human Resources
What every small business needs to know about keeping workers safe and healthy
Small businesses (those with one to 99 paid employees) are big players in Canada’s economy. According to the most recent report by the Government of Canada (2022), there were 1.21 million employer businesses in Canada, of which 1.19 million (97.9 percent) were small businesses.
But don’t let the word “small” fool you – in Canada, 8.2 million people were employed by small businesses as of 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, these businesses were also responsible for 69 percent of the net employment change in the private sector, adding approximately 494,300 new jobs in the country.
New jobs mean new responsibilities for these small businesses, some of which can differ in scope depending on where in Canada the business operates. However, when it comes to health and safety, the employer is always responsible for creating a healthy and safe working environment – no matter where the business is located or its size.
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.
