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.
U.S. extends travel curbs at Canada, Mexico land borders through Aug. 21
The U.S. government on Wednesday extended the closure of land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel such as tourism through Aug. 21 even as officials debate whether to require visitors to have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
The latest 30-day extension by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came after Canada announced on Monday it will start allowing in fully vaccinated U.S. visitors on Aug. 9 for non-essential travel after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a 16-month ban that many businesses have called crippling.
Click here for more information.
Survey: In-person events
The GNCC would like your feedback on your willingness to attend in-person events this year. Please take a few minutes to complete our brief survey.
Ontario releases 2021 Ontario Highways Program
The Ontario government has released the 2021 Ontario Highways Program, an online resource that provides information on highway investments and projects that are planned and underway.
Ontario has allocated approximately $2.6 billion in funding for 2021-22 to expand and repair provincial highways and bridges, which will also spur economic growth. It is estimated that every $100 million invested in Ontario’s highway infrastructure will create $70 million of real provincial GDP in addition to direct and indirect economic benefits to highway users in 2021.
Click here for more information.
Ontario Chamber: Municipal fiscal autonomy key to unlocking Ontario’s competitiveness
Today, as all levels of government look to balance debt and deficits while protecting the well-being of our communities, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released its latest report, Better Budgets: Bolstering the Fiscal Resilience of Ontario’s Municipalities. This policy brief identifies 14 recommendations for both the Province and municipalities which can bring immediate and long-term relief to communities across Ontario.
Click here for more information.
Canadian Chamber: Continued border closure by US defies science and logic
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO, Perrin Beatty, issued the following statement on the decision of the United States government to extend travel restrictions at land border crossings.
“On February 23 U.S. President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau issued a ‘Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership’ stating ‘Both leaders agreed to take a coordinated approach based on science and public health criteria when considering measures to ease Canada-U.S. border restrictions in the future.’ Less than five months later, Washington appears to have lost its copy.
Click here for more information.
Ontario will offer digital reminders for important document renewal
Eligible Ontarians now have the option to receive digital reminders for their licence plate sticker, driver’s licence and health card, including email, SMS/text or voicemail reminders 30 and 60 days in advance of their renewal date.
Customers who are currently enrolled in the old email reminder system will be automatically migrated to the new digital reminders platform and will be notified by email.
Click here for more information.
Sharon Kozicki appointed as Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada
The Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada today announced the appointment of Sharon Kozicki as Deputy Governor, effective August 2, 2021.
As Deputy Governor, Ms. Kozicki will join the Bank’s Governing Council, which sets the strategic direction of the Bank and is its policy-making body. This appointment brings the number of Governing Council members back up to six, its usual size. Once Carolyn Rogers, the Bank’s new Senior Deputy Governor, assumes her duties in December 2021, the Bank’s Governing Council will temporarily consist of seven people.
Click here for more information.
Brock releases update on fall plans
September will see a significant return to on-campus instruction, complemented with online elements, as well as the resumption of as many in-person student experience activities as possible.
Government and provincial public health officials have advised that fall planning can be done without the need for capacity limits or physical distancing. Masks will still be required when indoors.
The provincial government is expected to confirm public health guidance for Ontario’s post-secondary institutions later this summer.
Click here for more information.
Community vaccination clinic returns to Brock Friday
The Niagara Region Public Health COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Brock University is expected to welcome nearly 10,000 community members over five days beginning later this week.
From Friday, July 23 to Tuesday, July 27, about 2,000 people aged 12 and over will receive their COVID vaccination each day at the clinic being hosted in Brock’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium, located at the west end of campus in the Walker Sports Complex.
Click here for more information.
Reading Recommendations
CBC News
For three years running, Ontario has not enforced its rules requiring tradespeople — such as electricians, auto mechanics and plumbers — to be certified, CBC News has learned.
Enforcement of Ontario’s compulsory certification of licensed trades ground to a halt right after Premier Doug Ford’s government took office.
It means that since the middle of 2018, there has been no provincial oversight of whether the people working in Ontario’s licensed trades actually have the credentials to do the work.
Financial Post
A website that listed Ontario businesses with fully-vaccinated staff or vaccination policies shut down Tuesday night after the creator said he and the businesses he featured were targeted with harassment.
Toronto lawyer Brandon Mattalo wrote on Twitter that he was shutting down Safetodo.ca, a site he created just one week ago, due to a “small minority” of people who’ve attacked businesses on the site by leaving fake negative Google reviews, making false restaurant bookings and sending hateful messages. Mattalo himself also received a significant number of “personal, directed and hateful” messages, and had to report one to the police.
Niagara COVID Stat Tracker
| 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 10, 2021
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.
Data are drawn from Niagara Region Public Health.
Click here for a guide to this table.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
Last updated: July 21, 2021
Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.
Total doses administered in Niagara: 592,386
Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 3,558
Ontario is currently in Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen.
| 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% |
Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.
