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.
Ontario asks Ottawa to work with WHO on ensuring mixed vaccines recognized abroad
Ontario has asked the federal government to ensure Canadians who received mixed COVID-19 vaccines will be cleared for international travel as border measures lift.
Ontario and other provinces have offered residents the option of taking one shot each of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines or an mRNA shot after a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Provinces offered the mixed option this year as the country grappled with a shifting incoming vaccine supply schedule and concerns about a rare but serious blood clot disorder linked to the AstraZeneca shot.
The U.S. has been reluctant to sanction the practice of following a Moderna shot with a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or vice versa, while many European countries don’t recognize the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot made at the Serum Institute of India, which may impact Canadians who received it. Several cruise lines have also said they won’t accept customers who have received different types of vaccine, or mixed brands at all.
The ministers wrote that it’s critical for “the integrity and confidence” in Canada’s and Ontario’s vaccination programs that people who “have done the right thing” by taking doses of two different vaccines are considered immunized abroad. For more information, click here.
Canada border guards vote to strike days ahead of border reopening to vaccinated U.S. travellers
Canadian border guards and customs officials voted today, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, to go on strike just days ahead of the reopening of the border with the United States. Unions representing workers with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) – members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) – indicated that workers have been without a contract for over three years. For more information, click here.
Government of Canada funds two new projects to encourage COVID-19 vaccination in youth
Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced two new projects aimed at youth that will receive funding through the Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF). These projects will promote the importance of vaccinating against COVID-19 to youth aged 12 and over, parents and caretakers, and teachers through school-based interventions and community-based outreach.
BGC Canada (formerly Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada) will receive up to $500,000 in funding to promote the benefits of vaccinating against COVID-19 and foster evidence-based dialogue around vaccination among families of children and youth who access programming at local Clubs across Canada.
The Canada Safety Council will receive up to $220,000 in funding to create a COVID-19 vaccine education and awareness program to be delivered in schools with the support of teachers across Canada to engage both students and their parents on the importance of vaccinating against COVID-19. For more information, click here.
Energy regulator approves change to Trans Mountain pipeline route
Trans Mountain Corp. has won approval from Canadian federal authorities for a route detour to end a prolonged Indigenous territorial and environmental dispute that threatened to delay its C$12.6 billion Trans Mountain Expansion crude pipeline project (TMX).
The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) on Monday authorized the construction change, observing that no opposition had emerged against the new route. The expansion would triple the amount of crude oil capacity on the existing Trans Mountain system. The system carries oil from landlocked Alberta to the British Columbia coast. For more information, click here.
Reading Recommendations
Lumber demand plummets as do-it-yourself boom ends
The Globe and Mail, Brent Jang
Demand for lumber has fallen over the past nine weeks as the do-it-yourself boom ends with a whimper while consumers reallocate their budgets.
What had been a huge imbalance between supply and demand in mid-May has shifted toward a lumber market that appears to be stabilizing, barring any unforeseen events. Lumber prices are expected to be less volatile in August after tumbling from record highs.
Investors commit US$7 billion to Brookfield’s energy transition fund
Brookfield News via COMTEX
Major institutional investors have committed US$7 billion to Brookfield Asset Management’s Global Transition Fund, making it the largest pool of private money aimed at accelerating the shift to a net-zero carbon economy. The founding investment partners, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and Temasek, have both committed to achieving net zero by 2050 or sooner.
The Global Transition Fund is co-managed by Connor Teskey, chief executive officer of Brookfield Renewables, and Mark Carney, who served as governor of the Bank of Canada and then as governor of the Bank of England before his term in the latter role ended last year.
Disney closing at least a dozen stores in Canada amid e-commerce push
The Canadian Press
Walt Disney Co. is expected to close most of its Canadian stores this summer as part of the company’s broader plan to focus on its e-commerce business and reduce its brick-and-mortar footprint.
The mass media and entertainment conglomerate says it’s closing at least 60 stores across North America, including most of its locations in Canada.
The Disney Store, a chain of specialty stores selling Disney-themed toys, costumes and other items, currently has 16 locations in Canada listed on its website.
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.
Current number of admitted Niagara Health patients with COVID-19: 3
Patients with COVID-19 in Niagara Health ICU’s: 1
Data are drawn from Niagara Region Public Health and Niagara Health.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
Last updated: July 27, 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: 611,930
New daily doses administered to Niagara residents: 2,744
Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.
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.
