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.
Government of Canada to announce funding for Vineland Research and cleaner biomass processing
Neil Ellis, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, will highlight funding to support the development of clean technologies tomorrow at 9 a.m. on the premises of extractX Inc. He will then join Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Chris Bittle, to announce funding to Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in support of horticultural research projects at 2 p.m.
iGaming Ontario created to conduct and manage new online gaming offerings
iGaming Ontario, a new subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), will conduct and manage the new online gaming offerings in the province. It is intended to help establish Ontario as an international leader in online gaming while ensuring robust measures are in place to protect consumers.
The incorporation of the subsidiary aims to build on Ontario’s progress in creating a competitive market for internet gaming (iGaming) in Ontario. In 2020, the government announced that a dedicated subsidiary of the AGCO would be established to conduct and manage the new iGaming offerings. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) will continue to conduct and manage its own iGaming offerings through OLG.ca.
Ontarians spend close to $1 billion a year on online gambling with an estimated 70 per cent taking place on unregulated, grey market websites, with limited, if any, consumer protection and responsible gaming measures.
On June 22, Parliament passed legislation to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to legalize single-event sports betting activity. The GNCC has lobbied in support of this legislation.
Few Canadians had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in early 2021
Over 35 million total COVID-19 tests, and more than 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 (caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) have been reported in the total Canadian population (including people living in private households and in institutions). Since not everyone infected with the virus may have been tested, the true number of cases among the total Canadian population is likely higher.
Statistics Canada, in partnership with Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, conducted the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS) to better understand the actual spread of the virus in Canada by estimating how many Canadians over the age of 1 and living in private households have antibodies in their blood against the virus.
First results of the CCAHS show that about 2.6% of Canadians living in private households had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 due to a past infection, while about 1% of Canadians had antibodies due to a vaccination, reflecting the fact that vaccination was not widespread during the survey period.
Prime Minister announces royal approval of Canada’s next Governor General
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that on his recommendation, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has approved the appointment of Mary Simon as the next Governor General of Canada.
As Governor General, Ms. Simon will be the representative of Her Majesty The Queen in Canada. She will be Canada’s 30th Governor General since Confederation, and the 13th Governor General appointed by Her Majesty during her 69 years on the throne.
The selection was informed through the advice of the Advisory Group on the Selection of the Next Governor General. The group was mandated to deliberate and submit a shortlist of outstanding Canadians for the Prime Minister’s consideration to fill the office.
Reading Recommendations
Travel demand to hit pre-pandemic levels by mid-2022: Porter CEO
BNN Bloomberg
The head of Toronto-based Porter Airlines has laid out his flight plan for this fall on both sides of the border, but doesn’t expect travel demand to return back to pre-pandemic levels until mid-2022.
“Over the past month we’ve been getting a lot more reception from customers,” said Michael Deluce, president and chief executive officer at Porter Airlines, in a broadcast interview.
“We expect a fairly rapid recovery starting in September. Will it go back to 100 per cent overnight? Absolutely not. But, we anticipate a strong recovery through fall. Hopefully by mid-2022 we’ll see traffic levels that return to pre-pandemic levels.”
Ontario’s workforce advisory committee faces criticism
Canadian HR Reporter
An Ontario union is criticizing the makeup of a committee formed by the Ontario government focused on economic recovery.
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is calling for a halt to the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee (OWRAC), saying that it is “deeply flawed”.
Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills development, recently established the OWRAC to provide recommendations to shape the future of work in the province. The committee’s mandate is to provide recommendations on how to position Ontario as the best place in North America to recruit, retain and reward workers. Its focus is on economic recovery, strengthening Ontario’s competitive position and supporting workers.
The committee will lead consultations and report back to the minister with their policy recommendations.
However, the OFL says the group lacks representation from labour, workers, or labour and employment law experts, despite having experts from other fields.
Niagara COVID Stats Tracker (June 26)
| 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% |
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.
Guide
Reproductive number: the average number of new cases each case causes. If each person infects one other person, the rate is 1; if each person infects two people, the rate is 2. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 1.
New cases per 100,000: the total number of new cases per week identified per 100,000 population. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 10.
New cases per day: the total number of new cases identified per day over seven days using a rolling average. This number does not include identified outbreaks.
Percent of hospital beds occupied: the total percentage of the Niagara Health System’s hospital beds currently in use. The average occupancy rate of both acute care beds and total hospital beds in Ontario was 96 per cent in 2018-19. It should be noted that this rate was the highest (worst) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Percent of intensive care beds occupied: the total percentage of the Niagara Health System’s intensive care hospital beds currently in use. The average occupancy rate of both acute care beds and total hospital beds in Ontario was 96 per cent in 2018-19. It should be noted that this rate was the highest (worst) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Percentage of positive tests: the percentage of COVID-19 tests that were positive. Under the outdated COVID-19 response framework, the target for “green-prevent” was less than 0.5%.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker (July 6)
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: 492,007
Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 8,037
Ontario is currently in Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen.
Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen will begin when Ontario has vaccinated 70-80% of adults with one dose, 25% of adults with two doses, has positive public health indicators, and has been in Step Two for at least 21 days. Step Two began at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, 2021.
| 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.
