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Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Daily Update: June 16, 2022

Competition Bureau launches new tool for procurement agents, Deputy PM outlines government’s Affordability Plan for Canadians, and more.

In this edition:

GNCC to host webinar on Working for Workers Act
Competition Bureau launches new tool for procurement agents
Deputy PM outlines government’s Affordability Plan for Canadians
New laws to strengthen Canadians’ privacy protection
Brock researchers awarded more than $1.1 million in funding
College Teaching Winery wins trophy, four medals at national competition
Police call for businesses in vicinity of vandalism incident with camera footage
Canadian stocks hit 14-month low, loonie dips on recession worries


GNCC to host webinar on Working for Workers Act

It’s official – Ontario’s “right to disconnect” law is in effect. Join our legal and HR experts for all the details about the Act.

New legislation will affect your rights and rules regarding your workforce. Any business-owner without dedicated HR or legal counsel should attend and find out what their rights and obligations are now that the law has changed.

Click here to register for free.


Competition Bureau launches new tool for procurement agents

The Competition Bureau encourages all procurement agents in Canada to take advantage of its newly-launched Collusion Risk Assessment Tool to help them protect their procurement processes from bid-rigging.

The innovative new tool is a free, interactive online resource available to both public and private sector procurement officers and purchasing agents. It can be used as part of their day-to-day due diligence efforts to protect and promote competitive bidding processes.

Procurement agents can begin by completing the tool’s 10-minute questionnaire about a call for bids that they are planning. The tool will then produce a collusion risk score based on the specifics of the project, and will offer tailored best practices to mitigate those risks.

Click here to read more.


Deputy PM outlines government’s Affordability Plan for Canadians

Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, highlighted the government’s Affordability Plan⁠—a suite of measures totaling $8.9 billion in new support this year to help make life more affordable for millions of Canadians.

  • Enhancing the Canada Workers Benefit
  • Affordable Early Learning and Child Care
  • 10 Per Cent Increase to Old Age Security
  • A Housing Affordability Payment
  • Dental Care
  • Index-linked benefits

Click here to read more.


New laws to strengthen Canadians’ privacy protection

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, together with the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, introduced the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022, which will significantly strengthen Canada’s private sector privacy law, create new rules for the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), and continue advancing the implementation of Canada’s Digital Charter. As such, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022 will include three proposed acts: the Consumer Privacy Protection Act, the Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal Act, and the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act.

The proposed Consumer Privacy Protection Act will address the needs of Canadians who rely on digital technology and respond to feedback received on previous proposed legislation. This law will ensure that the privacy of Canadians will be protected and that innovative businesses can benefit from clear rules as technology continues to evolve.

Click here to read more.


Brock researchers awarded more than $1.1 million in SSHRC funding

With so many charities competing for a limited number of dollars, it’s hard to know who to support. Donors want to make sure groups they fund are using the money responsibly.

Professor of Accounting Hemantha Herath is among those challenging the conventional way charities calculate and report their program expenses.

With funding from the federal government’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Herath is researching how data science techniques can be integrated into current reporting methods to give a fuller picture of charities’ performances.

Herath is among eight Brock University researchers awarded SSHRC’s Insight Grant, announced Thursday, June 16 by François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

Click here to read more.


College Teaching Winery wins trophy, four medals at national competition

The Teaching Winery stole the spotlight at the All Canadian Wine Championships (ACWC) with the honour of Best Sparkling Wine of the Year, among its four significant awards across a broad range of styles and categories, including two double golds and two bronze medals.

“Student learning shines at the NC Teaching Winery when our products achieve outstanding national success,” said Steve Gill, General Manager of the College’s Learning Enterprises. “This is not only a big win for our winemakers, faculty, staff and students at the Teaching Winery, but for the future of wine industry as we continue to raise the bar for high-quality wine education.”

The Teaching Winery was among 194 wineries from across Canada that participated in this year’s ACWC. For details visit allcanadianwinechampionships.com.

Wines from the NC Teaching Winery are available for purchase at the Wine Visitor + Education Centre (Niagara College Daniel J. Patterson Campus, 135 Taylor Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake), or online at NiagaraCollegewine.ca. Proceeds from sales support student learning.

Click here to read more.


Police call for businesses in vicinity of vandalism incident with camera footage

On June 12, 2022, at approximately 8:00am, 1 District – St. Catharines uniform officers responded to a report of spray paint damage on a home on George Street near Catherine Street in St. Catharines. Racist and homophobic words had been sprayed on the house siding using blue and orange paint.

Officers continued to investigate in the area finding multiple vehicles, and buildings were targeted including the exterior of Harriet Tubman School at 84 Henry Street. A statue of Harriet Tubman on the property was vandalized with paint. The investigation has determined the vandalism at the school occurred at approximately 9:55pm on June 11, 2022.

The suspects are believed to have traveled in the area on foot or bicycle. The suspects were on George Street, Catherine Street, Albert Street, Henry Street, and Louisa Street. Anyone (residents or businesses) in the above area with closed circuit security cameras, doorbell video cameras, or dash cameras are asked to review their footage for suspicious activity for the period between June 11, 2022, 9:00pm and 1:00am on June 12, 2022.

Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.  Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.

Click Here For Crime Stoppers Online.


Canadian stocks hit 14-month low, loonie dips on recession worries

Canada’s main stock index slumped on Thursday to its lowest level in 14 months and its currency weakened as investors grew more worried that aggressive central bank interest rate hikes would trigger a recession, weighing on corporate earnings.

The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was down 3.3% at 18,970.70, its lowest level since April 2021.

The Canadian dollar was trading 0.3% lower at 1.2925 to the greenback, or 77.37 U.S. cents, after touching on Wednesday its weakest intraday level in more than one month at 1.2995.

Click here to read more.


Reading Recommendations

Is the US heading for a recession? Here’s what you need to know

The Guardian

Last Friday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released its May Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which showed inflation worsening. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve responded by raising interest rates by three-quarters of a point. Yet the bigger story, and bigger worry, is not inflation. It’s the distinct possibility of recession. Or perhaps both (what’s termed “stagflation.”) Here are some frequently asked questions.

Click here to read more.


Why most enterprises are failing to implement IAM

VentureBeat

Today, identity governance solution provider Saviynt released its State of Enterprise Identity research report, a study of over 1,000 IT and IT security practitioners across the United States and EMEA to examine how enterprises are responding to the onslaught of identity-based attacks.

The research finds that while 56% of enterprises averaged three identity-related data breaches in the last two years, only 16% have fully mature identity and access management (IAM) programs. This is the case even though 52% recognize that a past breach was due to lack of comprehensive identity controls or policies.

Despite this, many organizations admitted the limitations of current IAM approaches. For instance, only 35% in the Saviynt study admitted they have high confidence in achieving visibility of privileged user access.

Click here to read more.


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.


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