In this edition:
Niagara Employment Insurance claimants up 16.2% in January
DMS R.A.I.S.E. to help BIPOC entrepreneurs
Canada and U.K. begin trade agreement negotiations
Canada announces marketing investment in Ontario ginseng
Government proposes amendment to Constitution Act to guarantee provincial representation
Niagara Employment Insurance claimants up 16.2% in January
Approximately 633,000 Canadians received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in January, little changed from one month earlier. There was little change in the number of regular EI beneficiaries in Ontario, although increases were posted in Quebec and Prince Edward Island.
Niagara saw a 16.2% increase between December 2021 and January 2022, likely reflective of public health restrictions and the resulting impact on the hospitality sector, which is Niagara’s largest employer. EI claimants in the region were down 68.9% year-over-year, however, representing economic recovery.
According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), unemployment rose by 106,000 to 1.3 million in January. The unemployed included 1.1 million Canadians who were looking for work and 200,000 who had a connection to a job, either because they were on temporary layoff or had arrangements to begin a new job in the near future.
Among core-aged (25 to 54 years) beneficiaries, the number of women receiving regular EI benefits increased by 5,000 (+3.2%) in January, while 6,000 (-2.7%) fewer men received regular EI benefits. January LFS results indicated that unemployment rose by 35,000 for core-aged women and by 12,000 for men in the same age group.
DMS R.A.I.S.E. to help BIPOC entrepreneurs
Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Entrepreneurs (R.A.I.S.E.) is a new service and grant program developed and administered by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA) and in partnership with the Parkdale Centre for Innovation (PCI) to support Indigenous, Black and other Racialized entrepreneurs in Ontario to start and scale a business. R.A.I.S.E. will provide access to business development training, culturally responsive support services and access to grant funding. The program is funded by the Government of Ontario.
Click here to get more information and apply.
Canada and U.K. begin trade agreement negotiations
Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, and the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for International Trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, announced they will proceed with negotiations toward a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). The first round of negotiations will begin on March 28, 2022.
Canada announces marketing investment in Ontario ginseng
Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of up to $849,192 to the Ontario Ginseng Growers Association for several activities through the AgriMarketing program.
The project aims to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities through industry-led promotional activities.
Government proposes amendment to Constitution Act to guarantee provincial representation
Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, introduced legislation to amend section 51 of the Constitution Act, 1867 so that no province will hold fewer seats in the House of Commons than it did during the 43rd Parliament of Canada. If passed, the amendment would update the 1985 grandfather clause of the seat allocation formula, providing a new minimum number of seats to provinces in the House.
Reading Recommendations
As employees return to the office, the much-hyped hybrid model faces acid test: Does it work?
CBC News
As former office dwellers make a return to their workplaces, employers and workers are having to navigate exactly what the new normal of work is going to look like.
The subject of heading back to the office after years of working from home is an especially thorny one. In a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute conducted in partnership with CBC News, when asked what they would do if their employer mandated them back to the office full time, more than half of those surveyed said they would probably start looking for somewhere else to work.
Between March 1 and 4 of this year, the polling firm asked 2,550 Canadian adults what they would do if given such an ultimatum. (A probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.)
A third (33 per cent) said they would begrudgingly do it, but start looking for another job. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) said they would quit on the spot. Twenty-nine per cent said they would be fine with it. The rest weren’t sure.
You’ve got questions about the CRA’s principal residence exemption, we’ve got answers
Financial Post
Canada Revenue Agency’s recent crackdown on perceived abuse of the principal residence exemption (PRE) has sparked a barrage of reader interest, many posing additional questions concerning various aspects of the exemption.
To recap, the CRA recently sent out educational letters to individuals “who may have applied the PRE in error,” giving them a chance to correct or amend their prior years’ returns if it turns out they incorrectly claimed the PRE. Here’s a sample of your questions (edited for brevity and clarity) and my responses.
Update on Ukraine
Prime Minister announces new Russian sanctions
Office of the Prime Minister
To further build on Canada‘s coordinated response to Russia’s illegal, unprovoked, and unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine, the Prime Minister today announced additional measures to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its invasion, including:
- Imposing new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations on 160 members of the Russian Federation Council for having facilitated and enabled violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity;
- Imposing in the coming days new prohibitions under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations to prohibit the export of certain goods and technologies to Russia, with the aim of undermining and eroding the capabilities of the Russian military;
- Allocating the remaining $50 million, from Canada’s $100 million contribution for humanitarian aid to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, including Moldova, to: the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Refugee Agency, the Canadian Red Cross and People in Need to provide immediate assistance where it is needed most; and
- Allocating a total $4.8 million to UNESCO to protect Ukraine’s cultural and heritage sites.
On March 23, the Prime Minister addressed the European Parliament where he condemned President Putin’s war of choice and reaffirmed Canada’s steadfast commitment to Euro-Atlantic security, including by calling for further coordinated strong support for Ukraine in response to Russia’s aggression.
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.
