In this edition:
$3.3 million project to connect 760 homes, farms and businesses in Niagara to broadband internet
Port Colborne farmers’ market to reopen April 14th
Niagara College masking and vaccine requirements will expire before Spring Term
$3.3 million project to connect 760 homes, farms and businesses in Niagara to broadband internet
As part of the Ontario government’s plan to connect every community in the province to high-speed internet by 2025, the governments of Canada and Ontario are each committing up to $923,000 to support the construction of new broadband infrastructure in the Niagara Region.
The completion of this $3.3 million project in December 2022 will help connect more than 760 homes, farms and businesses in the communities of Abingdon, Allen’s Corners, Caistorville, Caistor Centre, Fulton, Grassie, Grimsby Centre and Kimbo, to high-speed internet service.
The $3.3 million contract, which includes the $1.84 million investment from the federal and provincial governments, to expand broadband services was awarded by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) Inc, a not-for-profit corporation, initiated by local municipalities to address connectivity in Southwestern Ontario.
Port Colborne farmers’ market to reopen April 14th
The 2022 market season begins in April this year with an Easter Market on Thursday, April 14th. On this occasion, the market will be open 8:00 AM to 12 noon.
The official start of the regular season is Friday, April 22, 2022, every Friday morning from 8:00 A.M. till 12:00 PM, until October 28, 2022.
In order to become a vendor at the Port Colborne Farmers’ Market, you must sell fresh first quality (unless specifically labeled) Ontario grown or manufactured products; produce, baked/prepared foods, and flowers. Meat, egg, and dairy products will be allowed with appropriate refrigeration, subject to all health regulations. All bakery and prepared food products must be from a Public Health inspected kitchen or commercial bakery.
Click here for more information or to apply to become a vendor.
Niagara College masking and vaccine requirements will expire before Spring Term
As announced previously, Niagara College’s mandatory vaccination and masking policies will remain in effect for the duration of the Winter 2022 term, to provide certainty for students and employees as the provincial government loosens COVID measures and the College transitions to increased on-campus learning and activity.
Today, Niagara College announced that the mandatory vaccination and masking policies will no longer be in effect as of April 23, when the current term ends. These policies will not be in effect for the Spring 2022 or subsequent terms.
The College encourages all members of the college community to protect themselves and others by getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Reading Recommendations
Rogers-Shaw deal clears first hurdle with CRTC approval
The Globe and Mail
Canada’s telecom regulator has approved Rogers’s takeover of Shaw’s broadcasting services with some conditions attached, clearing the first of three regulatory hurdles facing the $26-billion takeover.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said in its decision on Thursday that the deal, with the conditions it has proposed, is in the public interest because it would advance the objectives of the Broadcasting Act. Those goals include encouraging the development of programming that reflects Canadian attitudes, opinions and values.
Under the conditions set out by the regulator, Rogers would be required to pay $27.2-million to the Canada Media Fund, which finances the creation of Canadian content, the Independent Local News Fund, which supports independent television stations in producing local news, and specific independent production funds, such as the Rogers Documentary Fund and the Shaw Rocket Fund.
Canada’s red-hot housing markets hint at cooldown as higher rates, inflation bite
Reuters
Already, homes listed for sale in supply-constrained Toronto have fallen at a slower pace than sales in February from a year earlier, compared with most of last year when listings lagged sales.
The slowdown in major cities like Toronto and Vancouver and their surrounding areas appears to be gathering steam, driven by a confluence of factors.
Worsening housing affordability, rising fixed and variable mortgage rates, and accelerating inflation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is shifting sentiment.
Record-low mortgage rates helped propel Canadian home prices 52% higher over the past two years. But as fixed mortgage rates rip higher alongside surging bond yields and variable rates climb following the Bank of Canada’s first hike in three years, demand is cooling.
Update on Ukraine
First indication Moscow may be limiting war aims
BBC
The Donbas region in eastern Ukraine is the main focus now, says Moscow.
That includes Donetsk and Luhansk, held by Russian backed separatists since 2014 and officially recognised as independent by Russia just before this invasion began.
Over the past month, Russian forces made significant advances in this region and along a southern corridor linking it with Crimea – the peninsula annexed by Moscow, also in 2014.
Major General Sergei Rudskoi said Russia did not exclude attacks on other cities, including the capital Kyiv, but this wasn’t its main objective.
These comments are the first indication Moscow may be limiting its war aims after a month where it’s failed to seize any major Ukrainian city and its operations have been plagued by logistical difficulties and tactical mistakes as well as fierce Ukrainian resistance.
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.
