In this edition:
- Ontario Minister of Finance to release 2024 Budget tomorrow
- Thorold South subdivision proposal includes 20-storey apartment building
- Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors say tourism plan focuses too much on wine industry
- Brock researcher explores using engineered bamboo as a sustainable building material
- Focus on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Ontario Minister of Finance to release 2024 Budget tomorrow
Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance, will introduce the 2024 Budget in the Ontario Legislature tomorrow at 4:05pm.
Minister’s statement with English closed captioning can be watched live on the Government of Ontario YouTube Channel and in French at Government of Ontario YouTube Channel ― French.
Among the proposals in the Budget, the Government announced, will be the extension of the existing gasoline and fuel tax rate cuts until December 31, 2024.
A 20-storey apartment building is part of a large housing development proposed for a section of Thorold South by the border with Niagara Falls.
The development planned for nearly 23 hectares on the southwest corner of Lundy’s Lane and Thorold Townline Road by the Rudanco Hospitality Corp. was presented to Thorold city council Tuesday.
The property is now home to the closed L8 club and Express Inn motel.
Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors say tourism plan focuses too much on wine industry
Several Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors find the town’s “ambitious” new tourism strategy slightly bitter because it concentrates on the area’s wine industry rather than on its arts and culture.
Even though there are more than 120 wineries in the Niagara region, contributing nearly a $2.4-billion economic output, Deputy Lord Mayor Erwin Wiens said Shaw Festival is the second largest repertory theatre in North America, and Niagara-on-the-Lake has a wealth of historical and cultural activities that rival anywhere across the country.
“Sometimes as Canadians we sell ourselves short,” said Wiens.
When you think of sustainable building materials, engineered bamboo is not the first thing that comes to mind.
But Amir Mofidi, an associate professor of structural engineering at Brock University, is trying to change that by engineering bamboo to create bio-composite materials for construction, in particular as a structural member in highrises.
“As a person who has two decades of experience of working on advanced composites for rehabilitation of concrete structures, I said if I can use this fibre, with massive tensile strength of 400 MPa, and put it in the right bio-based matrix then that can be a really sustainable construction material,” said Mofidi.
Did you know?
Focus on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
The Niagara Transgender Action Coalition invites supporters to join us in celebrating the International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) by participating in community events on March 28 and 30.
The celebrations begin on March 28 at 4 p.m., when the Transgender flag will be raised at St. Catharines City Hall. Then, on March 30 from 2 to 5 p.m., we will gather at Silver Spire Church in St. Catharines for a TDOV event including performances, speakers, community resources and refreshments.
Trans Day of Visibility is observed annually on March 31 to honour the joy and resilience of trans and nonbinary communities while also acknowledging the accelerating discrimination we face in all areas of life, including education, employment, health care, housing, and legislation.
Businesses worried about ESG fraud as stakeholder pressure mounts: KPMG poll
KPMG says businesses are increasingly concerned about ESG fraud, which is when a company’s environmental, social and governance efforts or data are exaggerated, embellished, or distorted.
In a new survey of 300 Canadian organizations victimized by fraud, KPMG found that 89 per cent of respondents say they’re facing intense scrutiny from stakeholders to demonstrate progress on ESG targets.
The majority of the respondents say they’re worried these pressures are increasing the risk of ESG fraud.
The majority also say they’re worried their organization could inadvertently commit ESG fraud.
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.