Niagara Region launches survey to help improve diversity, equity and inclusion
Individuals from all backgrounds across Niagara are being asked for their input to help make Niagara a more welcoming and inclusive community for everyone.
From now until Dec. 1, Niagara residents can take a short online survey to share experiences of discrimination they have witnessed or experienced in Niagara, and their ideas to eliminate that discrimination. The survey also includes some demographic questions such as ethnicity, education, and gender – data that will help identify differences in experiences between individuals or groups, and ensure we are hearing from Niagara’s diverse populations.
The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete, and is available in both English and French. Survey responses will be kept strictly confidential, and no personal information will be shared.
Click here for more information.
Government of Canada offers up to $1.15 million to businesses innovating in tree-planting and seedling production
Today, Innovative Solutions Canada launched a new challenge led by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to modernize tree seedling production and make tree planting more cost-efficient and sustainable. With billions of tree seedlings produced each year in Canada, NRCan is looking for new processes and technologies that will modernize the forest sector by reducing not only the cost of tree seedling production, packaging and transportation but also the amount of waste those activities currently generate. The solution will also help Canada become a world leader in innovative tree planting solutions.
Winning businesses may receive up to $150,000 to refine their research and development and, if accepted into Phase 2 of the program, up to $1 million to develop a working prototype. The government can then act as a first customer, helping these businesses commercialize their innovations, scale up their business and create good middle-class jobs across Canada.
Click here for more information.
Health Canada authorizes Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine as booster
Health Canada has authorized the use of the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot.
A COVID-19 booster shot is an extra dose of the vaccine given after completion of the primary vaccine series. The booster shot is designed to help people maintain their protection against COVID-19 over time.
Health Canada received Moderna’s submission to approve a booster on October 6, 2021. After a thorough, independent review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine booster shot meets the Department’s stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements.
Click here for more information.
St. Catharines launches Tree of Giving campaign for 24th year
From Nov. 12 to Dec. 13, bins from Community Care will be set up at City facilities to accept the donation of gifts or gift cards. Once again, anyone wishing to donate a new, unwrapped toy is encouraged to print a gift tag from the City’s website to attach to the gift, as the traditional physical tags that visitors could take from the trees at City facilities will not be offered. Donations should be geared for children up to 16 years old. Suggestions are available on the City’s website.
Click here for more information.
Christmas in Pelham returns with in person events
The Town of Pelham’s award-winning Christmas in Pelham returns this year with a host of activities including the in-person Outdoor Market.
The Outdoor Market, one of the key elements of the annual Christmas In Pelham event will be held at Town Square Friday, December 3rd from 4:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The licensed evening event will showcase local area entertainment, local artisans, festive food, carriage rides, and visits with Santa. The event will have measures in place to ensure alignment with the current pandemic regulations, including physical distancing. In addition to the in-person Market, the Fabulous Fenwick Lions will host the 24th annual Santa Claus parade beginning at 1:00pm on Saturday, December 11th.
Click here for more information.
Brock LINCubator announces first cohort of startups
Founders of six early-stage businesses will spend the next eight months working with experts from the Brock LINC and beyond. Launched in early 2020, the Brock LINC is the University’s centre for creativity, innovation, research and entrepreneurship.
As one of Brock LINC’s programs, the LINCubator will help the early-stage ventures reach their next stage of business development by working in collaboration with Brock Partnerships, Innovation and Intellectual Property Advancement (PIIPA), Goodman Group, Co-op, Career and Experiential Education, as well as external partners such as Innovate Niagara, Haltech and the Niagara Angel Network, a group of more than 50 individual investors from across southern Ontario.
Click here for more information.
Manitoba introduces new public health restrictions to reduce COVID-19 case numbers
The Manitoba government is implementing new public health orders amid a rise in COVID-19 cases numbers around the province.
Dr. Brent Roussin and Health Minister Audrey Gordon made the announcement at a news conference on Friday.
Roussin noted the restrictions include limiting religious gatherings in the Southern Health Region to 25 people, unless the facility can divide the space into separate areas, in which case there can be several cohorts of 25 people.
The total number of people at a service cannot exceed 25 per cent capacity of the facility up to a maximum of 250 people. This rule applies to services that do not require proof of vaccination.
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Dutch government announces 3-week partial lockdown amid surging COVID-19 cases
CBC News
The Dutch government announced a three-week partial lockdown on Friday amid soaring COVID-19 cases that are putting the country’s health-care sector under renewed strain.
It comes as Europe has become the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic again, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing unpopular restrictions in the run-up to Christmas and stirring debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame COVID-19.
Under the lockdown, which comes into effect on Saturday night, bars, restaurants and supermarkets will have to close at 8 p.m. local time, professional sports matches will be played in empty stadiums and people are being urged to work from home as much as possible. Stores selling non-essential items will have to close at 6 p.m, caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Marc Rutte said Friday.
‘Holy battle’: Competition Bureau chief readies for fight to shake up merger laws
The Financial Post
The Competition Act, Matthew Boswell has argued, is too old for the digital age, too out of step with our allies and too toothless to stir any fear in deep-pocketed corporations. He has pointed to “high levels of business concentration” and warned that Canada can’t afford to be complacent during major international shift toward stronger antitrust enforcement, including in the United States where the Biden administration has charted an aggressive course against dominant corporate powers in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
Boswell, a former Crown prosecutor who took the top job at the Competition Bureau in 2019, appears to be charting a course of his own, with an injection of federal funding in the last budget and rising public awareness around competition issues.
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Let’s shape the future together
NWPB has been a think tank, providing data and insight in support of workforce and economic development, since 1997. Over the years, we’ve engaged with diverse partners and individuals and have learned a lot about our community— our patterns, gaps, challenges and opportunities.
In emerging with our collective economic recovery, we’re proposing to think-and-do in new ways. We’re inviting collaborators, both differentiated and complementary, to co-create (design, test and iterate) new solutions to better address the gaps and move forward, together.
Interested in learning more? Visit our website or email Rachel Crane, NWPB’s new Community Relations Lead, at rachel@nwpb.ca.
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
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.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here. The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.
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.
Reading Recommendations
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
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.
Information on government grants, resources, and programs, policies, forms, and posters for download and use, are available here. The GNCC is here to support you. Contact us with any questions you have.
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.
