In this edition:
- Ontario recruiting more personal support workers into long-term care and home care
- Sobeys owner expands annual grocery price freeze between now and January
- Seven Niagara restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 in Canada list
- City of St. Catharines seeks public feedback for its first multi-year budget
- Public engagement opportunities for the Shape Lincoln 2051 Official Plan Review
- People at the heart of top employer recognition for Niagara Health
- Niagara College named top employer for second year in a row
- Municipalities say $600 billion in infrastructure needed to build 5.8 million homes
- Niagara Transit Commission rejects council request to reduce its budget increase
- The robust Indigenous economy makes economic reconciliation an urgent business imperative
- Focus on Equity and Diversity
Ontario recruiting more personal support workers into long-term care and home care
The Ontario government is investing more than $300 million over three years to help thousands of people launch careers as personal support workers in long-term care homes and in the home and community care sector. Recruiting more personal support workers is part of the province’s Your Health plan to connect long-term care residents to more hours of direct care and expand home care services.
Ontario is now offering new incentives of up to $25,400 to students and recent graduates of personal support worker education programs, including:
- Up to $5,400 to students while they complete their clinical placement in long-term care or home and community care;
- $10,000 for current students and recent graduates who commit to working in a long-term care home or with a home and community care service provider for 12 months; and
- $10,000 to help with relocation costs to graduates who commit to working in a long-term care home or with a home and community care service provider in a rural, remote or northern community for 12 months.
Sobeys owner expands annual grocery price freeze between now and January
Grocery chain Sobeys is rolling out its annual price freeze on thousands of food items over the holiday season, and expanding it more than usual in the face of heightened consumer concern about inflation.
It’s customary for grocery chains to hold prices steady as much as possible during the busy holiday season, but Nova Scotia-based Empire Company – which owns Sobeys, FreshCo, Foodland, Farm Boy, Longo’s and Safeway – says it is taking that policy one step further this year to include more items.
Seven Niagara restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 in Canada list
Niagara is well represented on OpenTable’s latest list of the top 100 restaurants in Canada with seven establishments making the cut:
- AG Inspired Cuisine
- Rizzo’s House of Parm
- The Drawing Room – Prince of Wales
- The Good Earth Vineyard and Winery
- Treadwell Cuisine
- Trius Winery Restaurant
- Vineland Estates Winery Restaurant
City of St. Catharines seeks public feedback for its first multi-year budget
Residents are being encouraged to provide input into the City’s first multi-year budget.
To get involved, residents can participate by phone during a Telephone Town Hall, attend an in-person open house or pop-up kiosk, and provide feedback online through a survey starting on Nov. 24.
Mayor Siscoe and the chair of the City’s Budget Standing Committee, Councillor Carlos Garcia, will be joined by City staff to answer questions about the draft operating budget during a Telephone Town Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 29 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
People will also be able to meet with the Budget Standing Committee and City staff to offer feedback in person at budget open houses on Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre or on Thursday, Nov. 30 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre.
Public engagement opportunities for the Shape Lincoln 2051 Official Plan Review
The Town of Lincoln has scheduled an Open House and Public Meeting to initiate the process to review and update the Town’s Official Plan. Your input will help to inform and shape the updated Official Plan.
The Open House is scheduled to be held as follows:
- Tuesday, December 5, 2023
- 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Council Chambers | Town Hall | 4800 South Service Rd | Beamsville, ON
The Public Meeting is scheduled to be held as follows:
- Monday, January 15, 2024
- 6 p.m.
- Council Chambers | Town Hall | 4800 South Service Rd | Beamsville, ON
People at the heart of top employer recognition for Niagara Health
Niagara Health has been named a Hamilton-Niagara Top Employer for the sixth-consecutive year. Now in its 17th year, Hamilton-Niagara’s Top Employer is organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, which recognizes employers in the Hamilton-Niagara area that are exceptional places to work.
“The team at Niagara Health works diligently to provide safe, quality care every day,” says Lynn Guerriero, President and CEO, Niagara Health. “To support our staff, physicians and volunteers, we have made an organizational commitment to put people first by building an inclusive and collaborative workplace and equipping our team members with the tools for success.”
Niagara College named top employer for second year in a row
Niagara College has risen to the top for the second consecutive year, being named a Hamilton-Niagara Region top employer for 2024.
For 17 years, the Hamilton-Niagara’s Top Employers competition recognizes and celebrates local employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work.
“Being welcoming, passionate, trailblazing and student focused are special organizational strengths that make Niagara College such a remarkable place to work,” said NC President Sean Kennedy.
Top Employer recipients were evaluated on eight criteria: physical workplace, work atmosphere and social, health, financial and family benefits, vacation and time off, employee communications, performance management, training and skills development, and community involvement.
Municipalities say $600 billion in infrastructure needed to build 5.8 million homes
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities says new research it commissioned finds municipalities would need $600 billion in infrastructure funding to help build 5.8 million homes by 2030.
That’s the number of homes the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. says Canada needs to build to restore affordability.
Canadian municipalities are voicing their disappointment that the federal Liberals didn’t include a new infrastructure funding model in its fall economic statement this week, despite the prime minister promising one would come in the fall.
Niagara Transit Commission rejects council request to reduce its budget increase
The commission’s board members approved a staff report Tuesday recommending it maintain a 7.8 per cent increase in Niagara’s special transit levy despite a request from Niagara Region’s budget committee to find more savings.
The report looked at the impact of six hypothetical fair increases. The fare increases would result in a budget decrease of $230,000, or 0.4 per cent, but the impact would be felt mainly by low-income households that make up the majority of non-student ridership, the report said.
Service reductions would come by NRT OnDemand because the deal struck by the 12 municipalities and the Region to amalgamate transit guaranteed conventional service levels remain in place for seven years.
Reverting NRT OnDemand to pre-2020 service levels would eliminate service in Grimsby, Wainfleet and West Lincoln and reduce it in Lincoln, Pelham, Port Colborne and Niagara-on-the-Lake, the report said.
Overall, the cuts would impact 28 per cent of Niagara residents and leave 11 per cent in Grimsby, West Lincoln and Wainfleet without any transit options.
Regional politicians will have final say when they vote on the special transit levy next week.
The robust Indigenous economy makes economic reconciliation an urgent business imperative
Taking action on economic reconciliation has tremendous value for Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses alike, enabling opportunities for shared economic prosperity and long-term business success.
Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business released Sharing Prosperity: An Introduction to Building Relationships for Economic Reconciliation in Ontario.
This introductory resource is part of the Economic Reconciliation Initiative, a partnership between both organizations aimed at advancing economic reconciliation by building business capacity to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 92.
Did you know?
The name “Lego” is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”.
Focus on Equity and Diversity
Montreal business wins prize for work supporting neurodivergent employees
John Dujay; HR Reporter
A business that opened just before COVID hit is the first winner of a $100,000 award for its exemplary work with those who are neurodivergent.
Zera Café is a not-for-profit business that provides prepared meals to order, and delivery. It was honoured recently by the Azrieli Foundation with its inaugural INfinity Prize.
Neurodiversity includes neurological disorders such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Down syndrome and others.
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.
