In this edition:
- Bittle to announce government support for wine growers at Henry of Pelham
- Province announces 2023 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund allocations
- Striking GO Transit workers, Metrolinx to resume talks Thursday
- Toronto public health asks to ‘urgently explore’ return of masks in schools
- Ministry reschedules update on former GM property testing
- Canada finances trade certification for small food enterprises
- Ontario supporting more paid internships for post-secondary students
- Artist selected for Neil Peart Memorial
- Canada invests in new transload facility at Port of Hamilton
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Your participation in our annual Business Confidence Survey is as important as ever. The results of the survey will inform the 2023 Ontario Economic Report: the landmark research platform of the OCC, offering a unique perspective on the experience of businesses of all sizes across the province.
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St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle to announce Government of Canada support for wine growers at Henry of Pelham
At 9:30 a.m. tomorrow (Nov 10), at Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Chris Bittle, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, will announce federal investment to help increase domestic and export sales of Canadian-made wine. Bittle will be joined by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, Vance Badawey.
Province announces 2023 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund allocations
The Ontario government is announcing 2023 municipal funding allocations under the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) that primarily supports northern and rural municipalities across the province. The Ontario government is maintaining the program envelope at $500 million for 2023 and communicating funding allocations in advance of the municipal budget year to support municipalities with their planning processes.
The OMPF targets funding to municipalities facing challenging fiscal circumstances and supports areas with limited property assessment.
Recipients of funding in Niagara include:
| Municipality | Funding allocation |
|---|---|
| Niagara Region | $0 |
| Fort Erie | $1,490,700 |
| Grimsby | $33,300 |
| Lincoln | $193,000 |
| Niagara Falls | $341,000 |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake | $312,100 |
| Pelham | $35,300 |
| Port Colborne | $2,611,500 |
| St. Catharines | $263,700 |
| Thorold | $42,100 |
| Wainfleet | $516,800 |
| Welland | $3,948,900 |
| West Lincoln | $1,085,900 |
Striking GO Transit workers, Metrolinx to resume talks Thursday, union says
The union representing striking GO Transit workers says negotiations with their employer will resume tomorrow.
The Amalgamated Transit Union says Metrolinx first reached out with an offer for the two sides to meet on Friday to negotiate a contract for the 2,200 striking workers, including bus drivers, station attendants and fare inspectors.
But ATU Local 1587 president Rob Cormier says after the union pushed for an earlier date, Metrolinx agreed to meet Thursday.
The strike began Monday and has shut down regional bus service across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, causing headaches for thousands of commuters.
Toronto public health asks top doctor to ‘urgently explore’ return of mask mandates at schools
Toronto’s board of health asked the city’s top doctor Tuesday to consider reinstating mask mandates amid a surge in viral illnesses that’s sending children to hospital at alarming rates.
The request came a day after the chief of staff at an Ottawa children’s hospital urged a broad return to indoor masking as the flu, COVID-19 and a childhood virus circulate, saying the public has to play a part in protecting the youngest members of the community.
In Toronto, the public health board passed a motion asking Dr. Eileen de Villa to “urgently explore all avenues toward re-issuing mask mandates, starting with schools.”
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Humber College and York University have said they may reinstate mask policies if public health COVID-19 guidelines change.
Ministry reschedules update on former GM property testing
Residents in St. Catharines will receive an update on the former GM property on December 5th, in which the ministry of environment, conservation, and parks will provide an update.
A meeting that was scheduled in September was cancelled at the last minute.
The meeting is set for 6 p.m. and is open to the public. It will also be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel.
Government of Canada finances trade certification program for micro and small food enterprises
The Government of Canada is supporting the creation of a certification program that will allow businesses to meet specific trade requirements.
The $336,858 investment, announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, will support GS1 Canada, a not-for-profit association, to develop training tailored to small and micro food enterprises. The project includes learning modules and a virtual portal of resources specifically for them.
GS1 Canada plans to equip at least 200 businesses across Canada with the knowledge, tools and experience they need to prepare for trade with different sectors, including the grocery sector, distribution and food services.
Ontario supporting more paid internships for post-secondary students
The Ontario government is providing over $10 million to help Mitacs — an organization that builds research partnerships between postsecondary institutions and industry — create 2,700 paid internships for postsecondary students which aims to help them gain the skills they need to secure in-demand jobs after graduation. This latest investment has been made in support of high-quality research in the province and demonstrates Ontario’s commitment to experiential learning.
Artist selected for Neil Peart Memorial
The City of St. Catharines’ Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force has selected artist Morgan MacDonald of The Newfoundland Bronze Foundry (Morgan Sculpture Inc.) to create the memorial in Peart’s honour alongside the Neil Peart Pavilion in Lakeside Park – a place that inspired the lyrics to the famous Rush single of the same name. The Newfoundland Bronze Foundry was selected as the highest-ranked proponent by an evaluation committee after a competitive process.
The concept from the creative team includes two larger-than-life-sized bronze sculptures of Neil Peart. The sculptures will be connected by a pathway offering experiential and interpretive features providing insight into Peart’s personal and professional legacies, including his time with the band.
Government of Canada invests in new transload facility to relieve supply chain congestion at Port of Hamilton
Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced up to nearly $5 million in funding under the National Trade Corridors Fund for the Building Capacity in Canada’s Steel Supply Chain project. The close to $10 million total project will be undertaken by the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority and will relieve supply chain congestion at the Port of Hamilton.
With today’s investment, the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority will be able to enhance the transfer of steel products between various vehicles at the Port. By creating new interconnections between marine, rail and road, this project will increase the efficiency and the resiliency of the supply chain in the region.
Port Colborne small business Genius Fitness & MMA receives $10,000 through My Main Street
Genius Fitness & MMA has received a non-repayable contribution of $10,000 through the My Main Street, Local Business Accelerator program. This contribution will allow Genius Fitness & MMA to support findings from the market research provided by My Main Street to drive economic growth and attract new customers to the business and the entire Port Colborne community.
The My Main Street, Local Business Accelerator program is delivered by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario with an overall Government of Canada investment of $23.25 million through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to support the recovery and strength of main streets and local businesses in southern Ontario.
Focus on Climate
COP27: Time to pay the climate bill – vulnerable nations
Leaders of countries flooded or parched due to climate change are pleading at the COP27 summit for an urgent financial lifeline from richer nations.
“We will not give up… the alternative consigns us to a watery grave,” Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said.
Countries are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to discuss next steps in curbing climate change.
Front line nations want a special compensation fund for the climate impacts they cannot recover from.
‘Broken promises’: Is Canada falling short on its climate change goals?
With bold plans being laid out to tackle the ever-growing threat of climate change at COP27, an annual United Nations conference, experts say actions should speak louder than words and richer nations, like Canada, need to step up the fight.
As greenhouse gas emissions continue to go up, extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, are becoming more frequent and destructive.
But as world leaders and climate negotiators look for ways to implement global climate goals, observers are less optimistic about progress, saying countries are already falling short on their previous pledges.
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.
