In this edition:
- Brock marks opening of landmark institute dedicated to supporting industry
- Niagara Region advocating for basic income guarantee as food costs rise
- U.S. auto workers escalate strike, walking out at Ford’s largest factory and threatening Stellantis
- Provincial and federal governments invest $16.5m in sustainable agriculture
- Rate of residential property stock growth is slowing: Statistics Canada
- Canadian tech workers make 46% less than U.S. counterparts: TMU study
- Focus on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Brock marks opening of landmark institute dedicated to supporting industry
From treating disease to enhancing chemical coatings, monitoring water quality and creating virus-free plant materials, Brock University’s innovative institute dedicated to solving industry challenges is at the ready to help.
While the Brock-Niagara Validation, Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute (VPMI) has already begun connecting industry with researcher expertise and state-of-the-art equipment, an official grand opening to celebrate the landmark facility was held Wednesday, Oct. 11.
The cutting-edge technology adoption centre, located in Inniskillin Hall on Brock’s main campus, was made possible by a $6-million investment announced in 2019 by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
Niagara Region advocating for basic income guarantee as food costs rise
Niagara Region is calling on upper-tier governments to launch a basic income guarantee project as the increasing cost of nutritious food exceeds the budgets of low-income residents.
It’s one of several recommendations in a report presented at Tuesday’s public health and social services committee meeting based on a Nutritious Food Basket survey conducted in May. The survey looked at the cost of nutritious food at nine grocery stores in Niagara, and compared those costs to income, while also taking housing costs into consideration.
U.S. auto workers escalate strike, walking out at Ford’s largest factory and threatening Stellantis
The United Auto Workers union significantly escalated its walkout against Detroit’s Three automakers, shutting down Ford’s largest factory and threatening Jeep maker Stellantis.
In a surprise move Wednesday night, 8,700 members left their jobs at Ford’s Kentucky truck plant in Louisville.
And Thursday morning, union President Shawn Fain hinted at further action against Stellantis. “Here’s to hoping talks at Stellantis today are more productive than Ford yesterday,” Fain wrote on X, formerly Twitter, without saying what might happen.
Provincial and federal governments invest $16.5m in sustainable agriculture
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $16.5 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to support agri-food research and innovation projects that will help Ontario develop new technologies, practices and solutions for the agri-food sector. These actions will strengthen the sector to be more competitive in global markets.
The Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) will provide a multi-year suite of funding opportunities to support research and innovation activities that advance the sector. These funding streams include applied research, pilot and demonstration, knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) and commercialization of products, including a new Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub.
Rate of residential property stock growth is slowing: Statistics Canada
Preliminary estimates from the Canadian Housing Statistics Program show that from 2021 to 2022, the residential property stock—all residential properties, excluding vacant land—grew by 1.3% in Ontario, slower than the 1.5% rate of growth from 2020 to 2021. In the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), the stock of residential properties grew by 1.7% (representing 29,905 net new properties) from 2021 to 2022, compared with 1.9% (+33,520 net new properties) from 2020 to 2021.
Canadian tech workers make 46% less than U.S. counterparts: TMU study
A new study from Toronto Metropolitan University says Canadian tech workers are paid 46 per cent less than their U.S. counterparts.
The research from the university’s The Dias public policy institute found a typical tech employee in Canada makes $83,700 per year compared with $122,600 for workers in the U.S. sector.
The study says at least 10 per cent of the wage gap is attributable to a larger share of tech workers in Canada being part-time or not working the full year than in the U.S.
Did you know?
Focus on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Going global: Empowering women through trade
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.
