In this edition:
- Canadian household spending declines for first time since 2010
- Ontario elementary teachers vote in favour of a strike
- Queen’s Park seeks input on Notices of Security Interest
- Niagara Falls accepting applications for 2024 Cultural Development Fund
- Unifor sets Oct. 29 for Stellantis strike deadline as talks set to begin
- Early childhood educators in Ontario among lowest paid in Canada, advocates say
- Focus on Climate
Canadian household spending declines for first time since 2010
Canadian households spent an average of $67,126 on goods and services in 2021, down 2.7% from 2019, new Statistics Canada data released today has shown. This was the first decline in household spending since 2010. Accounting for consumer inflation (+4.1%) from 2019 to 2021, the real decrease in average household spending was 6.5%.
Shelter (31.4%), food (15.4%) and transportation (15.0%) remained the three largest spending categories in 2021.
Ontario elementary teachers vote in favour of a strike
Ontario’s public elementary school teachers have voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike, their union announced Wednesday.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has said that a strike mandate wouldn’t necessarily mean teachers will walk off the job, but will add pressure on the government to reach a contract deal with teachers at the bargaining table.
“This strong strike mandate sends a very clear message to the government,” president Karen Brown wrote in a statement.
Queen’s Park seeks input on Notices of Security Interest
The Ontario government is seeking public input on ways to address and reduce what it terms “harmful and inappropriate” use of Notices of Security Interest (NOSIs) against unsuspecting consumers.
A NOSI is a notice that can be registered on the land registry system by a business when it finances or leases certain equipment on a property such as an HVAC unit. In some cases, homeowners are not aware a NOSI has been registered on their title and businesses have charged them exorbitant fees to discharge the NOSI.
The consultation, which runs from October 17 to December 1, 2023, will explore topics such as the requirement to notify a homeowner when a NOSI is registered, the types of goods or fixtures for which a company can register a NOSI, and restrictions on the duration of a NOSI.
Niagara Falls accepting applications for 2024 Cultural Development Fund
The Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund (NFCDF) is currently accepting applications for 2024, reviewing proposals from a wide variety of cultural initiatives.
The NFCDF was established in 2016 to provide financial support to grassroots cultural initiatives across Niagara Falls. Since 2016, over $425,000 has been invested in the arts & culture community via the NFCDF, with over 80 groups and organizations benefiting.
Unifor sets Oct. 29 for Stellantis strike deadline as talks set to begin
Unifor says it will officially begin contract negotiations with Stellantis on Wednesday and has set a strike deadline of Oct. 29 at 11:59 p.m.
Talks with Stellantis come after union members at both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. voted in favour of contract terms that Unifor will look to replicate at Stellantis.
Unifor president Lana Payne says in a statement that she looks forward to securing the terms of the pattern, while also making “important additional gains on various Stellantis-specific workplace issues.”
Early childhood educators in Ontario among lowest paid in Canada, advocates say
Advocates say that early childhood educators in Ontario are among the lowest paid in the country, and say that raising their wages is critical to the success of the $10-a-day childcare program.
Part of the agreement that Ontario signed with the federal government in joining the national program was setting a wage floor of $18 an hour in 2022 and increasing it by $1 a year up to $25.
The current rate of $19 an hour makes the effective minimum wage the third lowest in the country, ahead of Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories, according to a policy paper released Tuesday by the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.
Did you know?
Focus on Climate
California is suing Big Oil over climate ‘deception.’ Could the same happen in Canada?
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.
