Ontario pledges $46 million to support tourism, culture, sport and recreation non-profits
The Ontario government is providing more than $46 million to support 648 non-profit tourism, culture, sport and recreation organizations experiencing significant financial pressures due to COVID-19. Funding is being delivered through the Community Building Fund’s Operating stream to help these non-profits operate their facilities so they can provide much-needed programs and services in their communities.
For a full list of Community Building Fund Operating stream recipients, please visit the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s website (spreadsheet file download link).
For organizations interested in applying for the Community Building Fund, OTF will provide support through information sessions and one-on-one application coaching calls. More information about eligibility requirements, deadlines for applications and OTF supports is available at otf.ca.
Click here for more information.
Brock launches Canada’s first PhD in Sustainability Science
Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) has launched a PhD in Sustainability Science, the first program of its kind in the country.
Offered by only a few leading institutions internationally, the PhD in Sustainability Science marks Brock’s 10th doctoral program and will welcome its first cohort next September.
The program is the latest addition to the ESRC’s academic offerings, which include a master’s program in Sustainability Science and Society, an undergraduate minor in Sustainability and a new micro-certificate in Environmental Sustainability.
Click here for more information.
Residential building permits continue to trend down since March peak
The total value of building permits in Canada decreased 2.1% to $9.7 billion in August. Although most provinces reported increases, notable declines in Ontario and British Columbia pulled the national results lower compared with July.
Residential permits decreased 8.3% to $6.4 billion in August, the lowest level since March. Ontario and British Columbia drove most of the decline.
Construction intentions for multi-family units fell 15.9%, largely reflecting Ontario’s decline (-24.3%). This was despite the approval of high value condominium projects in the city of Toronto.
Click here for more information.
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Canada’s trade surplus widens in August as imports fall
Reuters
Canada’s trade surplus with the world widened in August, easily beating analyst expectations, as strong exports of energy products outweighed a drop a two-way trade for motor vehicles and parts, data showed on Tuesday.
The country’s trade surplus was C$1.94 billion ($1.54 billion) in August, well ahead of the average analyst estimate of a surplus of C$430 million and up from a surplus of C$736 million in July.
Exports rose 0.8%, led by energy products – which rose to their highest level since March 2014 – and metal and non-metallic mineral products, which outweighed a drop in motor vehicle and parts exports.
For these Instagram-only business owners, Monday’s outage was a rude awakening
CBC News
Daniel Tsai, a lecturer on law and technology at the University of Toronto, says the influence of social media giants like Facebook has only become larger during the pandemic as so much of every day life has moved online.
“The pandemic has actually exacerbated the reliance on using Facebook and online venues to sell their products and get out to the customers,” he said in an interview. “They really are hostage to a situation created by COVID-19.”
While Instagram has been a great venue for sales, that over-reliance brings with it danger.
“Businesses that rely solely on Facebook are going to find themselves extremely vulnerable because they have a 80 per cent duopoly on all the advertising,” he said.
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Where has all the talent gone?
Pollice Consulting Group
In another drastic reminder as to how the labour market has become so distorted, the number of job openings in the USA hit an all time hire of 10.1 million in July and the Canadian job market experienced 1.2 million job openings in that same period of time.
As the North American economy begins to rebound, even as the Delta Variant of Covid is spreading in poorly vaccinated parts of the continent – businesses are scrambling to add employees. Manufacturing jobs beginning at entry level through to supervisory positions are all in play. Fork Lift Truck Operators, Quality Assurance Technicians, skill trades such as Welders, Electronic Process Control Technicians, Electricians, Gas Fitters and Plumbers are all in great demand. Add to this Advanced Medical Technologists, Manufacturing Technologists and Assembly personnel we have the perfect storm. At no time since 1944 have we seen such a demand. Even Global Affairs Canada reports that clerical positions are available at a starting salary of $ 1,100 per week.
Employee shortages in Canada are not really a new challenge for employers however, the landscape in which the competition for talent is taking place is very different. This is in part due to a strong demand for employees generated by robust economic growth, employees who have used the pandemic as an stimulus to alter their careers and potential employees who have decided to start up their own companies. Completing the perfect storm scenario is the fact that employees today are more informed about the world surrounding them and where they fit, a demand for a better working environment, alternative opportunities, a reconfigured employee market, employees who value their worth and corporate failure to hire during recessionary times.
Niagara COVID-19 statistics tracker
These data show the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Niagara. The Province of Ontario is now using a provincewide approach to reopening, and these data no longer have any influence on Niagara’s restrictions. Lower numbers are better in all metrics.
| December 18 | December 25 | January 1 | January 8 | January 15 | January 22 | January 29 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive number | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| New cases per 100,000 | 101.2 | 267.3 | 469.8 | 575.8 | 507.1 | 295.5 | 250.6 |
| New cases per day (not including outbreaks) | 60.7 | 178.7 | 311.7 | 376.9 | 325.4 | 182.7 | 145.7 |
| Percent of hospital beds occupied | 97% | 95.2% | 98.2% | 103.2% | 104.5% | 103.6% | 106% |
| Percent of intensive care beds occupied | 78.8% | 77.3% | 87.9% | 87.9% | 90.9% | 89.4% | 93.9% |
| Percentage of positive tests | 6.1% | 15.6% | 28.1% | 28.6% | 26.6% | 21.2% | 16.2% |
Last updated: September 25, 2021
Click here for definitions of terms used in this table.
On October 4, there were 13 patients admitted to Niagara Health with COVID-19, 12 of whom were unvaccinated and 1 of whom was fully vaccinated. There were 2 patients with COVID-19 in a Niagara Health Intensive Care Unit.
Over the last 28 days, a Niagara resident vaccinated with 1 dose was 4.3 times more likely to contract COVID-19, and an unvaccinated person was 7.9 times more likely. The average weekly rate of hospitalized cases in unvaccinated Canadians was 38 times higher compared to fully vaccinated people. Niagara Health has reported that no vaccinated patients have required intensive care to date.
Data are drawn from Niagara Region Public Health and Niagara Health.
Niagara COVID vaccination tracker
Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.
| Percentage of population with one dose | Percentage of population fully vaccinated | |
|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 82.7% | 78.2% |
| Ontario | 84.6% | 79.1% |
| Canada | 84.7% | 78.6% |
| United States | 75% | 64% |
| United Kingdom | 78% | 72% |
| Germany | 76% | 74% |
| France | 80% | 77% |
| Italy | 83% | 76% |
| Japan | 80% | 79% |
| World | 63% | 53% |
Total doses administered in Niagara: 709,785
New daily doses administered to Niagara residents: 1,242
Last updated: October 5, 2021
Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.
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.
