In this edition:
- Metro opens new store in Niagara Falls
- Province ‘laser focused’ on housing, not amalgamations: Niagara Region chair
- Countdown starts for 2024 World Rowing Championships
- Ontario invests additional $160m in Skills Development Fund
- Niagara Falls releases draft Climate Adaptation Plan
- St. Catharines goes to bat for Hoverlink
- OAA introduces new climate-action weapon, the TEUI 2.0 calculator
- Canada Post segment reports $254-million loss before tax in Q2
- Reading Recommendations: Human Resources
YMCA of Niagara interim CEO accepts permanent position
YMCA of Niagara today announced the appointment of Christian Wulff as the Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Wulff, who has been serving as the interim CEO throughout 2023, has already demonstrated his dedication to the YMCA of Niagara and the Niagara Region, YMCA Chair Allie Hughes said in a statement.
The appointment of Christian Wulff follows a comprehensive four-month selection process.
Currently operating from 118 sites across Niagara, the YMCA impacts the health and well-being of over 80,000 individuals from diverse backgrounds, abilities, and stages of life. Its services encompass Health & Fitness, Community Initiatives, Child Care, Day Camp, and Employment & Immigrant Services, all supported by the dedication of 800 volunteers annually.
Falling housing investment behind flat economic growth: Statistics Canada
Real gross domestic product (GDP) was nearly unchanged in the second quarter, following a 0.6% rise in the first quarter. In today’s report on gross domestic product, Statistics Canada attributed the slowdown to continued declines in housing investment, smaller inventory accumulation, as well as slower international exports and household spending.
Housing investment fell 2.1% in the second quarter, making it the fifth consecutive quarterly decrease. The decline was led by a sharp drop in new construction (-8.2%), which was observed in every province and territory except for Nova Scotia. These declines coincided with higher borrowing costs and lower demand for mortgage funds, as the Bank of Canada continued their monetary tightening, raising the policy interest rate to 4.75% in the second quarter.
Countdown starts for 2024 World Rowing Championships
The world is coming to St. Catharines for the third time. On Thursday at the Neil Campbell Rowing Centre on Henley Island, a flag ceremony was held to begin the official countdown to the 2024 World Rowing Championships taking place Aug.18-25 in St. Catharines.
The city hosted the senior worlds in 1970 and 1999 but the 2024 edition will include the under-23, junior (under-19) and senior championships for non-Olympic boat classes. St. Catharines was awarded the championships in September 2019 following a vote by delegates at the FISA Congress in Linz, Austria.
Ontario invests additional $160m in Skills Development Fund
The Ontario government is investing an additional $160 million in the Skills Development Fund (SDF) to tackle the labour shortage and help at least 100,000 workers get free training to meet the needs of employers hiring in their communities. The funding will prioritize programs that propose innovative training solutions to help people on social assistance and with prior criminal records find meaningful employment in critical industries like healthcare, auto-manufacturing, information technology, hospitality and the skilled trades.
Niagara Falls releases draft Climate Adaptation Plan
Since the beginning of 2023, the City of Niagara Falls has been convening project stakeholders from across the community to collaboratively create a plan that will increase the adaptive capacity of Niagara Falls to the impacts of our changing climate.
The Draft Plan is online now and community and business members can provide general feedback as well as consider opportunities for engagement with the plan’s implementation. Comments and feedback on the plan are welcomed on or before Tuesday, September 5th, 2023.
St. Catharines goes to bat for Hoverlink
The City of St. Catharines team advocated for a proposed cross-lake passenger hovercraft during sit downs with provincial ministers at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference this week.
Mayor Mat Siscoe said provincial officials were already enthusiastic about Hoverlink Ontario Inc.’s plan to create a rapid transit link between St. Catharines and Toronto when St. Catharines broached the subject.
“That was probably my biggest take home from the meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure. They’re very enthusiastic about the project and they see it as a very viable way to get people off of the highway,” Siscoe said.
OAA introduces new climate-action weapon, the TEUI 2.0 calculator
The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has launched a new building energy usage calculator designed for use by both Ontario architects and the general public.
The new Total Energy Usage Intensity (TEUI) 2.0 calculator supplements the original TEUI 1.0 and is intended for larger Part 9 buildings as opposed to the smaller Part 3 buildings that were targeted by the first calculator.
TEUI 2.0 has the capacity to include embodied carbon, building statistics and air quality conditions and the ability to evaluate a proposed building against code compliance requirements.
Canada Post segment reports $254-million loss before tax in Q2
Canada Post recorded a loss before tax of $254 million in the second quarter of 2023 as revenue fell across all lines of business.
The Canada Post segment’s revenue in the second quarter declined by $78 million, or 6.0 per cent1, compared to the same period in 2022. The segment’s loss before tax in the second quarter widened by $94 million, from a loss before tax of $160 million in the second quarter of 2022. For the first half of 2023, Canada Post’s revenue fell by $110 million, or 3.3 per cent, compared to the same period of the prior year. The segment’s loss before tax was $361 million compared to a loss before tax of $289 million in the first half of 2022.
Did you know?
Focus on Human Resources
Keeping your team safe: Leadership tips for working with subcontractors
Most business leaders recognize their duty to protect workers within the four walls of their operating facilities. Even in recent years, with more employers adapting policies to address remote work, production staff in the manufacturing sector remained onsite.
But what if your team provides services and support onsite elsewhere — at a facility you don’t own? What if you employ temporary workers and contract employees? Where do the obligations of contractor and subcontractor begin and end in protecting contract workers’ health and safety?
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.
