In this edition:
- Tourism spending posts 5th consecutive increase, but still below 2019 levels
- Ministry of Environment cancels planned update on former GM site
- FAO: Bill 124 will save total of $9.7 billion in Ontario government salaries
- PenFinancial Credit Union donates to the Hurricane Fiona Relief Fund
- Expect serious delays at border due to staff shortages if travel levels rise: union
- Bank of Canada welcomes IMF report following transparency review
- St. Catharines farmers’ market seeks vendors for winter
Tourism spending posts 5th consecutive increase, but still below 2019 levels
Tourism spending in Canada grew 19.8% in the second quarter, a fifth consecutive quarterly increase. Tourism gross domestic product (GDP) (+20.4%) and jobs attributable to tourism (+11.2%) also rose in the second quarter.
Travel restrictions impacting tourism activities during the first quarter of 2022 were eased effective February 28, allowing the tourism sector to continue its recovery in the second quarter. More visitors from outside of Canada were admitted, and passenger air travel expanded services. With this most recent increase, tourism spending in the second quarter was 21.7% lower than the pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels of the fourth quarter of 2019.
Ministry of Environment cancels planned update on former GM site
The Ministry of the Environment has called off a public meeting tonight in St. Catharines. The Ministry was set to give a presentation with updated testing results from the area around the old GM property on Ontario Street.
The special meeting was cancelled “at the last minute.”
In a release, Mayor Walter Sendzik called it “incredibly disappointing and frustrating.”
Council had requested the update on the work being done at the site back in February. There is no word from the ministry if or when they may provide the update to the city.
FAO: Bill 124 will save total of $9.7 billion in Ontario government salaries
In a report released today, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) costed the impact of Bill 124 and estimated that it will save the Province a cumulative total of $9.7 billion in salaries and wages costs for both unionized and non-unionized Ontario Public Sector employees from the introduction of Bill 124 in 2019 through to 2026-27.
The FAO estimates that 159,271 (30 per cent) unionized Ontario Public Sector employees are currently in the process of negotiating, or will soon be negotiating, collective bargaining agreements that will be subject to three years of wage restraint under Bill 124.
PenFinancial Credit Union donates to the Hurricane Fiona Relief Fund
To help support the recovery efforts, PenFinancial Credit Union has made a $5,000 donation to the Hurricane Fiona in Canada Appeal. Through this donation, the Canadian Red Cross will be able to provide emergency relief, humanitarian aid, and support recovery and resilience for those impacted by this disaster.
Canadians wishing to make a financial donation to help those impacted by Hurricane Fiona can do so online at www.redcross.ca, by calling 1-800-418-1111, by texting FIONA to 20222 to make a $10 donation.
Click here to read more (PDF link).
Expect serious delays at border due to staff shortages if travel levels rise: union
The head of a union representing Canada’s customs and immigration officers says chronic staffing shortages mean long waits at the border won’t necessarily disappear when use of the controversial ArriveCan app soon becomes optional.
Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, warned Tuesday that if travel volumes start to increase substantially there will be “significant delays” at Canada’s border points.
Weber spoke at a House of Commons committee meeting looking at the ArriveCan app, which has been used for providing travel and public health information before and after people enter Canada.
Bank of Canada welcomes IMF report following transparency review
The Bank of Canada today welcomed the publication by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of its final report summarizing its pilot review of the Bank’s transparency practices. The report contained several recommendations for how the Bank could further enhance its transparency, and the Bank published its formal response to those recommendations today.
This past spring, using the IMF’s new Central Bank Transparency Code (CBTC), an IMF Mission Team made up of independent experts reviewed the Bank’s transparency practices across five areas: governance, policies, operations, outcomes and official relations. The Mission Team met with staff and management from across the Bank as well as with a broad range of stakeholders, including academics, think tanks, parliamentarians, market participants and journalists.
St. Catharines farmers’ market seeks vendors for winter
The St. Catharines Farmers Market is looking for vendors for the one-stop-shop winter market taking place Nov. 17 to Dec. 15, 2022.
Winter at the Market will run for five weeks every Thursday starting on Nov. 17 from 4.pm. to 8 p.m. at downtown Market Square at 91 King Street. Vendors selling art, homemade items, crafts, and food and beverages are invited to apply.
Vendors can apply for a stall for all five weeks for only $71 and if applicable, an additional 15 per cent hydro fee. Vendors must be able to commit to all five Thursdays to apply. The St. Catharines Farmers’ Market also runs regular days of Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Submit an online application for the Winter at the Market series before 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 at stcatharines.ca/WinterVendorApplication.
Focus on Climate
Italy’s plan to save Venice from sinking
BBC Future
Venice is a stunning oddity. It is a city built atop around 120 islands, crisscrossed by 177 canals, and is best explored – when on foot at least – via the use of its 391 bridges. It is a watery maze of a city, full of tiny footpaths and tucked away squares, hidden museums and secluded, centuries-old churches.
But all is not well in “La Serenissima”. Indeed, if drastic measures are not taken, the city’s days could be numbered.
This is far from hyperbole: Venice is at very real risk of being consumed by the sea. In worst-case scenario, the city could disappear beneath the waves by as early as 2100. Meanwhile, many of its building are sinking or being damaged by the wakes of boats. It is also routinely overwhelmed by tourists, while its local population is in a state of continual decline.
Adapting to climate change faster will save Canada billions, new analysis shows
CBC News
Canadians will see lower incomes and a choice between higher taxes or fewer government services if there isn’t more effort to adapt to the changing climate, a new report from The Canadian Climate Institute warns.
But according to the report released Wednesday, if governments and the private sector buckle up and start investing in making Canada more resilient to the effects of extreme weather, the economic impact of climate change can be cut by 75 per cent.
“The good news story is we have some ability to change this future,” said Ryan Ness, the director of adaptation research for the climate institute.
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.
