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Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Daily Update: September 2nd, 2021

Ontario is reinstating renewal requirements for driver’s licences, licence plate stickers, Ontario Photo Cards, health cards, and more.

Ontario reinstating renewal requirements for driver’s licences, licence plate stickers and health cards

The Ontario government is reinstating renewal requirements for driver’s licences, licence plate stickers, Ontario Photo Cards, Ontario health cards, and other products that would have expired on or after March 1, 2020, but were extended to provide immediate relief to Ontarians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those needing to renew their provincial documents are encouraged to use ServiceOntario’s convenient and easy-to-use online option.

Click here for more information.


Port Colborne rainbow crosswalk showcases commitment to inclusivity and diversity

As of today, a splash of colour can be seen in downtown Port Colborne with the installation of a rainbow crosswalk.

To celebrate and support inclusivity of the LGBTQ2+ community, the City of Port Colborne in partnership with the Downtown BIA, installed a rainbow crosswalk at the corner of West Street and Clarence Street. In June 2021, the Downtown BIA brought a report to Council, suggesting the need to be the next “Safe Space” landmarked in Niagara by a rainbow crosswalk.

Click here for more information.


Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition to host webinar for World Suicide Prevention Day

The Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition will continue the conversation about suicide prevention in Niagara on Sept. 15 from noon to 1 p.m. for an online webinar panel discussion featuring local speakers from crisis services. Register for the Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition webinar.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, help is available:
  • For immediate risk, call 9-1-1
  • For adults in crisis, contact COAST (Crisis Outreach and Support Team) at 1-866-550-5205
  • For children and youth in crisis, contact Pathstone Mental Health 24hr Crisis Line at 1-800-263-4944

Click here for more information.


Welland City Hall and other facilities will reopen to the public on September 7

Welland City Hall and other city facilities are reopening to the public beginning Tuesday, September 7. During facility closures, staff installed building modifications to meet the standards and guidelines provided by public health. As a result, installing floor markers, service counter barriers, and establishing entry and exit points facilitating safe traffic flow is in place when doors open Sept. 7.

Click here for more information (PDF link).


Niagara Health vaccination clinic to be closed Monday, Sept. 6

Niagara Health’s vaccination clinic at the St. Catharines Site will be closed on Labour Day (Monday, Sept. 6) due to low bookings.

Regular operations, including booked and walk-in appointments, will resume Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Click here for more information.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines here.


Residential building permits down over 10% in Ontario

The total value of building permits in Canada decreased 3.9% to $9.9 billion in July. Seven provinces reported declines in the residential sector, led by Ontario (-10.5%). Single-family permits fell 9.6% in July, with two provinces showing growth. Ontario (-9.1%) contributed the most to the decrease. Non-residential permit values declined 5.6% to $2.9 billion in July, despite Ontario’s strong growth of 17.3%.

Click here for more information.


The Election Section

Reading Recommendations

Chip shortage forces GM to extend factory closures

CBC News

General Motors Co. will reduce production at most North American assembly plants this month because of the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage, hitting its profitable truck and sport utility vehicles, it said on Thursday.

The largest U.S. automaker will halt production next week at its Fort Wayne plant in Indiana and its Silao plant in Mexico, both of which build pickup trucks. In total, GM is cutting production at eight North American assembly plants in September.


The pandemic’s true death toll

The Economist

How many people have died because of the covid-19 pandemic? The answer depends both on the data available, and on how you define “because”. Many people who die while infected with SARS-CoV-2 are never tested for it, and do not enter the official totals. Conversely, some people whose deaths have been attributed to covid-19 had other ailments that might have ended their lives on a similar timeframe anyway. And what about people who died of preventable causes during the pandemic, because hospitals full of covid-19 patients could not treat them? If such cases count, they must be offset by deaths that did not occur but would have in normal times, such as those caused by flu or air pollution.


Featured Content

What should leaders be thinking about moving forward?

Pollice Consulting Group

Businesses will continue to struggle in order to grasp and understand which of the Covid 19 pandemic’s effects will be temporary and which will become permanent. Four new reports attempt to analyze these longer term trends.

One is from Glassdoor in California; a website and information hub that allows employees to rank their employers. Another is a global management consulting agency in Massachusetts called the Boston Group which endeavours to provide strategic planning initiatives; McKinsey Global in Toronto which provides readers with a terrific insight to management challenges and the Chartered Management Institute in the United Kingdom which regulates Managers was also included. When read together, their message is clear – firms stand to benefit from the pandemic however, managerial life is going to dramatically change by getting a little more difficult.


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 18December 25January 1January 8January 15January 22January 29
Reproductive number1.41.81.41.11.00.70.9
New cases per 100,000101.2267.3469.8575.8507.1295.5250.6
New cases per day (not including outbreaks)60.7178.7311.7376.9325.4182.7145.7
Percent of hospital beds occupied97%95.2%98.2%103.2%104.5%103.6%106%
Percent of intensive care beds occupied78.8%77.3%87.9%87.9%90.9%89.4%93.9%
Percentage of positive tests6.1%15.6%28.1%28.6%26.6%21.2%16.2%

Last updated: August 28, 2021

Click here for definitions of terms used in this table.

There are currently 7 patients admitted to Niagara Health with COVID-19. There are currently 0 patients with COVID-19 in a Niagara Health Intensive Care Unit.

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 dosePercentage of population fully vaccinated
Niagara82.7%78.2%
Ontario84.6%79.1%
Canada84.7%78.6%
United States75%64%
United Kingdom78%72%
Germany76%74%
France80%77%
Italy83%76%
Japan80%79%
World63%53%

Total doses administered in Niagara: 663,958

New daily doses administered to Niagara residents: 1,312

Last updated: September 2, 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.

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