In this edition:
- Vineland announces TreeCulture Research Park
- COVID vaccinations open for children aged 6+ months
- Ground broken on Prudhommes site in Lincoln
- Welland Expression of Interest for sale of vacant land
- Ontario extends sick leave program until March 2023
- Unions call for action on health staff shortages
- Increase to the Old Age Security pension begins next week
Vineland announces TreeCulture Research Park
Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is launching the TreeCulture Research Park, the first of its kind in Canada.
With an anticipated launch in September 2022, the first phase of construction will initially offer an Open Air Laboratory containing 36 compartments that will expand to a robust 80-compartment facility. The laboratory will feature Canada’s only individually instrumented tree compartments, with integrated sensor technology to recreate conditions faced by trees in urban settings, while recording trees’ responses to stress and monitoring weather, soil function and canopy health.
COVID vaccinations open for children aged 6+ months
As of 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, 2022, parents and caregivers of children aged six months to under five years will be able to book appointments for the paediatric COVID-19 vaccine. Immunocompromised youth aged 12 to 17 will also become eligible to schedule their second booster dose (fifth dose) if at least six months have passed since their first booster (fourth dose).
Starting July 28, appointments will be available through the COVID-19 vaccination portal and the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, directly through public health units using their own booking system, participating primary care providers and paediatricians, as well as at participating pharmacies and Indigenous-led vaccination clinics.
Parents and caregivers with questions are encouraged to speak with their health care provider or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900 to speak to a health specialist or visit COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service to book a confidential phone appointment with a SickKids Registered Nurse.
Ground broken on Prudhommes site in Lincoln
An important and highly anticipated milestone was reached today in Lincoln, as members of Town Council and staff joined partner FBH Group to break ground on the first phase of Prudhommes Development Site. This phase and groundbreaking event also kick off the commercial elements of the project which will further propel Lincoln’s thriving local economy.
“This is the first development to get underway in a project that has been years in the making,” added the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer, Michael Kirkopoulos. “The site has a long history in the community, and both residents and visitors alike who travel along the QEW through Lincoln will start to see significant changes in the next several weeks. Jobs and commercial opportunities are a key part of this development and an integral element in creating a complete community.”
Welland Expression of Interest for sale of vacant land
Welland City Council has approved to proceed with the request for Expression of Interest for the sale of surplus vacant land on the southwest corner of Division and Cross streets for the development of a mixed-use building.
The 0.261-acre site is zoned Downtown Mixed-Use Centre (DMC). Interested parties may submit an offer and concept plan to the City of Welland for the revitalization of the downtown core.
There are incentives available under the Downtown and Health and Wellness Cluster Community Improvement Program (“CIP”), purchase of the land will provide financial incentive programs to nurture revitalization, reinforce diversity in the downtown area, and encourage strength in the health and wellness cluster.
Click here to read more (PDF link).
Ontario extends sick leave program until March 2023
Ontario will be extending its temporary paid sick leave program by about eight months as the province continues to battle the spread of COVID-19.
The program, which offers up to three paid sick days per employee, will remain in place until March 31, 2023. It was originally set to expire at the end of July.
In a news release issued Thursday, the government said eligible workers will continue to receive up to $200 a day if they need to get tested, vaccinated, self-isolate, or care for a family member who is ill from COVID-19.
The Doug Ford government first amended the Employment Standards Act in April 2021 to allow for three paid sick days in an attempt to curb COVID-19 transmission in essential workplaces. The program was meant to be in place for about six months, but it has been extended multiple times.
Unions call for action on health staff shortages in light of Ontario ER closures
Unions representing some 70,000 hospital workers in Ontario renewed their calls Thursday for the province to address staffing shortages contributing to recent emergency room closures, suggesting measures such as raising wages and putting in financial incentives to boost hiring.
The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and SEIU Healthcare have sent a letter to Premier Doug Ford outlining a number of actions they say the province should take to reduce labour shortages in health care.
Those include repealing Bill 124, provincial legislation introduced in 2019 that limits wage increases in public-sector contracts to one per cent a year.
Increase to the Old Age Security pension for seniors aged 75 years and older begins next week
Today, the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Seniors, and the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant, announced that the Old Age Security (OAS) pension has permanently increased by 10% for seniors aged 75 and over. This means that full pensioners will get more than $800 extra over the first year.
This will be the first permanent increase to the OAS pension since 1973, other than adjustments due to inflation. Eligible seniors will not have to take any action to receive this increase—their payments will be automatically increased.
Reading Recommendations
Forget the 8.1%: Here’s why inflation has already peaked — maybe
CBC News
New data from Statistics Canada this week showed that the cost of living continues to go up at the eye-watering pace of 8.1 per cent in the year up to June.
Anyone who’s filled a gas tank or a shopping cart recently knows how the price of just about everything is going up fast right now, but a peek beneath the headlines suggests there are some reasons for cautious optimism that we may already be over the inflationary hump.
The future of COVID in Canada: Doctors weigh in on vaccines, masking
CTV News
With much of Canada in the midst of a summer wave of COVID-19, public health officials and physicians have mixed views on how provinces and territories respond from this point on.
Although COVID-19 testing is not as widespread as it used to be, other metrics such as wastewater testing show cases are on the rise. The more infectious BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants now make up a majority of the samples collected and genome sequenced, data from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows.
Over the past few weeks, physicians have been asked whether certain public health restrictions, such as mask mandates, need to be put in place in order to control the latest, or seventh, wave of COVID-19.
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.
