In this edition:
Minister Petitpas Taylor launches national consultations for the next action plan for official languages
Town of Pelham receives 2021 Public Works Project of the Year Award
City of Welland warns residents to be mindful of fake media releases
Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure Survey: Roads, bridges and tunnels, 2020
Canada urged to conduct major national security review
Minister Petitpas Taylor launches national consultations for the next action plan for official languages
The Government of Canada is creating a new action plan for official languages to enhance the vitality of official language minority communities and promote our two official languages for all Canadians.
Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, kicked off cross-Canada consultations on official languages, which will be held until August 2022. In launching these consultation, Minister Petitpas Taylor would like to learn about the realities, challenges and priorities of Canadians regarding official languages to inform the measures that will highlight the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028.
Consultations will be offered in many formats, including in-person forums (by invitation) in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Montréal, Sherbrooke, Sudbury, Whitehorse, Moncton, Halifax, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. Information about dates and times will be regularly updated on the consultations website.
Town of Pelham receives 2021 Public Works Project of the Year Award for Sulphur Springs Road
For the first time, the Town of Pelham has won the Public Works Project of the Year in the Small Municipalities Category from the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA). In association with Duffin Contracting, the award was presented to the Town for the Sulphur Springs Road Rehabilitation Design/Build Project at the OPWA awards ceremony.
City of Welland warns residents to be mindful of fake media releases circulating on social media
Over the weekend, a fake post, complete with the City of Welland logo and media release styling, circulated on social media, sharing false and unfounded information.
The fake media release image, posted to a Facebook group, falsely indicated the construction of a natural land bridge due to backfilling the Welland Canal. The post generated significant confusion and prompted questions from residents to councillors and staff.
“It is disheartening that someone took the time and effort to attempt to recreate an official city document to create confusion and anger,” said Marc MacDonald, corporate communications manager. “All official City communications go out through the same channels and can easily and quickly be verified on our website. If residents have questions about the validity of posts they see online that appear to be from the City of Welland, they are encouraged to contact us.”
Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure Survey: Roads, bridges and tunnels, 2020
The stock and condition of Canada’s roads and bridges remained consistent from 2018 to 2020, according to new results from Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure Survey for 2020.
Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure Survey 2020 was conducted in partnership with Infrastructure Canada. The data cover topics such as the stock, condition, performance and asset management strategies.
The survey results cover nine asset types (public transit; roads; bridges and tunnels; potable water; storm water; wastewater; solid waste; culture, recreation and sports facilities; public social and affordable housing).
Canada urged to conduct major national security review to deal with China, Russia and ideological extremism
Canada has become complacent and neglectful of national security and urgently needs to revamp its thinking to counter Russia’s aggression, China’s growing influence and the rise of extremism in Canada and the United States, according to a major new report.
“We are living in a time of intense global instability when the security of Canada and other liberal democracies is under growing threat,” says the report, A National Security Strategy for the 2020s, released Tuesday. “Canada is not ready to face this world. As a country, we need to urgently rethink national security.”
It was prepared by the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs with input from four former national security advisers, two Canadian Security Intelligence Service directors, academics and retired ambassadors and deputy ministers.
Click here for a news article on the report.
Complete report can be found here.
Reading Recommendations
To get results, the best leaders both push and pull their teams
Harvard Business Review
Over the past year, there has been a call for leaders to be less demanding and more empathetic toward individual employees. To get results, managers needed to rely on “pull” — giving employees a say in how they carry a task out and using inspiration and motivation to get them going. But an analysis of thousands of 360-degree assessments showed that the most effective leaders also know how to “push” — drive for results by telling people what to do and holding them accountable. The takeaway? Your efforts to increase empathy shouldn’t diminish your ability to, on occasion, push when needed. The data shows that it can be a strong force that builds confidence among employees. The key is to know when to use which approach, depending on the task, the timing, and the people.
Market update: Snap, bank earnings and more
BNN Bloomberg
Snap has kicked the legs out from under social media stocks. Take your pick: Twitter has been down almost five per cent, it’s been closer to 10 per cent for Meta, and Pinterest has been down upward of 15 per cent in pre-market trading. All that pales in comparison to the catalyst stock: Snap shares plummeted upward of 30 per cent in the pre-market after that company delivered a second-quarter profit and revenue warning late yesterday, saying “the macroeconomic environment has deteriorated further and faster than anticipated.” One can imagine that’s an indication that advertising dollars are at risk. And so, it’s no surprise to see that Alphabet’s shares are also coming under pressure.
Davos climate focus: Can ‘going green’ mean oil and gas?
The Associated Press
As government officials, corporate leaders and other elites at the World Economic Forum grapple with how to confront climate change and its devastating effects, a central question is emerging: to what extent can oil and gas companies be part of a transition to lower-carbon fuels?
In different times the question could have been academic, the kind of thing critics of the forum, which takes place in a tony ski village in the Swiss Alps, would say had no relevance to the real world. But today, the question is both practical and urgent, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced many countries that depended on Russian oil and gas to make swift changes to energy supplies.
The Election Section
Advance polls open
Advance polls are open for all four Niagara area ridings until May 22.
Click here to find voting locations.
Niagara poll tracker
Provincial poll tracker
The 338Canada project is a statistical model of electoral projections based on opinion polls, electoral history, and demographic data.
GNCC election platform
A strong workforce will ensure greater economic and social stability in Ontario. As part of the GNCC’s provincial election platform, we ask that the next Government of Ontario commits to supporting a strong workforce by developing a comprehensive youth employment strategy with programs to meaningfully incentivize the long-term and permanent hiring of youth.
Click here to read the full platform.
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.
