Daily Update: April 16th, 2021

April 16, 2021 | Daily Update

Today’s Daily Update has been delayed to incorporate the 4 p.m. announcement from the Government of Ontario.

Premier Ford announces extension of stay-at-home order and new restrictions

In a press conference this afternoon, Premier Ford announced that, effective immediately, the stay-at-home order would be extended by two weeks, to a total of six weeks. In addition, the following new measures will be taken:

  • Effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, outdoor gatherings will be restricted to persons from the same household. People who live alone may join one other household.
  • Effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, non-essential construction must cease.
  • Outdoor amenities, such as golf courses, playgrounds, and soccer pitches, will be closed.
  • Big-box retail capacity will be reduced further, to 25%.
  • Effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, places of worship will be limited to 10 people indoors.
  • Checkpoints will be set up at provincial borders, with travel limited to essential purposes (work and transport of goods) only, as of 12:01 a.m. on April 19th.
  • Law enforcement will be given special powers to enforce restrictions. This includes stopping pedestrians and vehicles to verify the purpose of travel. Refusal to cooperate will result in a $750 fine.
  • Workplaces and offices will be inspected to verify that stay-at-home orders are being followed. Everyone who can work from home must do so.

The Premier asked for stronger control of international borders, and implored the Government of Canada to do everything it could to increase the vaccine supply.

Regional Chair Bradley gives statement on issuance of provincial summons

I want to remind residents of the seriousness of the third wave of COVID-19 and the potential penalties that could be levied should you be found to have broken provincial directives. The provincial stay-at-home orders are designed to help protect the health and safety of residents, and willfully breaking these rules could result in serious fines and even jail time.

As Regional Chair, I fully respect an individual’s Charter right to peacefully assemble and express themselves. However, all residents are strongly reminded that such gatherings cannot breach any applicable statues or municipal by-laws.

I would encourage residents who may be planning to attend future demonstrations to seriously reconsider. Even if these residents struggle to accept the legitimate health and safety risks associated with large gatherings, I suggest they consider the potential personal repercussions of significant fines and jail time.

Click here to read the full statement.

Canadian Chamber releases Vaccine Resource Hub and Workplace Recovery Toolkit

With Canada in the midst of the third wave of COVID-19 and variants of concern accelerating, Canadian businesses want to see a plan to get us all back on track and make this lockdown our country’s last.

The Canadian Chamber released today two critical items for businesses.

  • A Vaccine Resource Hub to provide businesses with a one-stop shop to help them play their role in building vaccine confidence amongst their workforce.
  • A workplace recovery toolkit provides the latest information and best practice for businesses to operate safely.

To access the Vaccine Resource Hub, click here.

To access the Workplace Recovery toolkit, click here.

Click here to read the media release.

Niagara Health pens open letter to Niagara

Now more than ever we are #InItTogether and need to support one another as we fight through the third wave of this dreadful pandemic.

We’ve vaccinated more than 24% of Niagara’s residents, beginning with those in the highest risk populations. More than 125,000 doses have been administered in our community, and the number of COVID-19 vaccinations increases each day by the thousands.

At the same time, however, there is reason for concern. Niagara Health is experiencing unprecedented pressures and is asking for your help to protect capacity for life-saving critical care and other patient services. This is also the case for hospitals across the province and beyond.

Let’s remember the 379 people who contracted COVID-19 and died, along with their loved ones who are grieving these terrible losses. There are currently 1,405 active cases in our community, a number that’s been growing at a concerning rate over the past number of weeks.

There have been so many challenges thrown our way over the past 14 months. We know people are hurting and we know you are frustrated.

Now more than ever we need to support one another. Follow public health guidelines – masking, physical distancing, handwashing and keeping contact with members of your household only. Support local businesses – stores, restaurants, wineries and other merchants. And be kind.

We are #InItTogether

The letter was co-signed by representatives of many community organizations and leaders, including the GNCC.

Click here to read the media release and see the full list of signatories.

City of Port Colborne partners with Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) on Farmers’ Market

The City of Port Colborne forms partnership with the Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) to manage the Farmers’ Market for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Approved by Council early March, the Downtown BIA will manage the popular Friday morning Farmers’ Market as part of a two-year pilot project. As the City plans creative and strategic ways to boost the local economy, this is an opportunity to partner with key players like the Downtown BIA to expand and attract new businesses.

For more information, follow the Downtown Port Colborne BIA on social media or visit their website.

Click here to read the media release.

Reading recommendations

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week

Associated Press

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts.

Moderna slashing vaccine deliveries to Canada, but Pfizer steps up with 8 million more doses

David Cochrane, John Paul Tasker, CBC News

Moderna will send far fewer COVID-19 shots to Canada this month than originally planned as the company grapples with production issues at its facilities in Europe.

But its main competitor, Pfizer — which also produces a highly effective mRNA vaccine against the novel coronavirus — has said it will send millions more doses to Canada in May, June and beyond, a commitment that will more than cover the shortfall from Moderna.

Niagara COVID status tracker (April 4 – April 10)

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are the most recent published by Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

▲: Metric has increased since last published measurement

▼: Metric has decreased since last published measurement

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus

Niagara COVID vaccination tracker (April 16)

Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.

Total doses administered in Niagara: 125,206

Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 3,769

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%

Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.

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.
Share this:

Daily Update: April 15th, 2021

April 15, 2021 | Daily Update

Ontario government to provide frontline workers with free emergency child care

The Ontario government is providing eligible health care and other frontline workers with free emergency child care for school-aged children, starting Monday, April 19, 2021. The announcement was made following the province’s decision to move elementary and secondary students across the province to remote learning following the April spring break.

Eligible parents and guardians with a school-aged child or children looking to access an emergency child care program should contact their local service system manager for information on availability, program locations and registration.

Click here to read more.

Ontario government announces new funding to help non-profit organizations

The Ontario government is providing more than $42 million to help 559 non-profit organizations across the province to support staff and volunteers, reimagine programing and renovate facilities as they deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Resilient Communities Fund provides grants of up to $150,000 to eligible non-profit organizations to cover a broad and flexible range of needs, such as:

  • Mental and physical health and wellbeing supports for staff or volunteers
  • Support to adapt or reimagine program delivery and services to meet the needs of communities, employees and volunteers, incorporate new health and safety processes, or purchase new technology and personal protective equipment
  • Renovations and facility updates to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation’s $83-million Resilient Communities Fund continues to help more eligible non-profit organizations impacted by COVID-19. Application details will follow soon. For more information on the OTF’s Resilient Communities Fund, including a full list of grant recipients, please visit the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s website.

Spring Red Tape Reduction Package announced

Today, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, announced Ontario’s Spring Red Tape Reduction Package and introduced the Supporting Recovery and Competitiveness Act.

The proposed legislative changes in the act, along with other measures in the package, include:

  • Helping consumers save money on electricity by making it easier for them to track their energy usage
  • Helping to ensure Ontario remains a global leader in the connected and automated vehicle industry by supporting innovative pilot programs – like consulting on adding new vehicle types such as automated farm vehicles, and removing certain restrictions around modified automated vehicles
  • Modernizing Ontario by bringing more processes and services online, including developing new applications that will allow online sticker renewal for heavy commercial vehicle licence plates in mid-2022
  • Enhancing protections for workers by strengthening policies that keep them safe – like reviewing the working at heights training program to improve standards for training content and delivery
  • Supporting the not-for-profit sector and other corporations by allowing them to continue to hold virtual meetings during the pandemic.

Click here to read more.

St. Catharines latest Community Improvement Plan launched

The plan, known as 2020CIP, is designed to encourage investment in the city by providing incentives to the private sector.

Since 2004, the City has approved 98 CIP applications with a commitment of approximately $20.75 million. Once all projects are completed as approved, they will represent the generation of approximately 2,100 new residential dwelling units, 280 permanent new jobs and an estimated increase in property tax assessment of approximately $396 million.

Applications are now open for the 2020CIP Tax Increment Finance Program (TIF), Brownfield Tax Increment Finance Program (BTIF), Brownfield Tax Assistance Program (BTA), and the Façade Improvement Program (FIP).

The incentives provided by these programs will offset a portion of project costs related to redevelopment, reuse and rehabilitation of the city’s built environment.

Interested parties can find more information and download application guidelines and forms at www.stcatharines.ca/CIP.

Reading recommendations

U.S. imposes wide array of sanctions on Russia for ‘malign’ actions

Trevor Hunnicutt, Arshad Mohammed, Andrew Osborn, Reuters

The United States on Thursday imposed a broad array of sanctions on Russia, including curbs to its sovereign debt market, to punish it for interfering in last year’s U.S. election, cyber-hacking, bullying Ukraine and other alleged “malign” actions.

The U.S. government blacklisted Russian companies, expelled Russian diplomats and barred U.S. banks from buying sovereign bonds from Russia’s central bank, national wealth fund and finance ministry. The United States warned Russia that more penalties were possible but said it did not want to escalate.

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase goes public in march toward the mainstream

Thomson Reuters/CBC News

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc was valued at almost $100 billion US in a Nasdaq debut on Wednesday that marked another milestone in the development of bitcoin and other digital assets.

The company’s stock market debut, done through a direct listing where no shares are sold ahead of the opening, comes amid a surge in the value of cryptocurrencies.

Coinbase’s stock opened at $381 per share, up 52.4 per cent from a price point of $250 per share set on Tuesday.

Zoom: All the times virtual meetings didn’t go as planned this year

Megan Fisher, BBC

2020 was the year everything went online. From virtual meetings and teaching online to socialising on a screen, a lot of us have spent a lot of time logged in.

But with interruptions from pets and children – and even someone catching fire during a virtual meeting – people haven’t exactly mastered it yet.

Here’s a look at some of the times when online didn’t quite go to plan.

Niagara COVID status tracker (April 4 – April 10)

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are the most recent published by Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

▲: Metric has increased since last published measurement

▼: Metric has decreased since last published measurement

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus

Niagara COVID vaccination tracker (April 15)

Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.

Total doses administered in Niagara: 120,087

Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 3,490

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%

Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.

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.
Share this:

Daily Update: April 14th, 2021

April 14, 2021 | Daily Update

Ontario launches public consultation on municipal codes of conduct

The Ontario government has launched a 90-day consultation to obtain feedback on how to strengthen municipal codes of conduct.

Under the Municipal Act, 2001, all municipalities are required to establish a code of conduct for councillors and certain local boards. They are also required to provide access to an integrity commissioner.

The government is also collecting feedback on AMO’s recommendations for holding municipal councillors accountable, including increased financial penalties, suspension for certain violations, removal from office in certain circumstances, and better training and standards for integrity commissioners.

Comments for the consultation are welcome through the online survey by July 15, 2021. Anyone can participate in the online survey to provide feedback.

Click here to read more.

More COVID-19 vaccination clinic dates available for booking

To continue to meet the demand for COVID-19 vaccination appointments, Niagara Region Public Health is pleased to announce the following clinic dates have now been added to the provincial booking portal:
  • April 19-20 – Pelham, Meridian Community Centre
  • Apr. 23-27– Niagara Falls, MacBain Community Centre
  • Apr. 29-30 – Niagara Falls, MacBain Community Centre
Appointments are also still available for the Public Health vaccination clinics in May:
  • May 3-8 – West Lincoln, West Lincoln Community Centre
  • May 10-15 – Port Colborne, Vale Health and Wellness Centre

The provincial booking portal is currently open to Niagara residents who are turning 60 or older in 2021 (born in 1961 or earlier). Those 50+ with a postal code starting with ‘L2G’ can also book an appointment through the portal.

In partnership with over 15 local Indigenous leaders and Niagara Region Public Health, three Indigenous specific pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics are open for bookings on April 21, 22, and 28 at the MacBain Community Centre in Niagara Falls.

Indigenous adults 18+, as well as those in their household who are 18+ and not Indigenous, are eligible to register through an online registration form supported by the De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre. Registrants will be contacted with their appointment time and date.

Residents 55 years of age and older are welcome to book an appointment at one of many Niagara pharmacies providing vaccinations. Visit the Province of Ontario vaccination locations webpage for a list of pharmacies in Niagara and information on how to book an appointment.

St. Catharines adopts Transportation Master Plan

On Monday, St. Catharines City Council approved the adoption of a new Transportation Master Plan. The document is the product of extensive public consultation — including technical workshops, in-person open houses and online information sessions — and study that first began in 2017. The TMP will provide a roadmap for the development of new transportation infrastructure and redevelopment for decades to come, with an eye towards meeting changing transportation needs; increased active transportation; public transit use; and changing technologies.

Click here to read more.

Ontario Chamber: Supplier Diversity Has Economic and Social Benefits

Today, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, released a statement in support of the Ontario NDP’s Private Member’s Bill, the Supply Chain Management Amendment Act (Provincial Diverse Vendor Strategy), 202.

As the largest customers in the economy, governments have tremendous power to incentivize suppliers. Currently, Ontario’s public-sector request for proposal processes are driven almost entirely by short-term cost considerations.

Both the Governments of Ontario and Canada should adjust their procurement processes to expand opportunities for diverse businesses and suppliers that champion diversity. Changing the incentive structures is the most powerful way to change outcomes.

Supplier diversity has been shown to increase innovation, reduce risk, and open new opportunities for economic development.

The GNCC has lobbied for government procurement and supply policy to be more open to the province’s small and medium-sized enterprises, and, in partnership with several other chambers of commerce in Ontario, sponsored a successful policy resolution to that effect at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce AGM.

Click here to read the statement.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce calls new permanent residency program “an important step towards inclusive pandemic recovery”

Immigration will continue have an important place in filling labour market gaps as Canada starts planning for economic recovery and getting Canadians back to work. International students and temporary foreign workers are essential sources for talent pipelines for communities and industries across this country. We have long been advocating for the government to facilitate pathways to permanent residency for temporary residents.

Immigration plays a vital role in the inclusive growth and diversity of Canadian workforces and communities, and we will continue to encourage innovative and effective policies and programming to support new Canadians and permanent residents with community and labour market integration.

The GNCC has previously called for government policy that will encourage more immigration of skilled workers that will grow our talent pool, particularly for regions such as Niagara which attract comparatively few immigrants.

The focus of the new pathway will be on temporary workers employed in hospitals and long-term care homes and on the frontlines of other essential sectors, as well as international graduates.

To be eligible, workers must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a health-care profession or another pre-approved essential occupation. International graduates must have completed an eligible Canadian post-secondary program within the last 4 years, and no earlier than January 2017.

Click here to read the statement.

Government of Canada establishes Critical Drug Reserve to bolster Canada’s supply of drugs used to treat COVID-19

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced the establishment of a Critical Drug Reserve, an additional safety net of key drugs used in the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms.

Canada is procuring an initial 3-month supply of 12 drugs. The reserve targets the drugs that hospitals rely on most to treat patients who are critically ill with COVID-19, and are at risk of shortage. In selecting which drugs to procure, the Department looked at Canada’s experience with COVID-19 to date, as well as advice from the provinces and territories and critical care health experts.

Health Canada established the reserve with provinces and territories and other partners. The Critical Drug Reserve complements other federal, provincial and territorial drug shortage management efforts, and functions as a safety net by augmenting the supply of key drugs used in treating patients with COVID-19 in Canada.

Click here to read more.

Health Canada provides update on safety review of AstraZeneca and COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccines

After a thorough, independent assessment of the currently available scientific data, Health Canada has concluded that these very rare events may be linked to use of the vaccine. This is in line with the findings of other regulators. As a result, the Department has updated warnings in the product information to inform Canadians of the possible side effects and to provide information about the signs and symptoms and when to seek prompt medical attention following vaccination.

Based on the review of available data from Europe and from the United Kingdom and AstraZeneca, no specific risk factors have been identified. Therefore, Health Canada is not restricting the use of the vaccine in any specific populations at this time.

In the very rare event that someone experiences unusual blood clots with low platelets, there are treatments available.

For further information on COVID-19 vaccines authorized by Health Canada, including post-market updates, please visit Health Canada’s COVID-19 vaccines and treatments portal.

Click here to read more.

Statistics Canada: 2020 “a year without precedent” for international trade

Strong declines for exports and imports in 2020

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of Canada’s annual merchandise exports decreased 12.4% in 2020 to $524 billion, while annual imports fell 8.5% to $561 billion. Consequently, the merchandise trade deficit with the world more than doubled from $15.4 billion in 2019 to $37.3 billion in 2020. When international trade in goods and international trade in services are combined, Canada’s total trade deficit went from $36.9 billion in 2019 to $44.8 billion in 2020.

To explore Canada’s international merchandise trade statistics for 2020 in an interactive format, see “The International Trade Explorer” and the “International merchandise trade monthly interactive dashboard.”

Extreme movements within 2020 for Canada’s merchandise trade

Even before the effects of the pandemic, the year 2020 had already been marked by several events that affected Canada’s international trade activity. By the end of 2019, a car assembly plant closed in Ontario; a strike in the rail industry impacted the movement of goods; and a pipeline rupture in North Dakota, which lasted for weeks, affected crude oil exports to the United States. Some export products were impacted by global trade tensions, and rail blockades threatened to further constrain Canada’s merchandise trade. These events were overshadowed by lockdowns in early spring 2020 and their extraordinary impact on Canada’s trade activity.

With the shutdown of several industries in Canada during the first wave of the pandemic in March, April and May, both exports and imports of goods and services fell to historic lows. Merchandise trade then recovered fairly quickly as goods-producing industries, in Canada and abroad, progressively reopened. Global demand for goods also remained strong, with households spending more on goods rather than on services, and with governments investing in infrastructure projects and providing financial assistance to support the economy.

Click here to read the report.

Auditor-General finds government was not as ready for pandemic as it could have been

In her opening statement to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Karen Hogan, Auditor General of Canada, remarked that while her office found that the government was not as ready as it could have been for a pandemic of this magnitude, the public service mobilized, prioritized the needs of Canadians and quickly delivered support and services. They did not observe the same service mindset and inter-departmental coordination in the audit of the Investing in Canada Plan, which was unable to present a full picture of results achieved and progress made.

In contrast, the AG observed nimbleness during audits of the government’s COVID‑19 response, including the CERB and CEWS programs.

Lastly, the AG found that the Public Health Agency of Canada was not as well prepared as it could have been to respond to the COVID‑19 pandemic. Not all emergency and response plans were up to date or tested, and data sharing agreements with the provinces and territories were not finalized. The Agency relied on a risk assessment tool that was untested and not designed to consider pandemic risk.

Click here to read the Auditor General’s opening remarks.

Featured Content

The long and short of it

Nicholas Pollice, Pollice Consulting Group

The saying; The Long & Short of It is from a play called “The Merry Wives of Windsor”.  It is a comedy written in 1595 by William Shakespeare, played to an audience in Berkshire, England in 1602 and centres around an individual (John Falstaff) who decides to court two wealthy married women in his search for financial stability.

The saying itself means the plain and simple truth or substance of discussion when numerous details are being presented and you wish to cut to the so called facts by removing yourself from all of the rhetoric.

The other day I was reading a piece by Tim Arnold the President of Leaders for Leaders located in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Tim does a wonderful job in inspiring our leaders of today and preparing them for the challenges of tomorrow. Tim wrote about his interview with Allison Alley, President & CEO of Compassion Canada; a not for profit Canadian organization located in London, Ontario. What Allison and Tim had to say inspired me to take heed of the content and put some colour and private sector credibility into what was said. Not all content in this article is mine, it really belongs to Allison and Tim however, the real life, drama and experiences are mine and I’d like to share them with you.

Reading recommendations

Lessons from Quebec City’s gym outbreak, one of Canada’s largest COVID-19 superspreading events

Benjamin Shingler, Adam Miller, CBC News

We still don’t know exactly how it started — a runner on a treadmill, or perhaps someone lifting weights — but an outbreak at a gym in Quebec City has become one of the largest recorded COVID-19 superspreading events in Canada.

The Mega Fitness Gym 24H, tucked behind a busy highway in an industrial section of the provincial capital, became a major source of contagion for the B117 variant first identified in the United Kingdom, which now accounts for 70 per cent of all cases in Quebec City.

The gym was shut down March 31 as the city was once again put under lockdown. To date, there have been 224 people infected at the gym, and another 356 related cases involving outbreaks at 49 workplaces. A 40-year-old man who trained at the gym has died.

But officials have yet to provide key details on the outbreak that can help inform the public, including whether it was sparked by the more contagious and potentially more deadly variant and whether it was driven by aerosol transmission — or microscopic airborne particles.

The soft power of Yuri Gagarin

Stephen Dowling, BBC Future

Yuri Gagarin belied the West’s austere impression of the Soviet Union – a charming, easygoing Russian with a ready smile. The first man in space became a powerful propaganda tool.

It was the smile that clinched it.

The first cadre of Soviet space explorers gathered together numbered 20. Among them were Gherman Titov, still the youngest person to fly in space (aged 26), and Alexei Leonov, the first person to venture out of the safety of a capsule to conduct a spacewalk.

But these pioneers still followed in the footsteps of another.

The cosmonaut who would become the first man in orbit needed to be a calm and confident pilot, someone able to function on a mission no person had ever encountered without going to pieces. But there was more to this selection process than pure technical skill.

Yuri Gagarin’s smile, it’s been said, could melt the stoniest heart, and not even those at the highest echelons of Soviet power were immune. When Sergei Korolev – the USSR’s chief rocket designer – first met the cadre of pioneering cosmonauts, he spent most of that first meeting chatting to the charismatic Gagarin. Korolev would later call him his “little eagle”.

Niagara COVID status tracker (April 4 – April 10)

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are the most recent published by Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

▲: Metric has increased since last published measurement

▼: Metric has decreased since last published measurement

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus

Niagara COVID vaccination tracker (April 13)

Niagara’s most up-to-date vaccination numbers are presented below, along with comparison data from Ontario, Canada, and G7 countries.

Total doses administered in Niagara: 116,500

Total doses administered in Niagara since yesterday: 3,270

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%

Data are drawn from Niagara Region, the Government of Ontario, and Oxford University’s Our World in Data project.

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.
Share this:

Fit Out Equipment RFP 44 – 1009

April 6, 2021 | Inactive Tenders

The 2021 Canada Games Host Society Inc., a non-profit organization, is seeking rate card style proposals for the equipment required for A. games-time use, B. commissioning/decommissioning installations and C. warehouse operations.

Email Intent to submit by Friday April 23rd, 2021 – 4:00 PM
Proposals to be completed and submitted by Friday May 7th, 2021 – 4:00 PM

SECTION ONE | INTRODUCTION

About the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games [Niagara 2022 CSG]

At the peak of Niagara’s boldest summer yet, more than 5,000 young athletes and their coaches will gather to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. On its road to glory, this shining generation of hopefuls will leave its mark on our community and on the country – transforming, inspiring, and unifyingus all through the power of sport.

As ambassadors of Niagara’s unrivaled warmth and compassion, thousands of volunteers will play host to the nation. The Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games will celebrate the wonder of sport alongside arts and culture. The Games will honour our indigenous communities, and showcase a remarkable heritage of hardwork and innovation in one of the world’s most awe-inspiring destinations.

With world-renowned hospitality, the people of Niagara will welcome visitors from across the country. Spirited events, spectacular entertainment, and the theatre of elite competition will spark new energy in the region as our streets, skies, and waterways shimmer with ceremony and celebration that is befitting of Canada’s best young athletes.

From August 6th to 21st, 2022, Niagara will surge stronger than ever on the national stage. The Games will give rise to a new legacy of ambition, confidence, and compassion that will inspire generations to come.

About the 2022 Canada Games Host Society

In preparation for the games, a Host Society has been established and led by a Board of Directors that iscomposed of passionate, experienced and accomplished sport and community leaders.

The goals of the Host Society are to:

  • Provide a phenomenal experience for the athletes and other participants at the Niagara 2022 — An experience that will propel their development, allow them to perform their best and inspire them to dream big
  • Provide a legacy of sport infrastructure and programs that are vital for Niagara, Ontario, and Canadiansport development
  • Provide a legacy of infrastructure, community programs and unify a spirit that will be transformative for Niagara
  • Provide an unmatched podium and partnership for the Canada Games Council to build upon thesuccess of previous Canada Games and strengthen the Canada Games property

SECTION TWO | SCOPE OF WORK

The Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games Host Society is seeking an organization to provide us with a rate card style proposal for all of our equipment needs. This equipment will encompass three components of our operations:

  1. Games Time Requirements (August 5 – 22, 2022) 
  2. Commissioning/Decommissioning Requirements
    July 27 – August 5 (commissioning), August 13-14 (turnaround / commissioning for week 2 only venues, decommissioning for week 1 only venues) and August 22-24, 2022 (decommissioning)
  3.  Warehouse Requirements (various – starting around November 2021)

Scope of Work Details

Responsibilities and equipment requirements would include but are not limited to:

A. Games Time Requirements

  • ‘Gator’ style Utility cart – 6 seater with cover
  • ‘Gator’ style utility cart – 4 seater
  • 5500 W portable Gas Generator
  • 12000 W portable Gas Generator
  • 50 kW Diesel Generator
  • 80 kW Diesel Generator
  • 50A, 20/240 GFCI Distro panel
  • 20 kW LED Telescopic Light Standard (Diesel)
  • Cable Mats (trap style)
  • 4/0 Standard Feeder Cables – 100’ lengths
  • 4/0 Standard Feeder Cables – 200’lengths
  • Diesel Fuel Tank – 1000l
  • 10’ X brace scaffolding – Per section with one deck per – Wheels
  • Water Ballast
  • Concrete Ballast
  • Convertible hand truck

B. Commissioning/Decommissioning Requirements (Games setup/teardown)

  • 45’ Articulating Boom Lift – Diesel (Ext)
  • 45’ Articulating Boom Lift – Electric (Int)
  • 32’ Scissor Lift – Diesel (external use)
  • 32’ Scissor Lift – Electric (interior use)
  • 26’ Scissor Lift – Diesel (exterior)
  • 26’ Scissor Lift – Electric
  • 32’ All Terrain Scissor Lift – Diesel (ext)

C. Warehouse Requirements

  • Pallet Jack – 5500lbs Manual
  • Pallet Jack 5500 lbs Electric
  • 2 Stage Forklift – 5000 lbs lift
  • Standard Forklift fork extensions
  • Loading dock lift – 6000 lbs, semi-portable, no pit install
  • ‘Straddle stacker’ – manual push

D. On Call Support and Servicing

  • Costs for any on-call support or servicing required prior to peak
  • A proposal to provide 24/7 support during times as listed as 1 and 2 in Scope of Work

E. Freight / Delivery charges

  • Proposal for a fee system to deliver and pick up games time equipment to each of ourvenues during the peak time frame listed above (see Appendix A for our Games Footprint)
  • Proposal for a fee system to deliver and pick-up warehouse equipment at ourwarehouse located at:
    250 Martindale Road St. Catharines L2S 0B2
  • Proposal for a fee system to facilitate the movement between venues during peak times (multiple movements a day).

The Fit-Out Leadership volunteers will be the on venue point of contact for all general contractors and suppliers. All pre-games communications and planning will be done with the Logistics & Overlay staff.

Health and Safety

Submissions are encouraged to include company policies and considerations for health and safety where applicable and appropriate

Accessibility

Submissions are encouraged to include accessibility considerations and features where applicable and appropriate.

Sustainability

Submissions are encouraged to incorporate measures to ensure their goods and/or services are sustainable and environmentally friendly in nature and/or execution.

The Niagara 2022 CSG Host Society is looking forward to working with an experienced and collaborative organization whose values align with ours and who are excited about being a part of these historic games – Once, and for All.

SECTION THREE | RFP SCHEDULE OVERVIEW

  • RFP issued Tuesday April 6th, 2021
  • Notice of Intent to Submit Due Friday April 23rd, 2021 – 4:00 PM
  • Last day for Submission of Questions Tuesday May 4th, 2021 – 4:00 PM
  • Proposal and Supporting Documents Due Friday May 7th, 2021 – 4:00 PM
  • Decision Date Friday May 14th, 2021
  • Anticipated Start Date November 1st, 2021
  • Anticipated Conclusion Date October 30th, 2022

SECTION FOUR | RFP SCORING

Submitted RFPs will be scored as follows:

  • Responsiveness to Scope of Work 25%
  • Demonstrated experience and expertise in similar projects 15%
  • Cost effectiveness 25%
  • Value-In-Kind opportunities 25%
    (either budget relief and/or project enhancements)
  • Comprehensiveness 5%
  • Company Profile 5%Total 100% 

SECTION FIVE | RESPONSE SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

Responsiveness to Scope of Work

We are seeking comprehensive and informative proposals that clearly outline your ability to fulfill our requirements. Information to include in your proposal include and are not limited to the following:

  • Key Dates (operational time-frames)
  • We are requesting the RFP be submitted in the form of a rate card per type of item per day, week and month along with the identification of like items and alternative sizes/specs or fuel sources.
  • Please show your costing for those sections listed under ‘Details’ in which your company can provide
  • Identification of services of products that be subcontracted out and to whom
  • Résumé of staff member(s) who would be identified as the Liaison for the Niagara 2022 Organization (if applicable)
  • Others

Demonstrated Experience and Expertise in Similar Projects

Please outline a detailed summary of at least one (1) comparable projects which the proposer has completedin the last three to five years. For each referenced project, please make certain to include all relevant detailssuch as:

  • Description of scope of project
  • Time to execute
  • Cost and associated fees
  • Lessons Learned
  • Others

Cost Effectiveness

Our decision process will be to secure a partner who’s services best delivers the goals of the Niagara 2022 CSG , while also being cost-effective and financially responsible.

Sponsorship / VIK

The Niagara 2021 CSG Host Society is not merely looking for a vendor with a fee for service approach. Instead, it is our belief that all vendors associated with the Niagara 2022 CSG become strategic event partners offering both fee for service; as well as, Value In-Kind (VIK) opportunities.

We encourage vendors to include budget relieving VIK (a reduction in cost to the requirements outlined in the Scope of Work), as well as enhanced VIK (additional services or features, not specifically outlined in the Scope of Work).

In addition, as a host society we are continually seeking cash sponsorship opportunities as well. Any interest in cash sponsorship can be submitted in conjunction with or separate from submitted proposals.

Comprehensiveness

Your comprehensiveness score will be based upon whether or not your intent to respond matches your submitted proposal.

Company Profile

Please provide a brief history of your organization, and if you intend to subcontract some of the work to another firm, include their information in this RFP as well.

If one person will have the primary responsibility for this project, provide us with their information and relevant resume.

SECTION SIX | RFP GENERAL INFORMATION

References

Please provide the name, address, and phone number of three (3) current clients, who would be capable of explaining and confirming your firm’s capacity to successfully complete the scope of the work outlined herein.

Contract Terms

All material produced, data collected, and reports generated by the contractor or subcontractor on behalf of Niagara 2022 CSG are confidential and become exclusive property of Niagara 2022 CSG. The contractor may not share program materials, customer data, industry or program participant contact information, etc. unless explicitly authorized by Niagara 2022 CSG to do so.

This RFP does not commit to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal or to procure or contract for services. Niagara 2022 CSG reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this RFP, to negotiate with all qualified bidders and to cancel the RFP, in part or in its entirety at its sole discretion.

Niagara 2022 CSG reserves the right to refuse to work with any partners, vendors or sponsors that may reflect negatively on the organization, Niagara Place and/or any Games stakeholder.

Additional Information or Clarification

All questions and requests for clarification should be submitted with the contact listed below. Questions and answers will be documented and distributed to all bidders. If necessary, an addendum will be issued. Response to questions will typically be within 72 hours of receipt.

Please be certain to include the name and contact details of the persons to be approached for clarificationof the proposal if needed.

Niagara 2021 CSG requires one (1) electronic copy of your proposal. Submissions are to be sent to:

Dan Kennedy
Manager, Procurement and Contract Administration
dkennedy@2022canadagames.ca

Appendix A – Games Footprint

See the attached visual of our Games Footprint which includes the locations of all our venues. The games time equipment will be delivered to the majority of these venues.

The commissioning/decommissioning equipment will need to travel to all of these venues in a couple of days to facilitate the installation of our look & signage.

Website for Games Footprint: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1qCWA23ScSGqDMao2NtR3sRBjmn2OTnJb&ll=43.131 31567086089%2C-79.23510833401026&z=11

 

Demande de propositions

ÉQUIPEMENT SERVANT À L’AMÉNAGEMENT DESSITES

DP 44 – 1009

Jeux d’été du Canada Niagara 2022

La 2021 Canada Games Host Society Inc., un organisme à but non lucratif, sollicite des propositions en format « grille tarifaire » pour l’équipement dont nous aurons besoin A. lors de la tenue des Jeux; B. pour la miseen service et la mise hors service des installations; C. à des fins d’entreposage.

Envoyer votre déclaration d’intention de soumissionner par courriel au plus tard le vendredi 23 avril2021 à 16 h 00 HNE.

Les propositions doivent être mises au point et soumises au plus tard le vendredi 7 mai 2021 à 16 h00 HNE.

PREMIÈRE SECTION | INTRODUCTION

À propos des Jeux d’été du Canada Niagara 2022

La saison estivale 2022 s’annonce des plus prometteuses dans la région de Niagara. Au plus fort de l’été, plus de 5 000 jeunes athlètes, accompagnés de leurs entraîneurs, se livreront une chaude lutte pour atteindre le podium lors du plus important événement multisport du Canada. En route vers la gloire, cettegénération brillante d’espoir laissera sa marque sur notre communauté et sur le pays grâce au pouvoirtransformateur, inspirateur et rassembleur du sport.

Ambassadeurs de la bienveillance et de l’hospitalité inégalée de la région de Niagara, des milliers debénévoles seront les hôtes de la nation. Les Jeux d’été du Canada Niagara 2022 célébreront les merveilles du sport aux côtés des arts et de la culture. Les Jeux rendront hommage à nos communautés autochtones et mettront en valeur un héritage remarquable de travail acharné et d’innovation dans l’une des destinationsles plus impressionnantes au monde.

La renommée mondiale de l’hospitalité de la région n’est plus à faire; la population de Niagara accueillera chaleureusement des visiteurs de partout au pays. Des événements animés, des divertissementsspectaculaires et le théâtre de compétitions d’élites susciteront une nouvelle énergie dans la région alorsque nos rues, nos ciels et nos voies navigables scintilleront de cérémonies et de célébrations dignes desmeilleurs jeunes athlètes canadiens.

Du 6 au 21 août 2022, la présence de la région de Niagara sera plus forte que jamais sur la scène nationale. Les Jeux créeront un nouvel héritage d’ambition, de confiance et de compassion qui inspirera lesgénérations à venir.

À propos de la Société hôtesse de 2022

En préparation des Jeux, une Société hôtesse a été établie, dirigée par un Conseil d’administration qui secompose de leaders communautaires et sportifs passionnés et chevronnés.

Les objectifs de la Société hôtesse sont les suivantes :

  • Offrir une expérience exceptionnelle des Jeux à tous les athlètes et autres participants aux JECNiagara Cette expérience favorisera l’épanouissement sportif et la performance optimale desathlètes, tout en les inspirant et en les faisant rêver.
  • Laisser en héritage une infrastructure et des programmes sportifs qui seront indispensables audéveloppement du sport à l’échelle régionale, provinciale et
  • Créer un legs transformateur pour la région de Niagara, qui comporte de l’infrastructure, desprogrammes communautaires et un esprit collectif
  • Établir un podium et un partenariat inégalés et couronnés de succès avec le Conseil des Jeux duCanada sur lequel il pourra s’appuyer pour renforcer la marque et la propriété des Jeux du

DEUXIÈME SECTION | LA PORTÉE DU TRAVAIL

Les Jeux d’été du Canada Niagara 2022 cherchent une entreprise qui pourra nous fournir une proposition en format « grille tarifaire » qui répondra à tous nos besoins en matière d’équipement. Trois composantes denotre opération nécessitent des équipements :

  1. Le déroulement des Jeux (du 5 au 22 août 2022)
  2. La mise en service et la mise hors service
    Du 27 juillet au 5 août (mise en service); du 13 au 14 août (transition – mise en service dessites qui n’opèrent que pendant la deuxième semaine, mise hors service des sites quin’opèrent que pendant la première semaine); du 22 au 24 août 2022 (mise hors service). 
  3. L’entreposage (diverses dates à partir de novembre 2021)

Détails de la portée du travail

Les responsabilités et les besoins en matière d’équipement comprennent les suivants, sans s’y limiter :

A. Le déroulement des Jeux

  • Chariot tout usage du style « Gator » – 6 places, couvert
  • Chariot tout usage du style « Gator » – 4 places
  • Génératrice portable alimentée au gaz – 5 500 W
  • Génératrice portable alimentée au gaz – 12 000 W
  • Génératrice alimentée au diesel – 50 kW
  • Génératrice alimentée au diesel – 80 kW
  • Panneau de distribution DDFT – 50A, 20/240
  • Mât d’éclairage télescopique standard – 20 kW, LED, diesel
  • Tapis protège câble (avec canaux de passage)
  • Câbles d’alimentation standard – calibre 4/0, longueurs de 100 pi
  • Câbles d’alimentation standard – calibre 4/0, longueurs de 200 pi
  • Réservoir de carburant diesel – 1 000 L
  • Échafaudages reliés par entretoises – 10 pi par section, 1 plancher chacun, roulettes
  • Lest à eau
  • Lest en béton
  • Chariot manuel convertible

B. Mise en service et mise hors service (montage et démontage des Jeux)

  • Nacelle à flèche articulée – 45 pi, diesel, usage extérieur
  • Nacelle à flèche articulée – 45 pi, électrique, usage intérieur
  • Table élévatrice à ciseaux – 32 pi, diesel, usage extérieur
  • Table élévatrice à ciseaux – 32 pi, électrique, usage intérieur
  • Table élévatrice à ciseaux – 26 pi, diesel, usage extérieur
  • Table élévatrice à ciseaux – 26 pi, électrique
  • Table élévatrice à ciseaux tout-terrain – 32 pi, diesel, usage extérieur

C. Entreposage

  • Transpalette manuel – 5 500 lb
  • Transpalette électrique – 5 500 lb
  • Chariot élévateur avec mât duplex – 5 000 lb minimum
  • Rallonges de fourche pour chariot élévateur standard
  • Plateforme élévatrice – 6 000 lb, semi-portable, aucune installation en fosse
  • Chariot gerbeur cavalier – manuel

D. Services de soutien et d’entretien sur demande

  • Les coûts pour tout service de soutien ou d’entretien fourni sur demande avant lapériode de
  • Une proposition pour fournir un soutien 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7 au cours despériodes établies dans les points 1 et 2 de la portée du

E. Les frais de transport et de livraison

  • Une proposition de système de redevance pour la livraison et la récupération sur les sitesdes équipements requis pendant la tenue des Jeux lors de la période de pointe établie ci-dessus (voir l’Annexe A pour consulter la carte des Jeux).
  • Une proposition de système de redevance pour la livraison et la récupération deséquipements d’entreposage à l’entrepôt des Jeux, situé à l’adresse suivante :
    250 Martindale Road St. Catharines L2S 0B2
  • Une proposition de système de redevance pour le transport des équipements entre les sitespendant la période de pointe (de multiples déplacements seront requis par jour).

Les bénévoles en chef de l’aménagement seront les personnes-ressources sur site à qui les contractants etles fournisseurs pourront s’adresser. Toute la communication et la planification qui ont lieu avant la tenue desJeux s’effectueront auprès du personnel de la logistique et de l’aménagement.

Santé et sécurité

Les soumissionnaires sont encouragés à inclure les politiques et les considérations en matière de santéet de sécurité de leur entreprise là où cela s’avère pertinent et approprié.

Accessibilité

Les soumissionnaires sont encouragés à inclure des caractéristiques d’accessibilité dans leurproposition là où cela s’avère pertinent et approprié.

Durabilité

Les soumissionnaires sont encouragés à prévoir des mesures qui assurent la durabilité et le caractèreécologique des produits ou des services fournis.

La Société hôtesse des JEC attend avec intérêt de travailler avec une entreprise dont les valeurs s’alignent avec les nôtres, soit une entreprise expérimentée, collaborative et enthousiaste à l’idée de participer à cesJeux historiques – une fois, pour tous.

TROISIÈME SECTION | VUE D’ENSEMBLE DU CALENDRIER DE LA DP

  • Date de publication de la DP le mardi 6 avril 2021
  • Date limite pour faire une déclaration d’intention de soumissionner le vendredi 23 avril 2021
  • Date limite pour envoyer des questions le mardi 4 mai 2021 à 16 h
  • Date limite pour envoyer la proposition et les documents pertinents le vendredi 7 mai 2021
  • Date de la décision le vendredi 14 mai 2021
  • Date de début du contrat prévue le 1er novembre 2021
  • Date de conclusion du contrat prévue le 30 octobre 2022

QUATRIÈME SECTION | ÉVALUATION DES DP

Toute proposition soumise sera évaluée en tenant compte des critères suivants :

  • la mesure dans laquelle elle répond aux exigences énoncées dans la portée du travail 25 %
  • l’expérience et l’expertise avérées de l’entreprise dans le cadre de projets similaires 15 %
  • la rentabilité de la proposition 25 %
  • les possibilités de contribution en nature 25 %(soit par l’allègement du budget ou par des améliorations apportées au projet)
  • l’exhaustivité de la proposition 5 %
  • le profil de l’entreprise 5 %
    Total              100 %

CINQUIÈME SECTION | EXIGENCES DE SOUMISSION À REMPLIR

La capacité de répondre aux exigences énoncées dans la portée du travail

Nous sommes à la recherche de propositions exhaustives qui démontrent clairement la capacité de votreentreprise à répondre à nos exigences. Assurez-vous d’inclure, au minimum, les informations suivantes :

  • les dates clés (le calendrier des opérations);
  • une proposition en format de grille tarifaire qui établit le coût par jour, par semaine et par mois dechaque équipement, en plus d’identifier les équipements semblables et les dimensions, lesspécifications techniques ou les sources de carburant alternatives;
  • la ventilation des coûts associés à chaque point énuméré dans la section « Détails » pour lequel votreentreprise peut fournir des services;
  • l’identification de toute phase du projet qui sera confiée à un sous-traitant et lesrenseignements pertinents sur celui-ci;
  • le V. du membre du personnel qui sera désigné agent de liaison pour l’organisation Niagara 2022;
  • tout autre

Une expérience et une expertise avérées dans le cadre de projets similaires

Décrivez en détail au moins un (1) projet comparable réalisé par le soumissionnaire au cours des trois à cinqdernières années. Assurez-vous d’inclure les détails pertinents de chaque projet, tels que :

  • la description de la portée du travail;
  • les délais d’exécution pour chaque phase du projet;
  • les coûts et les frais associés au projet;
  • les leçons à retenir;
  • tout autre détail

La rentabilité

Notre processus décisionnel visera à établir un partenariat avec l’entreprise qui est le plus en mesure deréaliser les objectifs des JEC Niagara 2022, sans compromettre la rentabilité.

Les commandites et contributions en nature

La Société hôtesse des JEC Niagara 2022 ne recherche pas uniquement des fournisseurs qui adoptentun modèle de rémunération à l’acte. Nous sommes de l’avis que tout partenaire associé aux JEC Niagara2022 devient partenaire stratégique de l’événement en offrant à la fois des services rémunérés à l’acte ainsique des contributions en nature.

Nous encourageons les soumissionnaires à inclure toute contribution en nature qui permettrait d’alléger le budget (une réduction des coûts énoncés dans la portée du travail) ou de rendre possible une autreamélioration au projet (des services ou des éléments ajoutés pas expressément décrits dans la portée dutravail).

Par ailleurs, en tant que Société hôtesse, nous sommes toujours à la recherche de possibilités decommandites en espèces. Si vous êtes intéressés à devenir commanditaire en espèce, veuillez nousle communiquer en conjonction avec votre soumission de proposition, ou indépendamment de celle-ci.

L’exhaustivité de la proposition

L’évaluation de l’exhaustivité de votre proposition reposera sur la correspondance entre votredéclaration d’intention de soumissionner et la proposition soumise.

Le profil de l’entreprise

Veuillez dresser un bref historique de votre entreprise et fournir des renseignements détaillés sur tout sous-traitant à qui vous entendez confier une partie du travail (le cas échéant).

Là où la gestion du projet relèvera d’une personne en particulier, veuillez inclure son nom, sescoordonnées, etc. ainsi que son C. V.

SIXIÈME SECTION | RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX CONCERNANT LA DP

Recommandations

Veuillez indiquer le nom, l’adresse et le numéro de téléphone de trois (3) clients actuels qui peuventexpliquer et confirmer la capacité de votre entreprise à mener à bien la portée du travail énoncée dans laprésente DP.

Modalités du contrat

Tout matériel et rapport produit et toutes données recueillies par le contractant ou un sous-traitant au nom des JEC Niagara 2022 sont confidentiels et sont la propriété exclusive des JEC Niagara 2022. Il est interdit au contractant de partager les données des clients, les coordonnées des intervenants de l’industrie ou des participants au programme, ou quelconque matériel concernant le programme, etc. sauf si expressémentautorisé par les JEC Niagara 2022.

Cette DP ne couvre aucun coût engagé par la préparation de la proposition ou l’approvisionnement desservices sous contrat. Les JEC Niagara 2022 se réservent le droit d’accepter ou de refuser toute proposition reçue en réponse à cette DP, de négocier avec les soumissionnaires qualifiés, et d’annuler la DP, en partie oudans son intégralité, à sa discrétion exclusive.

Les JEC Niagara 2022 se réservent également le droit de refuser la collaboration avec tout partenaire,fournisseur ou commanditaire qui risque de nuire à l’image de l’organisme ou d’un intervenant quelconquedes Jeux.

Renseignements et précisions supplémentaires

Veuillez adresser toutes vos questions et vos demandes de précisions à la personne-ressource indiquée ci-dessous. Les questions, ainsi que les réponses à celles-ci, seront documentées et transmises à tous lessoumissionnaires. S’il y a lieu, elles seront accompagnées d’un addenda.

Assurez-vous d’inclure le nom et les coordonnées de toute personne-ressource que nous pouvonsconsulter pour obtenir des précisions par rapport à la proposition de votre entreprise, au besoin.

Les JEC Niagara 2022 demandent que toute soumission comporte une (1) copie numérique de laproposition.

Veuillez envoyer votre soumission à :

Dan Kennedy
Gestionnaire, Approvisionnement et l’administration des contrats
dkennedy@2022canadagames.ca

Annexe A – La carte des Jeux 

La carte des Jeux visuelle ci-jointe montre l’emplacement de tous nos sites.L’équipement requis lors de la tenue des Jeux sera livré à la plupart de ces sites.

L’équipement de mise en service et de mise hors service devra être déplacé d’un site à un autre au coursde quelques jours seulement afin de permettre l’installation de l’apparence et de la signalisation des Jeux.

Site Web pour consulter la carte des Jeux : https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1qCWA23ScSGqDMao2NtR3sRBjmn2OTnJb&ll=43.131 31567086089%2C-79.23510833401026&z=11

Share this:

Daily Update: April 6th, 2021

April 6, 2021 | Daily Update

Ontario government moves into Phase Two of COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan

The Ontario government is moving into Phase Two of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, with a focus on reaching individuals in “hot spot” communities where COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted certain neighbourhoods. In addition, this phase will prioritize individuals with the highest-risk health conditions in April 2021. With a steady supply of the COVID-19 vaccine expected from the federal government, over nine million Ontarians will be offered their first vaccination between April and end of June 2021.

During Phase Two, the following groups will be eligible for vaccination:

  • Older adults, between 60-75-79 years of age;
  • Individuals with specific health conditions and some primary caregivers;
  • People who live and work in congregate settings and some primary caregivers;
  • People who live in hot spots with high rates of death, hospitalizations and transmission; and,
  • Certain workers who cannot work from home.

Phase Two is focused on age and at-risk populations to prevent further death, hospitalization and transmission. To support this, Ontario is increasing vaccine allocations to COVID-19 “hot spot” communities across 13 public health units, targeting historic and ongoing areas with high rates of death, hospitalization and transmission. Niagara has been identified as one of the “hot spot” communities.

Click here to read more.

Prime Minister announces final instalment of Safe Restart Agreement

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced the final instalment of the over $19 billion Safe Restart Agreement, to help provinces and territories safely restart the economy, and provide continued support to Canadians.

Since the Agreement was reached last summer, this federal funding has been used to support the capacity of our health care systems, secure personal protective equipment for essential workers, and protect the most vulnerable in our communities. This funding has also supported safe and affordable child care, and assisted in the operating needs of municipalities and public transit.

Click here to read more.

Niagara to begin vaccinating frontline child care and education workers over April Break

Through guidance from Niagara’s Community Coordination Taskforce for COVID-19 Vaccination, child care, elementary and secondary school sectors have been prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination in Niagara region.
Beginning April 9, frontline staff in the following roles, who are unable to work from home, will be able to book a vaccine appointment:
  • Teachers and educators, including occasional supply teachers who are actively working in-person and/or who backfill teachers who are absent because of potential COVID-19 exposures
  • Early childhood educators, including those who provide coverage within either or both childcare and elementary school sectors.
  • Licensees, employees and students on educational placement working in licensed childcare centres
  • Licensed home childcare and in-home service providers
  • Custodial, cafeteria and administrative staff
  • Bus drivers and monitors
Eligible workers will be vaccinated at Niagara Health’s immunization clinic at the Seymour Hannah Recreation Complex in St. Catharines, and will receive detailed booking instructions from their employer.

COVID-19 in Niagara: Media Conference April 6, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hcssF5_Vg8

 

Reading recommendations

Ford hints at more restrictions as Ontario expands vaccination plan in hot spots

CBC News

Ontario is widening its vaccination plan in hard-hit areas and Premier Doug Ford hinted at further restrictions as the country’s most populous province faces a growing strain on hospitals and intensive care units from COVID-19 cases.

Residents aged 50 and over in “hot spot” postal codes — 90 or so neighbourhoods in 13 public health units that were identified by Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table — can start signing up for vaccines in the coming weeks, health officials said Tuesday.

Many of those who will be eligible under the initiative are essential workers, officials said. However, younger essential workers likely won’t have access to shots until mid-May at the earliest, according to a slide deck they presented.

In a letter dated April 4, medical officers of health in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa urged the province to impose stronger public health measures immediately, saying a provincial stay-at-home order is needed now to curb COVID-19.

At Tuesday’s briefing, Ford, who is due to speak with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later Tuesday, signalled new restrictions ahead for the province but did not offer any specifics.

“We’re going to have further restrictions moving forward, very very quickly,” he said.

Health minister points to discrepancy in vaccine numbers as Ford criticizes federal rollout

Catharine Tunney, CBC News

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the federal government is closely monitoring the gap between the number of vaccines delivered to the provinces and the number that have been administered. Federal figures show close to 4,022,875 vaccines have been delivered to Ontario, for example, but only 2,545,640 have been administered. Quebec has received 2,320,707 vaccines from the federal government and has administered 1,552,215 doses, said Hajdu.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford pushed back against Hajdu’s comments today as he pushed for more vaccine deliveries. “I saw some tweet from a federal minister, ‘Oh, we have a million three in the freezers.’ We just got those. We literally got them a few days ago. So before that, we were running out, and we’ll continue to run out,” he said during his own news conference.

Too much sitting is bad for you — but some types are better than others

Wuyou Sui, Harry Prapavessis, The Conversation

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a number of new behaviours into daily routines, like physical distancing, mask-wearing and hand sanitizing. Meanwhile, many old behaviours such as attending events, eating out and seeing friends have been put on hold.

However, one old behaviour that has persisted, and has arguably been amplified due to COVID-19, is sitting — and it is not surprising to see why. Whether sitting during transportation, work, screen time or even meals, everyday environments and activities are tailored nearly exclusively to prolonged sitting. As such, sedentary behaviours, like sitting, make up the vast majority of our waking day.

Pre-COVID-19 estimates place the average Canadian adult’s sedentary behaviour at around 9.5 hours per day. Current daily sedentary time is likely even higher as a result of stay-at-home orders, limitations on businesses and recreational facilities, and elevated health anxieties.

This is a problem, given that chronic excessive levels of sedentary time have been linked to greater risk of diabetes, heart disease, mortality and even some cancers. However, for many people, their own judgments and feelings about their quality of life (also known as subjective well-being) may be more important and relevant for informing their health decisions and behaviours than potentially developing chronic diseases.

Niagara COVID status tracker (March 21-27)

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are the most recent published by Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

▲: Metric has increased since last published measurement

▼: Metric has decreased since last published measurement

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus
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.
Share this:

Daily Update: March 25th, 2021

March 25, 2021 | Daily Update

Auditor General reports on Public Health, Canada Emergency Response Benefit, Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and Infrastructure Canada

Canada’s Public Health Agency could have been better prepared for a pandemic of this magnitude

A report from Auditor General Karen Hogan tabled today in the House of Commons concludes that the Public Health Agency of Canada was not as well prepared as it could have been to respond to the COVID‑19 pandemic but that it has been working persistently since January 2020 to support Canada through the unprecedented challenges brought on by this crisis.

The audit found that prior to the arrival in Canada of the virus that causes COVID‑19, the Agency had developed plans and worked with federal, provincial, and territorial partners to support its readiness, but it had not completed planned testing or updated all of these plans before the pandemic began.

The audit also found that the Agency relied on a risk assessment tool that was not designed to consider pandemic risk. The Agency continued to assess this risk as low despite growing numbers of COVID‑19 cases in Canada and worldwide. In addition, the Global Public Health Intelligence Network did not issue an alert to provide early warning of the virus that would become known as causing COVID‑19.

The Public Health Agency of Canada also verified compliance of only one third of incoming travelers, and it did not consistently refer for follow-up travelers who risked not complying with quarantine orders.

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, thanked the Auditor General for her work and noted that the Government of Canada has adapted its response and provided funding and resources, including $690.7 million over two years in the Fall 2020 Economic Statement.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit prioritized speedy payments

The Auditor General found that the Department of Finance Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, and the Canada Revenue Agency worked quickly to analyze, design, and deliver the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to workers who lost income because of the COVID‑19 pandemic.

The audit found that despite having little time to perform analysis before launching the benefit, Employment and Social Development Canada and the Department of Finance Canada considered and analyzed key elements in the initial design and subsequent adjustments to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, and the Minister of National Revenue, Diane Lebouthillier, welcomed the report.

Rollout of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy prioritized payments

The Auditor General concluded that the Department of Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency worked together to support the development and rollout of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program within short time frames. The CEWS is one of the largest initiatives the government has ever undertaken and one of the key programs meant to support employers and economic recovery after the COVID‑19 pandemic.

The audit found that the Department of Finance Canada performed a partial analysis to support the initial design of the CEWS program. As the program rolled out, the department provided sound and complete analysis to inform adjustments.

The audit further found that to prioritize issuing subsidy payments, and as a result of pre‑existing weaknesses in information systems and tax data, the Canada Revenue Agency made decisions about which information it would require and which controls it would apply up front. For example, the agency decided that it would not ask employers applying for the subsidy to provide their employees’ social insurance numbers, though this information could have helped the agency prevent the doubling‑up of financial support. The decision limited the agency’s ability to perform pre‑payment validations, as did the absence of complete and up‑to‑date tax information, which would also have helped it efficiently assess applications. As a result, starting in spring 2021, the agency will have to rely on comprehensive audits to track down and recover payments made to ineligible CEWS recipients.

The Minister of National Revenue, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier thanked the Auditor General and responded that the CRA’s priority was to help get Canadian workers back on their employers’ payrolls, offering Canada’s recovery 80% of jobs lost since the start of the pandemic, as of February, as proof that the program was effective.

To improve the integrity and validation efficiency of all CRA programs, the Minister noted, the CRA will assess and determine how best to use automated validations with a common identifier across programs. In addition, the CRA will continue to work closely with businesses and their representative organizations as it refines the delivery of this program, as well as any new emergency benefit programs the CRA may need to administer should Canada ever face another crisis in the future.

Infrastructure Canada could not show that Investing in Canada Plan was on track to meet objectives

Infrastructure Canada was unable to provide meaningful public reporting on whether the Investing in Canada Plan was meeting its objectives, the Auditor General reported.

The audit found that the department’s reporting did not include programs that predate the creation of the Investing in Canada Plan, even though they account for almost half of the plan’s $188‑billion commitment. Although this issue was raised as early as 2017 by one of the plan’s oversight committees, and later in a 2019 internal review, the audit found that this reporting gap remained unresolved. Reporting on the plan’s progress was also affected by inconsistent information provided by federal partner organizations. Infrastructure Canada’s reporting captured only some programs each year, and year‑over‑year reporting did not reflect comparable results nor provide a complete picture of the plan’s overall results.

The audit also found that funds were not being spent as quickly as originally planned. Approximately a fifth of planned spending was unspent in the first 3 years of the plan and was moved to later years. No one was tracking the overall impact of this frequent reallocation of unspent funds. Continuously delaying and reallocating unspent funds means that Infrastructure Canada and its federal partner organizations risk not meeting the plan’s objectives.

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, thanked the Auditor General for the report, agreed that the government needed to do a better job of showing their work, and pointed to engagement on Canada’s first-ever National Infrastructure Assessment as part of an evidence-based expert assessment of Canada’s infrastructure needs to guide future investment.

Government of Canada announces additional pandemic support for vaccines, health care, and municipalities 

In recognition of the extraordinary pressures faced by all orders of government and First Nations communities during the ongoing pandemic, today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, introduced Bill C-25. This legislation would provide an additional $7.2 billion in support for urgent health care needs across the country, the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, and for local infrastructure projects in our cities and communities.

The proposed funding includes:

  • $4 billion through the Canada Health Transfer to help provinces and territories address immediate health care system pressures, including addressing backlogs in access to care as the pandemic continues.
  • $1 billion as a one-time payment to the provinces and territories to ensure the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out continues to accelerate and keeps pace with growing supply, and does not encounter any delays.
  • $2.2 billion to address short-term infrastructure priorities in municipalities and First Nations communities. The funds would flow through the federal Gas Tax Fund.
    • The federal government also proposes to rename the federal Gas Tax Fund as the Canada Community-Building Fund.

To date, more than eight out of every ten dollars to fight the pandemic has been provided by the federal government. Today’s announcement will build on the substantial investments made to support provinces and territories.

Canada’s top court upholds pillar of Trudeau’s plan to fight climate change

Canada’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of the federal government’s carbon pricing policy on Thursday, upholding a central pillar of Prime Minister Justin’s Trudeau’s climate plan and infuriating some provinces that opposed it.

The country’s top court said climate change is a threat to Canada a whole and upheld the legality of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, which had been challenged by Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Carbon pricing, often called a carbon tax by opponents, is the lynchpin of the federal government’s plan to ultimately reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Ottawa will steadily ramp up the price of carbon to C$170 ($135.08) a ton by 2030, from C$30 a ton currently.

Canada is the fourth-largest oil producer in the world and the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on a per capita basis.

“Parliament has jurisdiction to enact this law as a matter of national concern,” Chief Justice Richard Wagner wrote in the ruling. “All parties to this proceeding agree that climate change is an existential challenge. It is a threat of the highest order to the country, and indeed to the world.”

Under the carbon pricing act, Ottawa can impose a federal levy on provinces that do not have an adequate carbon pricing system of their own. Opposing provinces argued this infringed on their jurisdiction, but the Supreme Court ruled federal intervention was justified.

Number of regular EI beneficiaries up sharply in January, Statistics Canada reports

Proportion of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries qualifying under the new rules up in most provinces (not seasonally adjusted)

The number of Canadians receiving regular EI benefits rose 11.2% (+149,000) to 1.5 million in January. Results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicate that 1.9 million people were unemployed in January, including 1.5 million who were looking for work and 400,000 who had a connection to a job, either because they were on temporary layoff or had arrangements to begin a new job in the near future.

In September, temporary changes to the EI program, including a reduction in the number of required insured hours, were introduced to increase EI eligibility. In January, the proportion of EI recipients qualifying for EI under these new eligibility rules continued to grow in most provinces.

In January, the increase in the number of regular EI beneficiaries was concentrated in Ontario (+82,000; +17.2%) and Quebec (+75,000; +25.0%), reflecting employment losses associated with public health measures implemented in both provinces at the end of December.

The number of regular EI recipients was up in all industries compared with 12 months earlier, with accommodation and food services (+251,000; +728.5%) and retail trade (+177,000; +438.8%) posting the largest increases (not seasonally adjusted).

Illustrating the impact of ongoing public health measures, accommodation and food services (16.7%) continued to have the highest proportion of total regular EI recipients (not seasonally adjusted). According to January LFS data, employment in this industry was almost one-third (-31.4%) below its pre-pandemic February level, making this industry the one furthest from full recovery among all industries.

Youth aged 15 to 24 accounted for 15.0% of total regular EI recipients in January, up from 9.1% one year earlier. The increase in proportion among young women (+4.1 percentage points) was more than double that among young men (+1.8 percentage points). January LFS results indicate that young women remained further from pre-pandemic employment levels than all other demographic groups.

Reading recommendations

Massive container ship stuck in Suez Canal, blocking world’s busiest shipping route

CBC News

A container ship almost as long as the height of the CN Tower and twice as heavy is wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal, having blocked all traffic in the vital waterway for more than a day — with no sign that it’s moving any time soon.

The MV Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground Tuesday in the narrow, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula. Images showed the ship’s bow had collided with the eastern wall of the canal, while its stern looked lodged against the western wall.

Nearly a dozen tugboats worked together to try to nudge the obstruction out of the way as ships hoping to enter the waterway began lining up in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

An earlier report Wednesday suggested that the ship has been “partially refloated,” but Ahmed Mekawy, an assistant manager at marine agency GAC, says that report was wrong, and that the 400-metre-long ship with a sailing weight of 220,000 tonnes was still very much stuck late in the day local time.

Famed London-based shipping journal Lloyd’s List estimates each day the Suez Canal is closed disrupts over $9 billion US worth of goods that should be passing through the waterway.

The great remote work experiment – what happens next? Podcast

Daniel Merino, Gemma Ware, The Conversation

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly, four experts dissect the impact a year of working from home has had on employees and the companies they work for – and what a more hybrid future might look like.

For many people who can do their job from home, the pandemic meant a sudden shift from office-based to remote working. But after a year of working from home, some company bosses really don’t want it to become the new normal. The chief executive of Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, called it an “aberration”, and Barclays chief executive Jes Staley said it wasn’t sustainable, because of how hard it is to maintain culture and collaboration with teams working remotely.

Meanwhile, others are fully embracing a remote work future. Twitter said its employees could work from home forever, and Spotify announced a “work from anywhere” policy. Other firms are starting to announce more hybrid policies, where people are expected to split their week between the home and the office: in March, BP told employees they would be expected to work from home two days a week.

Niagara COVID status tracker

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are drawn daily from Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus
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.
Share this:

Daily Update: March 23rd, 2021

March 23, 2021 | Daily Update

Government of Canada announces date of Budget 2021

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, will present Budget 2021 in the House of Commons on April 19, 2021, at approximately 4:00 p.m. ET.

Government of Canada announces funding for employers to create accessible and inclusive workplaces for employees with disabilities

Today, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced funding of approximately $3 million through the National Workplace Accessibility Stream for the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) and its Accommodation and Inclusion Management (AIM) program. The program was created to help employers build healthy and productive workplaces.

Through AIM, CCRW provides Canadian employers funding and expert advice to set up workplace accommodations like adaptive technologies, ergonomic equipment for home offices, and individual needs assessments for employees. Online training and an evidence-based support framework will help employers successfully implement accommodations in their operations. CCRW will also produce 150 workplace accommodation profiles to maintain existing jobs and help create new job opportunities for persons with disabilities by reducing barriers in the workplace. The goal is to help Canadian businesses and organizations of all sizes and from a variety of sectors maximize accessibility and build healthier, more inclusive workplaces.

Government of Canada to fund COVID-19 Safe Voluntary Isolation Sites in Ontario

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced $23.7 million for the Province of Ontario to operate a number of safe, voluntary isolation sites in various communities identified under Ontario’s High Priority Community Strategy.

Voluntary isolation sites reduce the risks of spreading the virus among household contacts, both in Canada’s densely populated urban centres, as well as in locations where people are faced with crowded housing and resources constraints. These sites are one of the rapid response tools we have to help stop the spread of COVID-19, and they can be deployed to communities facing outbreaks.

The Safe Voluntary Isolation Sites program exists to fill a gap for cities, municipalities and health regions that are at-risk of high rates of COVID-19 transmission. Evidence continues to indicate that individuals from lower income and densely populated neighbourhoods are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including its most severe outcomes.

This funding to the Province of Ontario, over the course of six months, will allow the continued operation of sites in Toronto, Peel, York and Durham, totalling up to 1,600 rooms to accommodate identified individuals who are unable to self-isolate safely at home.

Diversifying the Federal Supply Chain Summit will help businesses access federal contract opportunities

Canada’s Procurement Ombudsman will host the Diversifying the Federal Supply Chain Virtual Summit on March 23-25, 2021.

Now in its third year, the Summit is being organized to increase the diversity of federal government suppliers and raise awareness of the public and private sector programs that can help all gender identities, Indigenous Peoples, racialized people, persons with disabilities and other minority groups access federal contracting opportunities.

Guest speakers:

The event will be held on March 23-25, 2021, beginning at 12:00 p.m. (EDT) each of the 3 days.

Niagara Falls to join Earth Hour 2021

On Saturday, 27 March at 8:30 p.m. local time, the City of Niagara Falls, Park in the City Committee, and Niagara Falls Illumination Board will join Earth Hour, one of the largest global grassroots movements for the environment, and unite with individuals, businesses and communities around the globe in a powerful call to action of hope for a better, healthier planet.

Non-essential lighting at City facilities and the nightly illumination of Niagara Falls will go dark for Earth Hour. Street lighting and other lighting essential for safety will not be included.

Residents and businesses are encouraged to take part by turning out their lights. Mayor Diodati encourages all to take part in Earth Hour’s Virtual Spotlight.

New this year, Earth Hour’s Virtual Spotlight features a special video that Earth Hour organizers promise will display our planet and the issues we face in a new light. Earth Hour plans to post the video on all of their social media channels on March 27 in hope that millions of people, businesses and leaders from around the world will watch, share, and shine a spotlight on the urgent need to address nature loss and climate change.

Port Colborne restaurant patios can open as early as April 1

Port Colborne restaurants can open their patios as early as April 1, 2021, as per the Outdoor Patio and Display Exemptions.

As approved by City Council last year, temporary initiatives were implemented to help local restaurants create additional seating capacity outside to adhere to provincial regulations.

For the 2021 patio season, the following will be implemented:

  • Temporary patios and/or outdoor displays permitted on private property that comply with zoning and city guidelines
  • COVID patio permit fees waived for businesses for the 2021 calendar year related to patio installation and/or outdoor displays
  • Existing approved outdoor patios and outdoor displays on private property are permitted to continue without the need for additional approval from the City, unless there is a proposal to enlarge and/or create a new patio
  • Existing approved outdoor patios are permitted to start as early as April 1, 2021
  • New outdoor patios that will be erected on City property will need to apply online 
  • Prior to erecting any patios on City property, businesses must provide a current insurance certificate naming the City as an additional insured. If the business is located on West Street, please also add The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

The following provincial requirements under the Reopening Ontario Act, 2020 and its regulations apply to outdoor dining at restaurants and bars:

  • If an outdoor dining area at the establishment is covered by a roof, canopy, tent, awning or other element, at least two full sides of the entire outdoor dining area must be open to the outdoors and must not be substantially blocked by any walls or other impermeable physical barriers.
  • If the outdoor dining area at the establishment is equipped with a retractable roof and the roof is retracted, at least one full side of the outdoor dining area must be open to the outdoors and must not be substantially blocked by any walls or other impermeable physical barriers.

Capacity limits for outdoor dining are based on physical distancing requirements. Capacity is limited by the ability to keep two meters apart from others within the outdoor dining space.

Reading recommendations

The Beach Bum Who Beat Wall Street and Made Millions on GameStop

David Hill, The Ringer

JJim Cramer, the normally amped-up host of CNBC’s Mad Money, a stock market show complete with sound effects and wacky props and flashy graphics, looked subdued and serious during his January 14 broadcast. “I want to talk about some very important shortages that are going on in the market that you probably don’t know about,” Cramer said. He looked directly into the camera and explained a short squeeze—a concept everyone in America now seems to understand but that was still fairly obscure just a couple of weeks ago. “I don’t normally discuss these issues. … It’s a nightmare.”

Cramer described his own experience losing money in a short squeeze 30 years ago during the savings and loan crisis. His tone was concerned, quiet. “When you short a stock you are always on the hook to your broker and sometimes that blows up right in your face. And right now, it is blowing up in somebody’s face big time.”

COVID-19’s parallel pandemic: Why we need a mental health ‘vaccine’

Renée El-Gabalawy, Jordana Sommer, The Conversation

Younger people are at lower risk of severe health outcomes if they develop COVID-19, and are therefore not a priority group for vaccine rollout. However, a silent mental health pandemic wave is in full force, and this time it is targeting younger age groups.

It is well recognized that older age groups (ages 60+) are at increased risk of severe illness and death if they develop COVID-19. As such, several regions are rolling out vaccines according to age, with priority for older adults.

The pandemic’s impact on mental health throughout our society will likely outlive COVID-19. As clinical psychologists and trauma researchers, our team is interested in understanding mental health risk and resilience factors during COVID-19. In terms of high-risk groups from a mental health perspective, early evidence suggests that the age trends are inverted, where younger people are at the highest risk of poor mental health outcomes.

Our recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry looked at early anxiety symptoms during the pandemic. In close to 50,000 Canadians across several age groups, we showed this trend.

Niagara COVID status tracker

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are drawn daily from Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus
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.
Share this:

Daily Update: March 19th, 2021

March 19, 2021 | Daily Update

Ontario invests $106.4 million to help publicly assisted colleges and universities

The Ontario government is providing $106.4 million to help publicly assisted colleges and universities address the financial impacts of COVID-19. This investment will support the sustainability of the postsecondary sector and aims to ensure students continue to get the skills and education they need for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow.

The funding will provide immediate and targeted support for postsecondary institutions that are most affected by decreases in tuition and ancillary revenues and have incurred expenses associated with online learning, personal protective equipment and enhanced cleaning. Institutions can also use the funding in 2020-21 to offset COVID-19 expenses related to student financial supports and human resources.

Niagara College received $6.8M, while Brock University was allocated $7.9M.

Goodman School of Business earns prestigious designation for contribution to economy

Brock University’s Goodman School of Business has received the Business School Impact System (BSIS) label in recognition of the significant contribution the School makes both locally and globally.

The BSIS external review quantifies the extent and nature of a business school’s impact on its environment. What it found was Goodman’s contribution to the Niagara economy adds up.

The School’s activities contribute to an economic impact totalling $380 million annually through direct, indirect and induced contributions.

Goodman is just the third North American business school to receive this label.

Region seeks input on Regional Incentive Review

Niagara Region offers a wide range of incentive programs to help create jobs, build affordable housing, protect our environment and improve our communities. Many of these programs match funding provided by Niagara’s cities, towns and townships. These programs are paid for using Regional property taxes.

Since 2002, the number of Regional incentive programs has grown, and many no longer meet the critical needs of our communities. Niagara Region is undertaking a review of these incentive programs, in consultation with Regional Council, local municipalities, community stakeholders and the public.

Following the review and consultation, Regional staff will bring a new incentives strategy to Regional Council for consideration in the summer of 2021.

The Region encourages you to share your views through a brief survey on Regional incentives, located here: https://niagararegion.ca/projects/regional-incentive-review/default.aspx.  The survey will be available through April 1, 2021.

If you would like to learn more about Regional incentives and the incentive review, there will be a free Zoom webinar on Wednesday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m.   You can register for this webinar and learn more at the link above.

Ontario ‘by-name list’ strategy aims to combat homelessness

The Ontario government is directing municipal service managers to begin collecting detailed, up-to-date information from individuals experiencing homelessness and use a strategy called by-name lists. This innovative approach is being launched across Ontario following significant consultation, and will help connect people with local housing and homelessness supports that better respond to their needs.

By-name lists are a real-time list of people experiencing homelessness that includes detailed information about the needs of each individual. They can help create a foundation to improve access to supportive housing, connect people to services, and provide a more standardized approach for assessment and referral protocols to make sure people are being matched to the services they need.

Ontario is partnering with the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) to support service managers throughout the process. CAEH has significant expertise in this area and will develop a best practices guide to help service managers develop and implement effective by-name lists. CAEH will also deliver training and workshops, offer intensive coaching and provide a portal with online tools.

Vaccine appointment bookings will extend to individuals aged 75 and over on Monday

With over 50 per cent of Ontario residents aged 80 and over having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Ontario government is expanding appointments through its online booking system to individuals aged 75 and over, effective Monday, March 22, 2021, ahead of schedule.

Ontario began vaccinating individuals aged 80 and over in February, and launched an online booking tool and a call centre to help answer questions and support appointment bookings at mass immunization clinics. Since the provincial booking system was launched on March 15, more than 239,000 appointments have been scheduled for the first and second doses.

Ontario is leading the country in the total number of vaccines administered and has fully immunized more individuals than all provinces and territories combined. To date, over 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the province, including over 129,000 doses administered to long-term care home residents. Over 294,000 Ontarians are fully immunized, including over 61,000 long term-care home residents.

On March 16, 2021, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) expanded its recommendation for the use of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine to people 18 years old and older. In alignment with NACI’s latest recommendation and Ontario’s Ethical Framework, as of March 22, 2021, participating pharmacies and primary care settings will offer vaccination appointments to individuals aged 60 and over. Eligible Ontarians can contact a participating pharmacy directly to make an appointment. In addition, many primary care providers are directly contacting eligible patients to book an appointment.

Canada to ratify Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement

Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, during a call with Elizabeth Truss, the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for International Trade, announced that Canada is ratifying the Canada-United Kingdom (U.K.) Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA). This announcement follows the Royal Assent of Bill C-18: An Act to implement the Agreement on Trade Continuity between Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the House of Commons.

The Canada-U.K. TCA will provide Canadian exporters and businesses with continued preferential access to the U.K. market and 98% of Canadian products will continue to be exported to the UK tariff-free. The agreement provides much needed predictability and stability, and will support workers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Canada and the U.K. are taking all necessary steps required to implement this agreement for April 1, 2021.

As the Canada-U.K. TCA is meant to be an interim measure, Canada and the U.K. look forward to engaging in future negotiations on a new, high-standard and ambitious free trade agreement that will best reflect the bilateral relationship and trade priorities.

Health Canada confirms benefits of AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh risks

Health Canada confirms that the benefits of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in protecting Canadians from COVID-19 continue to outweigh the risks, and encourages Canadians to get immunized with any of the COVID-19 vaccines that are authorized in Canada.

There have been recent reports in Europe of blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Health Canada communicated on March 11, 2021 that it was assessing these events, in collaboration with international regulatory partners, particularly the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Today, both the EMA and the MHRA communicated that the benefits of the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh any risks.

Health Canada has assessed the available data on the reported events and has determined that the AstraZeneca vaccine has not been associated with an increase in the overall risk of blood clots. There have been very rare reports in Europe of blood clots associated with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). Blood clots, sometimes fatal, can also be due to COVID-19. Health Canada will continue to work with international regulators and review data and evidence as it becomes available, including as it pertains to these rare events. The Department is also working with AstraZeneca to ensure that healthcare professionals and Canadians have the safety information they need.

For further information on COVID-19 vaccines authorized by Health Canada, including post-market updates, please visit Health Canada’s COVID-19 vaccines and treatments portal.

Grimsby Green Advisory Committee seeks members

The Town of Grimsby is seeking individuals interested in serving on the Grimsby Green Advisory Committee for the remainder of the current term (term ends December 31, 2022).  There are 2 volunteer positions to be filled. Applicants must be qualified to be elected as a member of Council, must be 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen and a resident in the Municipality or the owner or tenant of land, or spouse of such person. Application forms and further information about the Committee can be found at www.grimsby.ca/apply.

Niagara-on-the-Lake seeks feedback on customer service throughout COVID-19 pandemic (PDF Link)

The public is invited to complete a Customer Service Survey, available through the Town’s Join the Conversation platform. Results of the survey will assist Staff in making service adjustments, as required, and will help to support Council’s strategic plan initiatives regarding customer service delivery.

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario seeks input for advocacy

The tourism sector of Ontario is a $36bn industry that supports over 200,000 businesses and 400,000 jobs. It provides billions in tax revenues and helps to drive economic growth in our province. The catastrophic effects of COVID-19 mean that sector will require prolonged and targeted support to survive a period of adaptation and reduced and limited operations.

TIAO asks for your help to shape their message to government on what support you need to secure your business’ future and ensure the tourism industry bounces back stronger than ever. It’s never been more important for our industry to be at the decision-making table with a clear and strong message. Please take a few minutes to complete the following survey, compiled in cooperation with TIAO’s partners at Navigator.

Click here to start the survey.

Please note that the survey will be open until 5 p.m. on March 29th.

U.S extends travel restrictions at Canada, Mexico land borders

U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least April 21, the U.S. government said on Thursday. The 30-day extension is the second announced under President Joe Biden and comes as U.S lawmakers in northern border states have urged lifting the nearly year-old restrictions to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a notice Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said the three countries have all “determined that non-essential travel … poses additional risk of transmission and spread of the virus.” Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair confirmed the extension of restrictions on Twitter.

Canada has shown little interest in lifting the restrictions and last month imposed new COVID-19 testing requirements for some Canadians returning at land crossings.

On Jan. 26, the U.S. government began requiring nearly all international air travelers to get negative COVID-19 test results within three days of travel but has no similar requirements for land border crossings.

The Biden administration has spent weeks reviewing whether to impose COVID-19 testing requirements for land border crossings but has not issued new requirements.

Retail sales fall for second consecutive month

Retail sales decrease in January

Retail sales fell for the second consecutive month, down 1.1% to $52.5 billion in January. Sales declined in 6 of 11 subsectors, representing 39.4% of retail sales.

Core retail sales—which exclude gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers—also posted their second consecutive decline, falling 1.4% in January because of lower sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores, furniture and home furnishings stores, and sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores.

In terms of volume, retail sales fell 1.6% in January.

With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Canada, provincial governments began to reintroduce physical distancing measures, which directly affected the retail sector. Based on respondent feedback, approximately 14% of retailers were closed at some point in January for an average of three business days.

Statistics Canada thanked retailers for their continued collaboration during these challenging times.

Core retail sales fell for the second month in a row, down 1.4% in January because of lower sales at non-essential retailers, which were mandated to close their brick and mortar stores to in-person shopping in many regions across the country. Clothing and clothing accessories stores (-17.8%) led the decline, down for a fourth consecutive month.

Furniture and home furnishings stores (-15.1%) posted declines in January after decreasing by 7.1% in December.

Sales down in 6 of 11 subsectors

Sales were also down at sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores (-16.8%).

Sales at food and beverage stores were flat in January (+0.1%), driven by lower sales at supermarkets and other grocery stores (-1.9%). The decline in supermarkets and other grocery stores followed gains in November and December, when more Canadians hosted their own holiday dinners following pandemic-related restrictions on gatherings.

Sales at general merchandise stores—many of which are considered essential—increased by 3.3% in January after falling in December. Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers also posted gains (+2.9%) in January, following a decrease in December.

Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers contracted by 1.0% in January—their third consecutive decline. The decrease was mostly due to lower sales at other motor vehicle dealers (-13.5%) and used car dealers (-6.5%). By contrast, new car dealers (+1.2%) posted their first gain in four months.

Sales at gasoline stations increased for the second month in a row, rising 0.9% in January. Growth was largely the result of higher gasoline prices, which were up on a month-over-month basis. In volume terms, sales at gasoline stations were down 1.2%.

In Ontario, sales decreased by 2.6% on lower activity at clothing and clothing accessories stores. Much of the province was under lockdown restrictions in January, which included the closure of non-essential retailers to in-person shopping, while physical distancing measures were in place at essential retailers.

On an unadjusted basis, retail e-commerce sales were up 110.7% year over year to $3.5 billion in January, accounting for 7.8% of total retail trade. The continued rise in e-commerce sales coincided with an increase in store closures in January.

Reading recommendations

Plastic credits are the newest kind of pollution offset—but do they make a difference?

Kristin Toussaint, Fast Company

One factor at the core of our climate crisis is excess: We’re producing too many carbon emissions, more than our atmosphere can handle. We’re creating too much single-use plastic, more than can be recycled. This excess has reached dangerous levels. Our planet has just 9% of its global carbon budget left, and each year, 8 million tons of plastic makes its way into our oceans.

To combat all this excess, companies can try to simply produce less, but these excesses can be hard to remove entirely from a business model. When a company can’t reduce, there are offsets or credits, which create a market for the effort to reduce these pollutants. When an organization does something that would reduce carbon, like planting trees, they can sell that benefit to a company looking to effectively reduce their emissions. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol standardized carbon credits: each credit would represent one metric ton of CO2. That protocol also created different types of credits, from emission trading—when one country hasn’t emitted as much pollution as they’re “allowed” to, they can sell the left over amount to countries that have already passed their emission targets—to removal units, which use things like reforestation to remove CO2.

Now, the concept of credits are moving beyond emissions to one of the other most pressing forms of pollution: plastic. But while the idea of buying and selling plastic pollution credits is gaining traction, no standards like the Kyoto carbon credit standards exist. Instead, there’s a hodgepodge of different types of plastic removal, and different types of plastics, making environmental experts concerned about whether any promises that a company makes about being  “plastic neutral” can be taken at face value if they involve credits.

Ontario’s 3rd wave of COVID-19 could hit younger adults harder. Here’s why

Lauren Pelley, CBC News

Across Ontario, there’s growing consensus among medical experts that the province has entered a third wave of COVID-19 cases.

There’s also growing concern that anecdotal evidence of recent serious infections skewing toward younger adults is a harbinger of a difficult stretch to come — one that may upend persistent notions of COVID-19 typically only being a grave illness for the elderly.

Clinicians and epidemiologists suspect multiple factors could shift the trajectory of the pandemic in Ontario.

On one hand, vaccinations are slowly making an impact for certain populations, including front-line health-care workers and the elderly — with the death toll in long-term care dropping dramatically as vaccination rates have picked up.

But there are still hospitalizations and deaths happening among other groups, with younger adults remaining vulnerable, said Dr. Kali Barrett, a critical care physician at Toronto’s University Health Network and a member of the COVID-19 Modelling Collaborative, a group of scientists and clinicians affiliated with Toronto’s university and hospital system.

Against that backdrop, there’s a patchwork of restrictions and reopenings across the province, giving people more chances to mingle and spread the virus, whether that’s in a shopping mall or a spin class.

Niagara COVID status tracker

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are drawn daily from Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus
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.
Share this:

Daily Update: March 17th, 2021

March 17, 2021 | Daily Update

A message from GNCC CEO Mishka Balsom

Today marks one year since we sent our first Daily Update to you. We launched the updates to keep the community informed about the changing policy landscape. The global pandemic had been declared not long before, and the first cases of COVID-19 in Niagara had been reported just days earlier. New government directives were coming out every day, sometimes every hour, as they tried to work out the delicate policy balance needed to keep us safe and to keep us in business. People in Niagara were having a hard time keeping up with the ever-changing rules, and so we distilled the important government updates into a daily message summarizing what was new, what had changed, and what you needed to do.

Over three thousand people now receive our Daily Update, Monday to Friday, at 4:00 p.m. We are still bringing you the important government policies as before, but you will have noticed that we have added municipal updates, important business news from reputable and verifiable sources, information on grants and subsidies, and data products that are relevant to Niagara’s business community. We have curated reading recommendations for you to bring you content that is insightful, interesting, and relevant. We know your time is valuable, and it is our goal to save you time by bringing you everything you need to know in one message.

We are committed to continuing the Daily Update. If there is something new you would like to see in them, please let us know – you can email your comments and suggestions to info@gncc.ca. The GNCC is here to support your business, and if we can do anything to help you, reach out to me or my team.

Thank you.

More small businesses compliant with COVID-19 regulations

The Ontario government is seeing a greater number of small businesses complying with COVID-19 safety requirements. During follow-up visits for educational workplace safety campaigns, provincial offences officers found that approximately 73 per cent of businesses were in compliance with public health measures and compliance increased by 20 per cent.

Workplace inspections continue to focus on educating small businesses across the province to help them reopen safely. Where needed, follow-up visits were conducted with a focus on enforcement. Follow-up visits are currently taking place in Eastern Ontario, Durham Region and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, and are scheduled for York Region, Waterloo Region and Windsor-Essex.

Businesses can access free training and assistance, including the workplace safety plan toolkit, live webinars on how to operate a business safely and comply with COVID-19 health and safety requirements, and a 30-minute online course on infection prevention and control provided by the Public Services Health and Safety Association.

Assistance and support for small businesses is available from the Provincial Employment Standards Information Centre and Occupational Health and Safety Contact Centre.

Niagara Region seeks residents to sit on new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee

Niagara Region is seeking interested community members to join its newly approved Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Approved in early 2021, the committee will play an important role in carrying out Regional Council’s commitment to making Niagara a more diverse and welcoming community. Members will work with Regional and municipal staff and the Niagara community to provide Regional Council with recommendations to address bias, racism, and discrimination, and promote understanding and inclusion.
The committee will include 10 members of the public and one Regional Councillor. The Region is particularly seeking residents from across Niagara who represent the growing linguistic, racial, cultural, sexual and spiritual diversity of our community, including:
  • Indigenous individuals
  • People of colour and members of racialized communities
  • Francophones
  • New immigrants
  • Members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community
  • Individuals with disabilities
  • Seniors
  • Individuals living with low income or experiencing homelessness
  • Post-secondary students and youth
  • Members of various religious communities
  • People of all genders
Interested residents can ap​ply online for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee until 4 p.m. on Friday, April 9, 2021.

Two new high-speed Internet projects underway in Fort Erie (PDF link)

Recently, Bell Canada was awarded funding from the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) initiative to support two fibre-to-the-home projects in Fort Erie. Service will be expanded along the Niagara Parkway between Switch Road to the North and Thompson Road to the South. Service will also be expanded into the Point Abino neighborhood.

On January 27, SWIFT announced it would provide funding to expand access to highspeed fibre-optic broadband service to households in Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Wainfleet and West Lincoln. The newly awarded projects will collectively service more than 271 km of underserved roadway to bring high-speed internet access to 4,248 homes and businesses across the
region. The projects represent a collective total investment of $12.8 million and will be completed with service available by mid-2022.

Consumer Price Index rose faster in February

12-month change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and CPI excluding gasoline

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a faster pace year over year in February (+1.1%) than in January (+1.0%). The rise in gasoline prices (+5.0%) supported consumer price growth in February. Excluding gasoline, the CPI rose 1.0% in February—down from a 1.3% increase in January.

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.1% in February.

The homeowners’ replacement cost index, which is linked to the price of new homes, rose 7.0% year over year in February, as higher building costs, low interest rates and strong demand for homes with more space continued to push prices for new housing higher. This is the largest yearly gain recorded since February 2007.

In contrast, the Mortgage Interest Cost Index fell 5.4% year over year in February, following a 4.3% decrease in January, as more Canadians renewed or initiated mortgages at historically low interest rates.

Prices for food purchased from stores rose 1.3% year over year in February, compared with a 0.1% increase in January, primarily because of a rise in prices for fresh fruit (+5.9%). Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.9% year over year in February, compared with growth of 2.8% in January.

Household appliance prices rose 6.1% year over year in February, compared with January (+3.4%). Prices for cooking appliances (+6.8%) and refrigerators and freezers (+6.4%) were also higher, on a year-over-year basis, in February.

Year over year, traveller accommodation prices declined more in February (-18.0%) compared with January (-16.1%). Demand for traveller accommodation remained low amid continued restrictions on non-essential travel to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Ontario government makes workplace COVID-19 testing easier

The Ontario government is making it easier for businesses to test for COVID-19 in the workplace by providing guidance to employees who want to self-swab for a rapid antigen point-of-care test on a voluntary basis under the supervision of a trained individual. Based on the success of the initial deployment of rapid antigen testing, the government is also expanding the program to more sectors including first responders, emergency medical services, trucking and transportation, wastewater management, and post-secondary institutions.

Rapid antigen testing can provide an additional layer of safety in workplaces and provide reassurance to employers and employees alike. By clinically endorsing supervised, voluntary self-swabbing for asymptomatic individuals, Ontario is helping businesses reduce the administrative costs of using antigen tests by allowing staff to consider the option of taking their own swabs under the supervision of a trained individual.

The province has also removed regulatory barriers governing the use of COVID-19 tests that are approved by Health Canada for point-of-care use to make it easier for organizations to offer onsite testing and support a safe return to work. This change will especially benefit rural and remote communities including Northern Indigenous communities where health professionals required to administer testing are limited.

Reading recommendations

The coronavirus pandemic provides an opportunity to address homelessness

Timothy Martin, The Conversation

As emergency shelters and encampments emerge in cities across of North America, the public has been confronted with a more visible homeless population as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, this has led to several crusades aimed to — once again — hide this population from view.

Homelessness need not be viewed as an inevitable part of the fabric of North American society. It was not always omnipresent, and need not continue to be. It has only really become pervasive, and increasing since the 1980s in Canada. Research has argued that it is preventable.

Today’s housing crisis is a result of particular policies that are neither inevitable nor intractable. Yet, perhaps most unfortunately, the collective response has too often included blaming, criminalizing and stigmatizing people experiencing homelessness.

‘No more cubicle farms’: Ford to let 30,000 employees keep working from home after pandemic ends

Keith Naughton, Bloomberg News

Ford Motor Co. told employees they can continue to work from home, allowing more than 30,000 to use the office only when they need to, even after the pandemic is over.

The “flexible hybrid work model” unveiled Wednesday lets employees choose to stay home for “heads-down work,” while coming to the office for meetings and team-building activities. The system will debut as soon as July and apply mostly to salaried office staff, not factory workers.

Like many employers, large and small, Ford is grappling with the reality that workers have grown to appreciate not commuting every day and working among family and pets. Half of the world’s workers now do so from home, up from 11 per cent prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a global study of employers by Willis Towers Watson, a risk-management and human-resources firm. Even after the health crisis ends, companies expect one-third of global employees to continue to work remotely.

Niagara COVID status tracker

Niagara’s most up-to-date COVID statistics, measured against the targets for the various stages of the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, are presented below. This does not predict government policy, but is offered to give you an idea of where Niagara is situated and how likely a relaxation (or further restrictions) may be. These data are drawn daily from Niagara Region. The Grey-Lockdown level does not have its own metrics, but is triggered when the COVID-specific measurements in a Red-Control region have continued to deteriorate.

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%

Definitions:

  • Weekly Incidence Rate: the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people per week
  • Percent Positivity: the number of positive COVID-19 tests as a percentage of all COVID-19 tests performed
  • Rt: the reproductive rate, or the number of people infected by each case of the virus
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.
Share this: