High tea in the Drawing Room at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Prince of Wales Hotel. The Drawing Room is one of nine Niagara establishments to make this year’s list of Canada’s 100 most romantic restaurants. Photo credit: Vintage Hotels
Canada’s population grows to 37 million, with Niagara gaining over 30,000 residents
Statistics Canada released population data from the 2021 census on Wednesday. The country now has an official population of 36,991,981, which represents a 5.2 per cent increase from 2016.
Ontario now has a population of 14,223,942, representing a 5.8 per cent jump from the previous census year. Outside of Prince Edward Island, Ontario had the largest percentage increase of all the provinces.
Niagara’s population increased at a higher rate than both the national and provincial averages between 2016 and 2021.
According to Statistics Canada, the Regional Municipality of Niagara now has a population of 477,941, a 6.7 per cent jump from five years ago.
The fastest growing community in Niagara, by far, was Thorold. The city’s population increased by 26.7 per cent from 2016.
Nine of Canada’s 100 ‘most romantic restaurants’ located in Niagara
Nearly one-tenth of the country’s most romantic eateries are located in the Niagara Region, according to the online reservation site OpenTable.
Determined by analyzing more than 726,000 reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners, the 2022 list “showcases those spots that make it easy for diners to connect and create amazing memories.”
Unsurprisingly, six of Niagara’s nine placings are located in Niagara-on-the-Lake: Kitchen76 at Two Sisters Vineyards; Oaklands at The Riverbend Inn; Restaurant Oban Inn; The Drawing Room at the Prince of Wales Hotel; Treadwell Farm-to-Table Cuisine; and Trius Winery Restaurant.
The other three hail from Niagara Falls (Good Earth Vineyard and Winery), Lincoln (the Restaurant at Redstone), and St. Catharines (Valley Restaurant).
All nine of Niagara’s restaurants scored between 4.6 and 4.8 out of a possible five stars.
Niagara business community joins in call to end blockade at Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge
On Tuesday, all of Niagara’s chambers of commerce, including each member of the South Niagara Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, signed a joint statement with their counterpart in Windsor urging officials to end the current blockade limiting trade and transportation across the Detroit River.
“The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest trade crossing in North America and a vital enabler of our two economies,” read the statement. “Given the importance of ensuring that the supply of food, medical products and industrial goods can continue, the disruption at the Ambassador Bridge is an attack on the well-being of our citizens and the businesses that employ them.”
“As our economies emerge from the impacts of the pandemic, we cannot allow any group to undermine the cross-border trade that supports families on both sides of the border.”
Anti-mandate demonstrators started gathering around the Ambassador Bridge on Sunday, ostensibly in a show of support for the trucker convoy in Ottawa.
At present, Niagara’s various international bridge crossings remain free of protestors, but local officials are monitoring the situation closely.
Brock launches Canada’s first accelerated concurrent nursing program
After obtaining approval from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities on Jan. 28, 2022, Brock University is already accepting applications to its inaugural concurrent Bachelor of Nursing/Master of Nursing (BN/MN) program, the first of its kind in Canada.
The 20-month expedited program offers four-year university graduates who hold specified pre-requisites the opportunity to gain experience in five areas of competency: professional responsibility and accountability, knowledge-based practice, ethical practice, service to the public, and self-regulation.
“Our staff and faculty have been working very hard to bring this program to life,” said Dean of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Peter Tiidus.
“This program encapsulates Brock’s excellence in transformative learning for students inside and outside the classroom while addressing the ongoing nurse shortage. Our graduates are health-care leaders, and I can’t wait to congratulate our first nurses of the program in 2024.”
The program’s first cohort will welcome 32 students in May.
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to write the NCLEX-RN registration exam to qualify as a registered nurse.
Ontario extends health card renewal requirement until the fall
Ontario residents with expired health cards now have until Sept. 30, 2022 to renew their documents.
“While the majority of Ontarians have continued to renew their documents throughout the pandemic, we are committed to ensuring all Ontarians have the opportunity to renew while continuing to access the care they need, when they need it,” said Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott on Wednesday.
Ontarians will continue to be able to use their expired health card, including the red and white health card, to access insured health care services. Health care providers can continue to accept expired health cards following the previous Feb. 28, 2022 deadline.
Online health card renewal using Ontario Photo Cards will be permitted sometime in the coming months.
Province provides free rapid tests at grocery stores and pharmacies
Ontario residents can now pick-up free rapid COVID-19 tests at one of the nearly 2,500 participating grocery stores and pharmacies across the province.
About 44 million tests will be made available over the next eight weeks, with around 5.5 million tests distributed each week.
Households are limited to one box (five tests) per distribution.
“By providing free access to rapid test kits, the Ontario Government, in partnership with grocery and pharmacy retailers, is reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” said Diane Brisebois, president and CEO of Retail Council of Canada.
“In addition to getting a third booster shot, community testing acts as a powerful way to reduce the spread of contagion, by diagnosing early and isolating. Today’s support by grocery and pharmacy retailers in delivering test kits to communities shows us all how, working together, we can support the safe reopening of Ontario.”
Participating retailers include Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, Metro, Rexall, Sobeys, and Walmart.
A full list of stores offering free test kits can be found here.
Canadians unsatisfied with current political institutions, survey indicates
A recent survey of over 1,000 Canadians found that satisfaction with Canada as a country has declined, with a negative perception of political institutions most contributing to the decrease.
The survey, conducted by Nanos Research at the end of January, found only 67 per cent (mean 6.8 out of 10) of Canadians are satisfied with Canada’s current state, a decrease from 2021 (7.2).
Younger Canadians (18-34) reported the lowest level of satisfaction (mean of 6.2) with Canada as a country compared to all other demographics, especially Canadians aged 55 and over (mean of 7.4).
Survey respondents rated political institutions including the House of Commons (mean of 5.6), the prime minister (mean of 5.2), the Senate (mean of 3.6) and the Governor General (mean of 3.2) the lowest on the list of contributors to Canada being a better country.
Universities and colleges (mean of 7.3) and the healthcare system (mean of 7.1) ranked as top major contributors to Canada being a better country.
