Niagara College announces students staying in on-campus residence must be vaccinated
After ongoing consultation with public health and close monitoring of COVID-19 trends, Niagara College determined that students living in on-campus residence this fall will be required to be vaccinated. This decision allows for the prioritization of safety as students in residence are in congregate living settings, sharing spaces and amenities.
Students will be required to provide government-issued documentation indicating they have received at least their first dose, along with further documentation indicating the scheduling of the second dose.
NOTL launches 27/4 hotline for short term rental issues
Niagara-on-the-Lake has announced the launch of a new compliance program that will streamline the implementation of local rules and regulations for short term rentals. This pilot program will support local by-law enforcement officers and provide support for complaint resolution as there has been an increasing number of complaints filed.
The 24/7 hotline number and online system will allow residents to report issues including excessive noise, illegal parking, or overflowing trash. The third party company will contact the owner or property manager advising them of the complaint to which a response must be given within 45 minutes. A lack of response can result in applicable fines.
PenFinancial becomes an official partner of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games
The Niagara Host Society has announced that PenFinancial Credit Union has become an official partner of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, where it will be a co-sponsor to the Catch The Spirit and Mascot program, as well as sponsoring a leg of the Torch Relay.
“As a truly local credit union, it is important to us to give back to our local community and, by partnering with the Games, we can contribute to the legacy impact that the Games will have on our region,” said Ken Janzen, CEO of PenFinancial.
“As a community-minded organization with strong ties to the Niagara Region, PenFinancial is an ideal fit to help us to advance our mascot and Catch The Spirit programs – two important initiatives that were put on pause as a result of the pandemic, but ones that we’re hoping to reignite and fully activate during the upcoming school year,” stated Doug Hamilton, Board Chair of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.
Unemployment rate increases in Niagara, while nationwide numbers decrease
The pandemic effects continue to linger in Niagara, as the country’s unemployment rate has improved, while Niagara’s worsened.
The national unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in June, from 8.2 percent in May. On the other hand, Niagara’s unemployment rate increased to 11.5 percent in June, from 10.8 percent in May. The result is a head scratcher since Niagara hotels and restaurants cannot get people to fill their many job openings even after offering substantial wage increases and bonus structures.
Niagara’s casinos will open their doors next Friday
Ontario moves into Step 3 of reopening this Friday, allowing casinos to reopen to 50% capacity. Both the Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara will finally re-open on July 23 at 10am after being completely vacant for the past year and a half.
Fallsview Casino Resort will be open 24/7 offering the hotel, gaming floor, slots, electronic table games, limited table games, select dining establishments, the parking garage and Galleria shops and dining amenities. Casino Niagara will be open from 10am to 2am daily offering the gaming floor, slots, electronic table games, Perks Café, and the Chill Bar, with no table games or the poker room.
Over 1000 Niagara casino employees have been called back to work, though the casinos employed over 4000 people prior to the pandemic.
Mayor Jim Diodati stated that the city has lost around $20 million in revenue since the closure of the casinos.
Despite the destruction, St. Catharines designates Welland House Hotel under the heritage act
Though virtually the entire structure of the Welland House Hotel burnt to the ground, St. Catharines city council went forward with designating it a heritage building.
The 165-year old building at 26-30 Ontario Street was originally a spa hotel, yet it was devoured in a horrific blaze early Monday morning.
The designation process began in February of 2020, and the decision was made with the idea the building was still standing. The council can choose to un-designate the property in the future if necessary.
Road closures, gas outages, clean-up work, and an NRP investigation have continued days after at the scene of the massive fire. Restaurants and surrounding businesses have felt the impacts of the destruction.
Ford government supports agricultural and horticultural societies with further funding
The Ontario government is providing $1.1 million in additional funding for the province’s agricultural and horticultural societies to offset lost revenue from cancelled fairs and exhibits due to COVID-19.
The government will provide up to $5,000 for each eligible agricultural society and up to $1,500 for each eligible horticultural society, equivalent to their 2019 grants. This will ensure sustainability of agriculture and foster vibrant rural economies, strengthening Ontario’s agri-food sector.
“Local agricultural events like the West Niagara Fair and Wainfleet Fall Fair are seasonal highlights for many farm families across Niagara,” stated Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. “This additional funding will enable agricultural and horticultural societies to offset membership losses and revenue so they can continue to meet their immediate financial needs and work towards planning future events within health and safety guidelines.”
The Federal government provides $10.5 million in funding for local affordable housing
The Federal government has announced an investment of $10.5 million into affordable housing in Niagara. These funds will support the building of about 41 new affordable homes in the region for those in uncertain housing situations, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or living in temporary shelters because of the pandemic.
“Affordable housing is an urgent problem in Niagara,” noted Regional Chair, Jim Bradley. “Addressing Niagara’s housing and homelessness challenge is a key priority for this term of council and these funds will be put to good use removing individuals and families from our housing waitlist.”
Weekly COVID-19 Update
As of July 14, there were 3 new cases, 71 active cases, and 10 new resolved cases in the Niagara Region. All variant of concern cases that have been reported in the last 14 days have likely been the Delta variant.
St. Catharines has the most cases with 21 and Niagara Falls follows with 13. All other municipalities have 8 or less cases.
There have been 553,718 total doses administered to Niagara residents. 6,764 new doses were administered on July 14, with 67.6% having their first dose, and 48.0% of all Niagara residents have a complete series.
