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Source: news.ontario.ca NEWS RELEASE Implementing Stronger Enforcement, Travel Restrictions, Public Health Measures to Stop the Spread of COVID-19 and Save Lives TORONTO — The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is strengthening enforcement of the province’s Stay-at-Home order while imposing new travel restrictions and further strengthening public health measures. These urgent actions are targeted at stopping the rapid growth in COVID-19 case rates and relieving mounting pressures on the province’s health care system. Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development and Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Source: news.ontario.ca NEWS RELEASE Additional measures needed to protect health system capacity and save lives during third wave of COVID-19 TORONTO — The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is immediately declaring a third provincial emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA). These measures are being taken in response to the rapid increase in COVID-19 transmission, the threat on the province’s hospital system capacity, and the increasing risks posed to the public by COVID-19 variants.

Source: cbc.ca ‘Virtual can work, but it cannot replace the value of in-person interaction,’ says Andrew Au As companies look to the future of work, one expert says they shouldn’t assume everyone prefers to work from home. “It is far from a good thing for everyone,” said Laurent Lapierre, a professor of workplace behaviour at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management.

Source: www.forbes.com I was recently asked by a large government organization to speak to what the leadership will look like in the future. What a great question. What is interesting about this topic is that the literature and research around it is still emerging. What is clear and consistent though is that the future will require leaders who are global citizens and able to work in a multicultural environment, who value talent and intellectual property and who embrace the need for constant digital transformation.

Source: cbc.ca An estimated 25% of working Canadians have started over in jobs unrelated to what they did before pandemic When COVID-19 hit, Ryan Sullivan was a pilot for Porter Airlines and he loved his job. These days, though, he spends his days and many evenings leading online wine-tasting classes as a certified sommelier. “I assure you, flying a plane I think is easier,” Sullivan said.

Source: ca.finance.yahoo.com Canada’s job market experienced a rebound in February, as restrictions were eased to varying degrees, adding 259,000 jobs. According to Statistics Canada, gains were mostly in part-time work (171,000) but there were full-time gains as well (88,000). The unemployment rate fell 1.2 percentage points to 8.2%, to the lowest rate since March 2020. The February gain is well ahead of the 75,000 jobs economists predicted and follows 266,000 jobs lost over the previous two months.

Source: www.thestar.com There is widespread agreement that the labour force in Canada is changing, and that the changes will accelerate as baby boomers enter retirement, carbon-emitting industries are replaced by green jobs and we look to a post-COVID economic recovery.

Source: www.newswire.ca DELTA, BC, Feb. 17, 2021 /CNW/ – Employment and Social Development Canada In order to help maintain a robust workforce and better position our country for a strong economic recovery, the Government of Canada is investing in the skilled trades to ensure that Canadians have the training they need to access good, well-paying jobs. The Government is making targeted investments, so that key groups facing barriers—like women, newcomers, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and Black and racialized Canadians—can better find work in the skilled trades through projects led by unions and their partner organizations.

Source: www.cicnews.com A look at jobs that are expected to be in high demand as Canada slowly begins to recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s economy is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, and restrictions, lockdowns and curfews are expected to be eventually lifted.

Source: www.ctvnews.ca TORONTO — Even before holiday-season restrictions went into effect in some parts of the country, Canadians were reporting their highest-ever levels of depression and anxiety, according to a new poll. On Thursday, charity group Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) released its latest snapshot of Canadian mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: www.cp24.com TORONTO – As Ontario struggles to beat back a dire wave of COVID-19, workplace spread has been singled out by public health experts, mayors and top health officials as a major source of infections. Experts and workers say government measures so far haven’t directly targeted the issue, but fairly simple practices would help track and reduce infections.

Source: www.cbc.ca 1 in 6 business owners are contemplating shutting down, survey suggests More than 200,000 Canadian businesses could close permanently during the COVID-19 crisis, throwing millions of people out of work as the resurgence of the virus worsens across much of the country, according to new research. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said Thursday one in six, or about 181,000, Canadian small business owners are now seriously contemplating shutting down.

Source: www.ontario.ca The information contained in this document is intended to communicate a summary of information about measures proposed to come into effect in Ontario or in areas of Ontario between Tuesday January 12, 2021 and Thursday, January 14, 2021. The material is not legal advice and does not purport to be or to provide an interpretation of the law. In the event of any conflict or difference between this summary information and any applicable legislation or regulation, the legislation or regulation prevails. Context: provincewide shutdown COVID-19covid 19 morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) are at the highest levels since the start of the pandemic. Growth in COVID-19covid 19 cases has accelerated and is over 7% on the worst days. Daily mortality is increasing under current restrictions and is projected to double from 50 to 100 deaths per day between now and end of February. Escalating case counts have led to increasing hospitalization rates and ICU occupancy which has resulted in further disruptions to scheduled surgeries and procedures. ICU occupancy is now over 400 beds and is projected to be approximately 500 beds by mid-January/approximately 1,000 beds by early February in more severe, but realistic scenarios. Despite restrictions, a substantial minority of people in high-rate regions are acting in a way that will increase COVID-19covid 19 transmission. Urgent action is…

An upcoming nightly curfew in Quebec is hogging the headlines, but some public health experts say it’s another plank of Premier Francois Legault’s new plan that other provinces should pay the most attention to.

Bosses weighing public health guidance, business needs and employee anxiety

Some of Canada’s largest companies are joining together for a pilot project to screen their employees for COVID-19 before they enter the office.

Source: www.narcity.com Applications open next week! COVID-19 hasn’t made finding work easy for many Canadians, and if you struck out this year you might have a better shot in the next. That’s because the Government of Canada has just recently announced that their Canada Summer Jobs 2021 Employer Application is launching very soon. Best of all? They say they’ll have up to 120,000 positions available for young Canadians.

Written by Alexander Lutchin Covid-19 reminds me of an Iceberg – we only see 10 per cent above the water line – 90 per cent of the Iceberg is below the water line in the dark mysterious ocean – that is the dangerous part and the unknown of the true impact of Covid-19 that may take years to truly understand the gravity and massive damage this deadly stealth virus is having on our way of life globally. Right now we are only seeing the visible ten per cent of the Covid-19 Iceberg – the obvious – community spread, deaths, lockdowns, pain and suffering and general disruption of our way of life. When the unsinkable Titanic hit an Iceberg in the North Atlantic off the Southeast coast of Newfoundland April 14-15, 1912 it was not the ten per cent of the Iceberg the crew saw at the last minute that did the damage – it was the damage underwater caused by the invisible section of the Iceberg that ripped a gaping gash in the hull that was so catastrophic she sank in under three hours taking 1500 people to their death.

Source: news.ontario.ca NEWS RELEASE TORONTO — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is imposing a Provincewide Shutdown. Additional restrictions will be put into place and reinforce that Ontarians should stay at home as much as possible to minimize transmission of the virus and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. The Provincewide Shutdown will go into effect as of Saturday, December 26, 2020, at 12:01 a.m.

Source: www.cp24.com Ontario Premier Doug Ford appeared receptive Thursday to the idea that a widespread lockdown is needed to stop the alarming rise in COVID-19 infection across the province, suggesting the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area could be targeted. Repeating five times in 15 minutes that he would not hesitate to act and that “everything is on the table,” Ford remarked that the GTA and Hamilton area appears to be generating the lion’s share of infection as of late. “It’s really concentrated in one area. And that’s a GTA, and I’ll throw Hamilton, GTHA,” Ford said. “That’s where we’re seeing the spread to the exception of Halton. Halton’s still about 55 (cases per 100,000), but the other cases are just growing at a rapid pace. So everything’s on the table.”

Source: nationalpost.com TORONTO — Ontario is telling its school boards to prepare for the possibility of fully remote learning in the new year, prompting calls for clarity on whether the government plans to shut down in-class learning in January. Education Minister Stephen Lecce told boards in a memo late Wednesday that staff and students should be encouraged to bring essential learning materials home over the holidays.