PHSSC

That Report COM 4-2021, dated March 9, 2021, respecting Niagara Prosperity Initiative Review, BE RECEIVED and the following recommendations BE APPROVED: 1. That the Brock University executive summary report titled “Connecting the Pieces: An Evaluation of the Niagara Prosperity Initiative and Call for a Broader Poverty Reduction Strategy for Niagara”, BE RECEIVED for information; and 2. That Regional Council DIRECT staff to: 2.1 Complete a comprehensive review of the analysis and recommendations; and 2.2 Present the “Connecting the Pieces: An Evaluation of the Niagara Prosperity Initiative and Call for a Broader Poverty Reduction Strategy for Niagara” report and staff recommendations to Public Health and Social Services Committee (PHSSC) no later than September 2021.

That Correspondence Item COM-C 12-2021, being a letter to A.-M. Norio, Regional Clerk, from Niagara Regional Housing, dated February 19, 2021, respecting Request for Endorsement of “An End of Mortgage” Position Paper BE RECEIVED and the “An End of Mortgage” Position Paper BE ENDORSED. The following friendly amendment was accepted by the Committee Chair, and the mover and seconder of the motion, so the motion reads as follows: That Correspondence Item COM-C 12-2021, being a letter to A.-M. Norio, Regional Clerk, from Niagara Regional Housing, dated February 19, 2021, respecting Request for Endorsement of “An End of Mortgage” Position Paper BE RECEIVED and the “An End of Mortgage” Position Paper BE ENDORSED; and That a copy of Consent Item COM-C 12-2021 BE CIRCULATED to the local area MP's, MPP's and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). The Committee Chair, called the vote on the motion, as amended, and declared it,

WHEREAS agriculture plays a crucial role in Niagara’s economy, contributing over $1.4 billion to the Regional GDP; WHEREAS Niagara’s 1,800+ farms provide over 20,000 jobs to residents and temporary foreign workers; Public Health and Social Services Committee Open Session Minutes PHSSC 3-2021 March 9, 2021 Page 4 WHEREAS Niagara’s farms provide over 43% of the total agricultural economic impact of the Golden Horseshoe, despite only having 23% of the total farmland; WHEREAS many of Niagara’s farms play an important role in ensuring Ontario’s food security; WHEREAS the operations on many of these farms require the use of temporary foreign workers in order to meet processing demands; WHEREAS the Federal Government requires farms that employ temporary foreign workers to complete a labour market screen in order to demonstrate that these positions to be filled cannot be done by domestic labourers; WHEREAS the Federal Government protects temporary foreign workers under Canadian law, requiring farms who utilize temporary employees to ensure that they are paid for their work, the workplace is safe, they are provided with break time and days off and that the terms of their written contracts are respected; WHEREAS since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues have been raised by numerous concerned groups regarding the living conditions of the temporary foreign workers and the potential impact of these conditions on the spread of the virus; WHEREAS Regional Council acknowledges tha

That the following items BE RECEIVED for information: COM-C 10-2021 COVID-19 Response and Business Continuity in Community Services COM 2-2021 Evaluation of 2018 Niagara Prosperity Initiative Projects COM 3-2021 Seniors Services Quality Improvement Report – October to December 2020 COM-C 9-2021 Activities related to Niagara’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Action Plan for December 2020, January and February 2021 COM-C 11-2021 Niagara Regional Housing Quarterly Report - October to December 2020 PHD-C 6-2021 COVID-19 Response and Business Continuity in Public Health and Emergency Services

That Correspondence Item PHD-C 7-2021, being a memorandum from Dr. M. M. Hirji, Acting Medical Officer of Health/Commissioner, Public Health, dated March 9, 2021, respecting Opioid Work Update, BE RECEIVED for information.