In this edition:
- Your Niagara: Dedicated Businesses Make it Easy to Fall in Love with Fort Erie
- Niagara needs 17,000 new housing units every five years until 2051 to meet demand, councillors told
- FedDev Ontario launches new, easy-to-use application process
- NOTL grape grower Erwin Wiens named 2023 Grape King
- ‘Anxious and exciting’: Grape harvest season starting in Niagara
- St. Catharines Mayor wants to get on with governance review decision
- Investments bring high-speed internet to Wainfleet communities
- Reading Recommendations: Finance & Economy
Niagara needs 17,000 new housing units every five years until 2051 to meet demand, councillors told
Niagara needs to diversify its housing stock and accelerate the construction of affordable and attainable units to provide a healthy mix of housing for all incomes.
That was the message Alex Morrison, a Niagara Region development industry and housing consultant, delivered to councillors during a committee of the whole meeting last week on the housing crisis and the municipality’s affordable housing plan.
Morrison said the province is forecasting the need for about 298,600 new housing units in Niagara by 2051, an increase of 96,400 units over the current supply of 201,600.
“This means that about 17,000 new housing units will need to be constructed every five years to meet this demand,” Morrison said.
FedDev Ontario launches new, easy-to-use application process
Today, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, announced the launch of a new, easy-to-use application process. It makes applying for funding easier, and more predictable for clients and will help ensure investments are available to those who need them to continue growing. Applications for funding will now be accepted three times per year (fall, winter and spring). The fall intake is open until November 7.
As one of seven regional economic development agencies across Canada, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) works with industry and community leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs, and organizations to help them reach their potential and create new possibilities across the region. FedDev Ontario’s strategic investments have made a significant difference for the competitiveness, innovation, and diversity of southern Ontario’s economy.
Amid housing crunch, Ford government rethinking assessments of regional governments
The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) is hosting a free online housing summit Oct. 12, 2023, to spark innovative discussions and discuss what needs to be done to boost supply.
The event, called Driving Solutions to the Crisis, runs from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. It is the third virtual housing summit sponsored by RESCON. Storeys is media sponsor for the event.
“The housing supply and affordability crisis is very real and, at a time when we should be increasing the number of starts, they are trending in the wrong direction and the situation is getting worse,” explains RESCON president Richard Lyall. “To fix the problem and boost the number of new housing units being built, we must find ways to move residential development approvals through the system faster, get shovels in the ground sooner, and speed up the building process.”
NOTL grape grower Erwin Wiens named 2023 Grape King
With Grape and Wine upon us the Grape Growers of Ontario have named their Grape King.
Niagara-on-the-Lake grape grower Erwin Wiens has been chosen by his peers as the 2023 Grape King.
Wiens tends a 120-acres vineyard that grows a range of grapes including Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Merlot.
Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of the Grape Growers of Ontario, says “We are delighted that Erwin Wiens has been selected as 2023 Grape King. Erwin will be a wonderful ambassador for the Ontario grape and wine industry.”
‘Anxious and exciting’: Grape harvest season starting in Niagara
The route here wasn’t exactly normal, but the destination’s the same. It’s what happens during September and October that will tell the ultimate tale of the 2023 grape harvest.
Growers in Niagara are gearing up for a busy and important few months as different varieties come into prime picking time. Some wineries and growers have begun harvesting, mostly for sparkling wines, while others expect to start any day now.
“It’s an anxious and exciting time for us,” said Matthias Oppenlaender, chair of Grape Growers of Ontario and a Niagara-on-the-Lake grower who began picking on Sept. 7.
St. Catharines Mayor wants to get on with governance review decision
The Mayor of St. Catharines wants the province to move on one way or another.
“We need to have the conversation and then we need to get on with what needs to be done in the community.”
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe made the comments following an announcement by housing minister Paul Calandra that he is now reviewing the plan to appoint a facilitator to look over governance in the region.=
Click here to listen to the full interview.
Investments bring high-speed internet to Wainfleet communities
Folks in a number of communities in Wainfleet will get access to high-speed internet, as part of $219 million in funding the province and federal government are providing to bring that service to more than 66,000 households in rural communities.
That internet expansion, coming to more than 300 Ontario communities, includes 30 local projects in the Niagara West riding of MPP Sam Oosterhoff.
His office announced on Sept. 8 that the partners have selected Rogers as the internet service providers.
Did you know?
In 1982, the automobile industry employed one out of every six American workers.
Focus on Finance & Economy
Trump says he’ll impose huge new tariffs if elected in 2024
Donald Trump’s return to the White House could bring about seismic changes to US trade policy, as the Republican frontrunner proposed setting up a universal tariff on imports entering the country.
He also proposed a “matching tax” on certain countries that would be equivalent to high tariffs on US products.
While Trump laid out the idea of a universal tariff months earlier, he appeared to get more specific last week.
“I think when companies come in and they dump their products in the United States, they should pay automatically, let’s say a 10% tax,” he told Fox News on Thursday. “That money would be used to pay off the debt. It’s a massive amount of money.”
Through the Daily Updates, the GNCC aims to deliver important business news in a timely manner. We disseminate all news and information we feel will be important to businesses. Inclusion in the Daily Update is not an endorsement by the GNCC.
