In this edition:
- GNCC celebrates Indigenous businesses on National Indigenous Peoples Day
- Legislation to ban use of replacement workers receives royal assent
- Raw material prices increase by 7.6% year-over-year, outpacing inflation
- Retail sales volume ticks up in April, led by gasoline sales
- Federal government launches call for proposals regarding sustainable jobs training
- Alectra joins Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, seeks Progressive Aboriginal Relations™ certification
- Focus on Retail
GNCC celebrates Indigenous businesses on National Indigenous Peoples Day
There are over 50,000 Indigenous-owned businesses in our country, contributing around $50 billion to our economy each year – more than the province of New Brunswick.
According to the Indigenomics Institute, that number could double if governments and corporations embrace more inclusive policies and business practices to engage with Indigenous companies.
There are many policy options and proposals in the 2022 National Indigenous Economic Strategy for Canada. We hope to see its proposals implemented, and we look forward to a future National Indigenous Peoples Day when we hit that $100 billion for Indigenous businesses.
Legislation to ban use of replacement workers receives royal assent
Yesterday, Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012, received royal assent. Bill C-58 represents one of the most significant changes to federal collective bargaining rules since the 1990s. Specifically, Bill C-58 has two main components:
- Banning employers from using replacement workers to do the work of unionized employees who are on strike or locked out.
- Improving the maintenance of activities process by requiring employers and unions to come to an agreement early in the bargaining process.
This legislation only applies to federally-regulated industries. Click here for a list.
Niagara Custom Crush Studio partners with Chateau des Charmes Winery
Niagara Custom Crush Studio (NCCS), one of Ontario’s newest and most innovative wineries, is pleased to welcome Chateau des Charmes, one of Ontario’s oldest and most esteemed wineries, as a new, strategic investor. Chateau des Charmes was founded in 1978 and has played a pivotal role in shaping the region’s winemaking heritage and NCCS was founded in 2022 with the mission of supporting emerging winemakers and providing specialized custom crush services to Ontario’s growing wine industry.
Raw material prices increase by 7.6% year-over-year, outpacing inflation
Prices of raw materials purchased by manufacturers operating in Canada, as measured by the Raw Materials Price Index (RMPI), declined 1.0% month over month in May 2024 and increased 7.6% year over year, Statistics Canada reported today.
Retail sales volume ticks up in April, led by gasoline sales
Retail sales increased 0.7% to $66.8 billion in April. Core retail sales—which exclude gasoline stations and fuel vendors and motor vehicle and parts dealers—were up 1.4% in April.
The largest increase in retail sales in April was recorded at gasoline stations and fuel vendors (+4.5%), up for the first time in three months.
Federal government launches call for proposals regarding sustainable jobs training
On Jun. 21, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, alongside Ministers Wilkinson and O’Regan, launched a call for proposals under the new Sustainable Jobs Stream of the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP). An investment of over $95 million over five years will try to help unions and their partners provide green training to approximately 20,000 apprentices and journeypersons. This call for proposals will be open until September 5, 2024.
Alectra joins Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, seeks Progressive Aboriginal Relations™ certification
Alectra today announced that it has become a member of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) and is committed to the Progressive Aboriginal Relations™ (PAR) Certification program. By joining a diverse group of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous companies across Canada, Alectra is dedicated to fostering meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and promoting economic reconciliation.
Did you know?
Focus on Retail
Is the sun setting on self-checkout?
It could be the beginning of the end for self-checkout machines.
In the U.S., Walmart has removed self-checkout lanes at six locations so far, owing in part to losses from theft, including items like fruit and vegetables being scanned with codes for cheaper produce. Safeway has also shut down self-checkout at a number of locations in the San Francisco Bay area because of theft.
A Giant Tiger in Stratford, Ont., meanwhile, recently scrapped self-checkout kiosks for a different reason. “The biggest complaint you have from everybody is, ‘You don’t pay me to work here,’” Scott Savage, the franchisee of the location which has a mostly older clientele, told the CBC of customers having to scan and bag their own groceries. “They would line up at my regular registers.”
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.
