In this edition:
- Ontario minimum wage going up to $17.95/hr October 1
- Local area municipalities issue joint letter on governance and service review
- Provincial grant allows for urgent upgrades to Niagara Falls wastewater facility
- Ontario Street Secondary Plan background study released
- Canada extends excise duty relief, provides direct support to Canadian breweries, distilleries and wine makers
- Ontario Chamber backs high speed rail, Poilievre calls for cancellation
- Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
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Intimate partner violence is an epidemic that doesn’t stop at home, it follows survivors to work. Over 80% of those who have experienced abuse say it directly impacts their work, with 40% making a disclosure to someone in their workplace.
Don’t let violence write her reference. Recognize the signs of gender-based violence in your workplace and help provide life-changing support and referrals.
Gillian’s Place offers education and violence prevention programs to improve our community’s capacity to identify and respond to disclosures of abuse.Through customizable workshops, training sessions, and outreach initiatives, our programs equip individuals and organizations with the tools to recognize, respond to, and prevent gender-based violence. These programs have provided education to a wide range of community partners, helping increase awareness and build capacity to support those experiencing abuse.
Together, we can create a safer community that is better equipped to take action against gender-based violence.
Featured content by Gillian’s Place.
Photo credit: Maurizio De Mattei / Adobe Stock
Ontario minimum wage going up to $17.95/hr October 1
The Ontario government is increasing the general minimum wage from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour on October 1, 2026, affecting more than 700,000 workers across the province. This annual increase, tied to Ontario’s Consumer Price Index at 1.9 per cent, aims to ensure that wages continue to reflect economic conditions while protecting workers and providing businesses with greater stability.Click here to read more.
Picture credit: S… / Adobe Stock
Local area municipalities issue joint letter on governance and service review
The local area municipalities have issued a joint letter on governance reform in Niagara, reiterating their support for “a weighted distribution voting model that balances representation by population with fairness and ensures every municipality has a meaningful voice.” The letter also requests that council reductions recently passed by Niagara-on-the-Lake, Thorold, Grimsby, and Port Colborne take effect in time for the 2026 municipal election, which would require the Province to act by May 2026.
Photo credit: Belish / Adobe Stock
Provincial grant allows for urgent upgrades to Niagara Falls wastewater facility
A badly-aging Niagara Falls wastewater treatment plant will undergo critical repairs, thanks to a monetary boost from the Ontario government.
A one-time emergency transfer of almost $9.7 million was recently approved by Niagara Region’s public works committee from the municipality’s wastewater capital reserve fund for work to the plant.
Photo credit: City of St. Catharines
Ontario Street Secondary Plan background study released
The City of St. Catharines invites the public to participate in an Open House and Community Visioning Session for the Ontario Street Corridor Secondary Plan Study.
The background report for the study has been released and published at www.stcatharines.ca/ontariostreetstudy and the City’s EngageSTC page. The open house will take place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 in the Concord and Chardonnay Rooms at the Holiday Inn and Suites, 327 Ontario St. in St. Catharines. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with display materials available for viewing. A presentation of the background study will begin at 6 p.m., with discussions to follow.
Photo credit: romaset / Adobe Stock
Canada extends excise duty relief, provides direct support to Canadian breweries, distilleries and wine makers
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, announced a two-year extension of alcohol excise duty relief, to protect brewers, distillers, and winemakers during a period of global uncertainty. The government is capping inflationary increases: The annual inflation adjustment on beer, spirit, and wine excise duties will remain capped at two per cent. The excise duty rate on the first 15,000 hectolitres of beer brewed in Canada will remain cut by half.
Picture credit: THINK b / Adobe Stock
Ontario Chamber backs high speed rail, Poilievre calls for cancellation
Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO, Daniel Tisch, issued a statement on the Toronto–Québec City high‑speed rail project indicating strong support advancing nation‑building infrastructure like the Toronto–Québec City high‑speed rail corridor.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the federal government to cancel the proposed high-speed rail line, calling the project a “boondoggle” that would waste taxpayer dollars while confiscating farmland.
Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
The top 10 trade irritants in U.S. report on foreign trade barriers
Graham Richardson, CTV News
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.
