In this edition:
- Niagara unemployment rate falls to 7.2% while national rate holds steady
- Grimsby opens nominations for Accessibility Matters Here to celebrate accessible businesses
- Niagara-on-the-Lake will not decide on former hospital site without analysis
- Thorold set to hold the line with 2026 water budget
- Community bus service set to return to Fort Erie with Niagara Transit route 751
- Diesel prices could remain high for months — and hit consumers harder than gas costs
- Wake and bake? Ontario may soon let cannabis stores open at 7 a.m.
- Focus on Internal Trade
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Spare an evening to help kids shine!
Join Niagara Children’s Centre on May 7 at Parkway Social in St. Catharines for the annual Niagara Strikes Back 10-pin bowling fundraiser, proudly presented by BrokerLink Insurance!
Register your team of 4–6 participants and help raise funds for the nearly 6,000 children and youth supported by the Children’s Centre each year—children like Tamara and Veronika.
Tamara and Veronika are 8-year-old twins living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1B, a rare condition that affects muscle strength. Through the Children’s Centre, they receive physiotherapy and participate in Recreation Therapy programs like aquatics, robotics, and family activities. These experiences have supported not only their physical development, but also their confidence, social skills, and sense of belonging within a community of families who understand their journey.
You can help kids like Tamara and Veronika shine by joining us on May 7.
Featured content by Niagara Children’s Centre
Picture credit: xtock / Adobe Stock
Niagara unemployment rate falls to 7.2% while national rate holds steady
The unemployment rate in Niagara fell from 7.7% to 7.2% in March, Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey shows. The seasonally-adjusted rate is 6.5%, a drop of 8.5% since February.
Nationally, employment was little changed in March (+14,000; +0.1%) and the employment rate held steady at 60.6%. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7%.
Picture credit: Rafa Jodar / Adobe Stock
Grimsby opens nominations for Accessibility Matters Here to celebrate accessible businesses
Communities across Niagara are coming together to recognize businesses that are making meaningful strides toward accessibility and inclusion. Nominations open April 10 and close May 14.
The Accessibility Matters Here Award celebrates local businesses that are actively working to create more inclusive, accessible spaces for individuals with disabilities. The initiative highlights those who are prioritizing inclusion and taking intentional steps to improve how welcoming, usable, and accessible their spaces and services are.
Picture credit: Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake will not decide on former hospital site without analysis
The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is reaffirming its approach to the future of the former hospital site at 176 Wellington Street, emphasizing that decisions regarding this significant public asset will be made through a deliberate, informed, and community-wide process.
Recent public commentary has suggested that the Town has selected a preferred outcome for the site or is delaying action by not proceeding immediately with a Request for Proposals (RFP). This is not accurate, the Town said in a statement. Council has not made a decision on the future use or development model for the site.
Photo credit: City of Thorold
Thorold set to hold the line with 2026 water budget
The City of Thorold will maintain its fixed-rate quarterly charge of $63.15 and a consumption charge of $1.719 per cubic metre, the same as it was in 2025, despite increased regional costs.
The same situation applies to the urban service area budget, which features a fixed-rate quarterly charge of $94.46 and a consumption charge of $2.566 per cubic metre.
Picture credit: Niagara Transit
Community bus service set to return to Fort Erie with Niagara Transit route 751
Community bus service will return to Fort Erie on Monday, April 27, 2026, with the launch of Route 751 – Fort Erie Community Bus.
Route 751 was built using Niagara Transit Plus trip data, which helped identify how people in Fort Erie already travel for everyday needs like getting to work, school and appointments. The new route provides a dependable, hourly schedule for local travel, giving residents a bus service they can count on as part of their routine.
Photo credit: alexanderuhrin / Adobe Stock
Diesel prices could remain high for months — and hit consumers harder than gas costs
High diesel prices continue to ripple through the economy and put pressure on consumers even as a shaky ceasefire in the Middle East offers a hint of relief to global commodities.
The average wholesale price of diesel remained more than 55 per cent above pre-war levels in recent days, according to Natural Resources Canada data, despite the U.S. announcement of a two-week pause in hostilities with Iran on Apr. 7.
Picture credit: TaylerDerden / Adobe Stock
Wake and bake? Ontario may soon let cannabis stores open at 7 a.m.
Cannabis stores in Ontario may soon be allowed to open at 7 a.m., a couple of hours earlier than they’re currently legally able to.
Premier Doug Ford’s government is proposing a change to the earlier opening time and is welcoming the public’s feedback on it.
Focus on Internal Trade
Building Canada, with Canada: Why ‘Product of Canada’ matters more than ever
Cory Cannon, Daily Commercial 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.
