In this edition:
- Niagara Falls purchases Sodom Road property for industrial park
- $500M hotel/condo development planned for Vineland Station
- Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority celebrates 2024 shipping season with the arrival of the First Vessels
- Welland to look at more wards, fewer councillors — again
- Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority not resisting provincial watercourse changes
- Mass timber at 18 storeys will drive housing up: advocates
- Focus on Finance & Economy
Niagara Falls purchases Sodom Road property for industrial park
The City of Niagara Falls has purchased 96 hectares of land along Sodom Road with plans to turn the Russell Aviation property into an industrial park.
The municipality’s Montrose and Stanley industrial parks are sold out, making it difficult for the city to attract major industrial developments in recent years.
On Tuesday, politicians approved the $6.5-million purchase of 12761 Sodom Rd., near Sherk Road and Queen Elizabeth Way.
$500M hotel/condo development planned for Vineland Station
Victoria Avenue North in Vineland Station may look significantly different in the coming years.
Toronto-based Globizen has applied to the Town of Lincoln to build a 15-storey, 120-room hotel and two condominium towers, 15 and 14 storeys tall, with 375 one- to three-bedroom units on about two hectares (five acres) of land at 4933 Victoria Ave. N.
Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority celebrates 2024 shipping season with arrival of first vessels
The first vessels of the 2024 shipping season have arrived at the Ports of Hamilton and Oshawa.
The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) celebrates the start of each shipping season with the ceremonial presentation of a Top Hat to the Captain of the first vessels, a tradition that began in 1947.
“As we mark the 77th year of our Top Hat Ceremony, we’re not just celebrating a tradition – we’re honouring the heart of maritime commerce,” said Vicki Gruber, HOPA Ports Harbour Master and Director of Safety & Security.
Welland to look at more wards, fewer councillors — again
Leo Van Vliet wants options to reduce Welland’s number of city councillors to save taxpayers money.
The Ward 2 councillor also wants city staff to review ward boundaries.
With a population of 55,750 as of 2021, according to Statistics Canada, the city is split into six wards, with two councillors elected to represent each ward and a mayor elected at large.
Last year, the 13 municipal representatives cost taxpayers $560,796, up from $528,763 in 2022.
Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority not resisting provincial watercourse changes
Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s planning and development director says the organization will have to wait and see how the province’s regulatory changes to watercourse definitions will impact area watercourses.
“Many of the changes, we will see how they are recorded,” Leilani Lee-Yates said during the conservation authority’s March 22 board meeting.
“I can’t speculate on (the environmental impact). We will use our best practices to do our role as a regulatory branch.”
Mass timber at 18 storeys will drive housing up: advocates
The Ontario government’s decision to take steps to permit mass timber buildings of up to 18 storeys is being praised by stakeholders as a boost to the mass timber manufacturing sector and a step forward in the province’s drive to build more housing.
The current limit in Ontario’s Building Code is 12 storeys. Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra announced April 8 the government will move to amend the building code to permit encapsulated mass timber construction up to 18 storeys after reviewing analysis and feedback from a multi-province joint task force that includes Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.
Did you know?
The most profitable resort on the Las Vegas strip takes in revenue of $1.69 billion per year.
Focus on Climate
Do energy efficiency measures justify additional construction costs?
While there is a push to incorporate energy efficiency measures into new buildings and homes to meet net-zero targets, a case study finds the benefits do not always justify the additional construction price tag for consumers.
The Country Homes Super Semi Energy Efficiency Demonstration Project, which was prepared for the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), examines the construction costs versus occupant realized energy savings of high performance housing.
The homes used for the study were two halves of a semi-detached in Milton, Ont. – one was an all-electric home designed and built to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) net-zero energy program. The other was designed to be a low-carbon hybrid home utilizing fuel-switching, combination hybrid gas and electric heat.
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.
