In this edition:
- Niagara EI claimants stable as national numbers climb
- $65,000 NCF grant supports tree planting across Niagara
- Oil pressures drive manufacturing raw material prices up 23.6% year-over-year
- West Lincoln seeks feedback on future services and spending
- More Americans travel to Canada as Canadian trips abroad continue to decrease
- Ontario introduces legislation to take over Billy Bishop Airport
- PM Carney points to trade irritants with U.S.: ‘Those are violations of our trade deal’
- Focus on Technology
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Picture credit: xtock / Adobe Stock
Niagara EI claimants stable as national numbers climb
Employment Insurance (EI) figures released today by Statistics Canada show Niagara’s number of claimants as essentially flat, falling by only 0.2% since the same time in 2025. 40 fewer net claimants were recorded in February when compared to January, representing a decline of 0.6%.
Nationally, the number of claimants was up 8.1% year-over-year, an increase of 41,000 people, with increases seen across all demographic groups. The year-over-year increases were larger among women (+22,000; +12.1%) than men (+18,000; +5.8%), and concentrated in recipients who last worked in occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (+10,000; +20.2%) and in business, finance and administration occupations (+9,800; +15.6%).
Picture credit: Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
$65,000 NCF grant supports tree planting across Niagara
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), in partnership with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Foundation (NPCF), is expanding tree planting efforts across the watershed following a $65,000 grant from the Niagara Community Foundation.
The funding will support a series of tree planting projects this spring through the Trees for All program, including planting efforts across approximately two hectares at five sites within the Niagara Peninsula watershed.
Photo credit: Pawinee / Adobe Stock
Oil pressures drive manufacturing raw material prices up 23.6% year-over-year
Prices of raw materials purchased by manufacturers operating in Canada, as measured by the Raw Materials Price Index (RMPI), increased by 12.0% month over month and rose 23.6% year over year, Statistics Canada reported today. Meanwhile, prices of products manufactured in Canada, as measured by the Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI), increased 2.4% month over month in March and gained 7.8% year over year.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, an important global shipping lane for petroleum and other products, was the main event impacting price movements across multiple commodities in March, including energy and petroleum products and chemicals and chemical products. Both conventional crude oil (+44.3%) and synthetic crude oil (+38.5%) posted monthly increases in March 2026. Approximately 25% of the global seaborne oil trade was transported through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.
Photo credit: Township of West Lincoln
West Lincoln seeks feedback on future services and spending
The Township of West Lincoln is seeking resident feedback to help shape future services, priorities and spending. An online survey is now open, giving community members the chance to weigh in on what’s working well, what could be improved and what should be a priority in the years ahead.
Feedback from the survey will be used to help develop the Township’s Proposed Levels of Service Asset Management Plan in accordance with Ontario Regulation 588/17.
Photo credit: belyaaa / Adobe Stock
More Americans travel to Canada as Canadian trips abroad continue to decrease
The number of trips to Canada by US residents increased 5.9% year-over-year in February, while Canadian residents returned from 3.3 million trips abroad in February 2026, down 5.5% compared with the same month in 2025.
Meanwhile, the top three countries of residence for overseas visitors were France, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, accounting for 31.7% of all overseas arrivals in Canada.
Picture credit: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
Ontario introduces legislation to take over Billy Bishop Airport
Today, the Ontario government introduced the Building Billy Bishop Airport Act, 2026 that would, if passed, allow the province to take over the City of Toronto’s role in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport and take ownership of the city-owned lands at the airport. In a media release, the government said this would be done in exchange for fair compensation.
Picture credit: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok
PM Carney points to trade irritants with U.S.: ‘Those are violations of our trade deal’
As top U.S. trade officials revive talk of Canadian trade irritants — such as provincial booze bans — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada has its own issues with the Americans, which he wants to see addressed.
“Look, you know what’s an irritant? A 50 per cent tariff on steel, 50 per cent tariff on aluminum, 25 per cent tariff on automobiles, all the tariffs on forest products,” Carney said Thursday, at a housing announcement in Ottawa. “Those are violations of our trade deal.”
Focus on Technology
Autonomous vehicles could be coming to Canadian roads
Shane Mercer, Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine
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.
