In this edition:
- Mayor Siscoe declares state of emergency after flooding across St. Catharines
- Niagara trades development charge revenue for possible $751M infrastructure funding
- Announced 50% U.S. tariffs push retailers to reprice goods and delay growth
- Welland faces employment land shortage after council rejects Cooks Mills industrial park
- WestJet and CUPE reach tentative deal after long-weekend strike
- Grocers say direct-to-consumer alcohol deal leaves key trade barriers intact
- Proposed West Coast pipeline poised to become first project fast-tracked under Building Canada Act
- Grimsby opens applications for community grants worth up to $100,000
- Focus on Tourism
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Picture credit: Brad Demers / Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce file photo
Mayor Siscoe declares state of emergency after flooding across St. Catharines
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe declared a state of emergency after intense storms on July 27-28 and August 2 brought more than 140 millimetres of rain to parts of the city. The rainfall overwhelmed roads, sewers and stormwater infrastructure, flooding homes, businesses and municipal facilities and causing shoreline erosion. The city’s Emergency Operations Centre remains active as crews assess damage and address urgent health and safety concerns. Although conditions are stabilizing, saturated ground leaves the city vulnerable to further storms. The declaration strengthens coordination, speeds access to emergency resources and supports requests for provincial and federal assistance.
Picture credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara
Niagara trades development charge revenue for possible $751M infrastructure funding
Niagara Region will pursue a federal-provincial deal that could provide $509.3 million for the South Niagara Wastewater Treatment Plant and $241.8 million for five West Lincoln water and wastewater projects. In return, the Region would reduce residential development charges by 50 per cent for three years, forgoing an estimated $218.5 million, and fund 10 per cent of construction through rates. The $688-million South Niagara plant would support nearly 31,000 homes, 750 hectares of employment land, 3,000 hotel rooms and the new hospital. Staff say the grants outweigh lost revenue, but added debt and pressure on capital reserves create long-term fiscal risks.
Picture credit: Valerii Evlakhov / Adobe Stock
Announced 50% U.S. tariffs push retailers to reprice goods and delay growth
Announced 50 per cent U.S. tariffs are adding to an already volatile operating environment for retailers, according to a DOSS report. Its survey found tariff changes affect 38 per cent of company revenue on average, while one-third of businesses pass higher costs to customers. Forty-five per cent are holding excess inventory longer than planned, 58 per cent have absorbed costs they intended to pass on and 40 per cent have begun repricing affected goods or services. More than half of decision-makers say responding to trade policy is taking time away from long-term growth, underscoring the value of faster cost modelling, supply-chain visibility and pricing decisions.
Picture credit: City of Welland
Welland faces employment land shortage after council rejects Cooks Mills industrial park
Welland’s ability to attract and retain industry is under pressure after council voted 7-6 against declaring 23 hectares of city-owned agricultural land in Cooks Mills surplus, preventing its sale for industrial development. Staff say investor interest remains strong, but the city now has no available employment lands. The proposed park could have created as many as 18 development-ready lots and supported an estimated 200 to 800 jobs. Supporters argue industry is essential to jobs and the tax base, while residents question why serviced or brownfield sites are not used instead. Councillors and staff say they will continue searching for alternatives.
Picture credit: Kyo46 / Adobe Stock
WestJet and CUPE reach tentative deal after long-weekend strike
WestJet and CUPE reached a tentative agreement Aug. 3 after approximately 4,400 flight attendants began a brief work stoppage that grounded the airline’s flights over the long weekend. CUPE says the deal includes wage increases and better recognizes work performed outside flight time, addressing a central complaint about unpaid duties. Members will have 30 days to vote on ratification. Flights were beginning to resume, but WestJet had not said when normal operations would be restored. Stranded passengers reported repeated rebookings, long customer-service waits and substantial hotel and replacement-flight costs. WestJet’s chief executive apologized and said teams were working to restore service.
Photo credit: bodnarphoto / Adobe Stock
Grocers say direct-to-consumer alcohol deal leaves key trade barriers intact
Canada’s new Direct-to-Consumer Alcohol Sales Agreement will let consumers buy wine, beer and spirits directly from producers in nine participating provinces, but grocery-sector representatives expect little change at store checkouts. They say most shoppers will continue valuing the convenience of buying alcohol with groceries, while taxes and shipping costs may limit out-of-province orders. Independent grocers argue the agreement also leaves them unable to purchase many specialty products through channels outside provincial wholesalers, preventing them from offering individual bottles to customers. Industry representatives are urging governments to tackle broader interprovincial barriers, including inconsistent trucking regulations and differing food-inspection systems.
Photo credit: serikbaib / Adobe Stock
Proposed West Coast pipeline poised to become first project fast-tracked under Building Canada Act
The federal government has published Alberta’s proposed West Coast oil pipeline in the Canada Gazette, starting a 30-day waiting period before Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc can add it to the Building Canada Act’s project schedule. If designated, it would become the first project to use the Act’s accelerated approval framework. Federal decisions normally required under several statutes, including the Impact Assessment Act and Species at Risk Act, would be granted with conditions gathered into a single document rather than separate reviews. Developing those conditions is expected to take a year. Ottawa has said it will decide by Oct. 1 whether to list the project.
Photo credit: Harold Stiver / Adobe Stock
Grimsby opens applications for community grants worth up to $100,000
Applications are open for two Town of Grimsby programs supporting community initiatives. The Community Project Grant Program offers eligible community groups up to $5,000 for programs that increase local participation, with applications due Sept. 4. The Community Development Grant Program supports non-profit and charitable organizations undertaking projects that improve residents’ well-being. It can cover up to 30 per cent of a project’s budget, to a maximum of $100,000, with an Oct. 4 deadline. Applicants must be Grimsby residents or Grimsby-based organizations, demonstrate a clear community benefit and deliver inclusive, accessible projects. Funding is limited and applications will be assessed competitively.
Focus on Trends
State of the Consumer 2026: When tech acceleration and cost pressures collide
McKinsey & Company
In today’s complex and fast-changing consumer landscape, two forces—the rapid advancement of technology and sustained cost consciousness—stand out for their breadth and persistence in shaping the sector.
Already, we are seeing that consumers’ path to purchase is increasingly complicated, brand influence is more diffuse, and the priority consumers place on value now cuts across income segments and categories. Scale within established channels is less powerful than it once was. Brands must consistently earn the right to be chosen by proving value across a more fragmented and mediated decision landscape.
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.
