In this edition:
- Glencairn Hall, Marotta property merger OK’d by NOTL committee of adjustment
- Niagara College operations continue following Support Staff strike vote
- Welland mayor calls for independent body to oversee removal of elected officials
- Q2 operating profits for corporations drop led by oil and gas margin contractions
- Canada’s ‘exceptional’ drought hints at future climate, need for action
- De minimis tariff ‘loophole’ ending: What it means for consumers
- Focus on Housing Solutions
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Picture credit: Niagara-on-the-Lake museum
Glencairn Hall, Marotta property merger OK’d by NOTL committee of adjustment
Developer Benny Marotta’s application to merge a portion of the Glencairn Hall property with his own nearby land has been granted by Niagara-on-the-Lake’s committee of adjustment.
As a result of a 4-1 decision during the committee’s Thursday meeting at town hall, members agreed to join a parcel of land on Niagara River Parkway, tied to Glencairn Hall which was destroyed by fire in April, to Marotta’s abutting property.
Photo credit: Niagara College
Niagara College classes and operations continue following Support Staff strike vote
Full-time Support Staff at all Ontario colleges, including at Niagara College, have voted 77% in favour of giving its union, the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) a strike mandate. Following negotiations between OPSEU and the province’s colleges mediated by a government-appointed conciliator, OPSEU requested a “No Board Report” from the Ministry of Labour, which was issued. The union is in a legal position to commence job actions, up to and including a full strike, as early as September 11, 2025.
Current college operations and Fall term academic schedules remain in place, including all scheduled classes, labs and learning activities.
Welland Mayor Frank Campion | Photo Credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara
Welland mayor calls for independent body to oversee removal of elected officials
Welland Mayor Frank Campion wants an independent quasi-judicial body — rather than municipal councils — to handle the removal of elected officials from office.
In a letter to the provincial government regarding Bill 9, the Municipal Accountability Act, Campion said a third-party group would be better equipped to assess facts and make decisions in a fair, impartial and consistent manner.
Photo credit: vacancylizm / Adobe Stock
Q2 operating profits for corporations drop led by oil and gas margin contractions
Second quarter operating profit for Canadian corporations declined $3.2 billion (-1.7%) from the first quarter, totalling $190.9 billion. The decline was primarily driven by reduced profit in non-financial industries. Despite the quarterly drop, operating profit rose by $2.9 billion (+1.6%) compared to the same quarter last year.
The oil and gas extraction led the non-financial industries’ decline, reporting reduced quarter-to-quarter operating profits of $2.9 billion (-26.2%) in the second quarter.
Picture credit: by-studio / Adobe Stock
Canada’s ‘exceptional’ drought hints at future climate, need for action
Canada must prepare for more seasons marked by severe drought, experts say as this summer’s bone-dry conditions tormented farmers, strained municipal water supply and fuelled one of the worst wildfire seasons on record.
Seventy-one per cent of the country was either abnormally dry or under drought conditions as of the end of July, according to the federal government’s drought monitor released last week.
Picture credit: manassanant / Adobe Stock
De minimis tariff ‘loophole’ ending: What it means for consumers
European freight companies are pausing shipments to the US due to uncertainty stemming from the upcoming termination of the de minimis tariff exemption on Friday, Aug. 29. The de minimis exemption allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to enter the US duty-free.
Focus on Housing Solutions
Ontario homebuilding is lagging the rest of the country and that could have ‘dire consequences’
Pamela Heaven, Financial Post
Housing starts in Canada are the strongest in four years — with one big exemption.
Homebuilding in Canada averaged 250,000 annualized units in the first half of the year, exceeding the average 201,000 units in the 10 years before the pandemic.
But it’s a different story in Ontario, where housing starts, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, “seriously” lag the rest of the country — a situation that economists say could have “dire consequences” a few years from now.
The province’s six-month average has fallen to the lowest level in a decade, said Robert Hogue, assistant chief economist at Royal Bank of Canada.
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.
