In this edition:
- Businesses facing trade challenges can now apply for federal funding
- New world-class attraction Niagara Takes Flight opens in Niagara Falls
- Rental builds keep Niagara housing starts near historic norms
- Is Labour Day Monday a paid holiday and who gets the day off in Ontario?
- Ontario investing $2M to help young entrepreneurs start and grow businesses
- More commuters as back-to-office trends continue, but more workers choose transit
- Canada’s inflation fears ‘an illusion,’ with more BoC cuts likely
- Focus on Human Resources
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Picture credit: amazing studio / Adobe Stock
Southern Ontario businesses facing trade challenges can now apply for federal funding
Today, the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced that the Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) is open in southern Ontario.
The RTRI is a three-year, $450-million national initiative, delivered through Canada’s regional development agencies (RDAs), to help businesses overcome trade challenges.
Picture credit: Niagara Parks
New world-class attraction Niagara Takes Flight opens in Niagara Falls
Beginning August 29, visitors to Niagara Falls can experience the destination from an entirely new perspective, soaring high above to take in its iconic sights through the eyes of a bird with Niagara Takes Flight.
Filmed over the span of six months using custom-built drones, Niagara Takes Flight allows guests to experience the exhilarating sights of Niagara from a perspective they simply could not enjoy any other way.
Photo credit: reme80 / Adobe Stock
Rental builds keep Niagara housing starts near historic norms
While much of Ontario is grappling with a slowdown in housing construction, Niagara is quietly holding its ground — in part due to a surge in rental apartment builds in Welland and Thorold.
New data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) shows Niagara recorded 288 housing starts in July, including 206 purpose-built apartments.
Photo credit: Peera / Adobe Stock
Is Labour Day Monday a paid holiday and who gets the day off in Ontario?
The upcoming Labour Day holiday is on Monday, Sept. 1, which makes for a much-anticipated three-day long weekend for most.
On Sept. 1, many government offices will be closed. Schools, post offices, banks and libraries will also be closed in most areas.
Photo credit: tirachard / Adobe Stock
Ontario investing $2M to help young entrepreneurs start and grow businesses
The Ontario government is investing an additional $2 million in Futurpreneur Canada to help more young people develop and launch businesses and strengthen Ontario’s economy in the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty. The funding will support 320 young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 to 39 with access to financing, mentorship and support to start and grow successful businesses.
Photo credit: disq / Adobe Stock
More commuters as back-to-office trends continue, but more workers choose transit
The proportion of employed people who are commuters—that is, who usually work most of their hours outside their home—rose for the fourth year in a row to reach 82.6% in May 2025, up 1.3 percentage points from May 2024.
The share of commuters mainly using a car, truck or van to get to work decreased 0.6 percentage points over the previous year to 80.9% in May 2025, continuing the downward trend recorded since May 2022. At the same time, the proportion of public transit commuters increased for the fourth year in a row.
Photo credit: TOimages / Adobe Stock
What happens if flight attendants reject Air Canada’s contract offer?
After a tentative deal was reached between Air Canada and its flight attendants’ union on Aug. 19, members of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will begin voting on the new contract beginning Wednesday.
CUPE has confirmed members cannot resume strike action, even if the tentative deal is rejected. But if a majority of members reject the contract, it could lead to further delays in negotiations, Reuters reported.
Photo credit: Roman / Adobe Stock
Canada’s inflation fears ‘an illusion,’ with more BoC cuts likely
Markets are underestimating how much more monetary stimulus the Bank of Canada (BoC) will deliver, argues Desjardins Group economist Royce Mendes, who dismisses the prevailing fears of “sticky” core inflation as “nothing more than an illusion.”
Focus on Human Resources
Young people can’t find jobs. Is Canada’s economy in trouble?
CBC News
The unemployment rate for Canadians between 15 and 24 is at 15 percent, the highest it’s been since 2010, not including the pandemic.
Why can’t young people find a job? And how do these numbers fit into the wider health of our economy at the moment?
Economist and Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers Armine Yalnizyan is on the show to talk about these numbers, why they stand out and what could be done to prepare and protect the economy from a world of near-constant uncertainty.
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.
