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Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Home / Daily Update  /  Daily Update: December 18, 2025

Daily Update: December 18, 2025

December 18, 2025 | Daily Update

In this edition:

  • Bob Gale appointed as next chair of Niagara Regional Council
  • Jackson-Triggs launches zero per cent wines
  • Casino competition would benefit Niagara Falls, mayor says
  • Canada and Ontario sign a new agreement to accelerate the construction of major projects in Ontario
  • Niagara EI claimants up 4.4% year-over-year
  • Number of active businesses grows as openings outnumber closures in Canada
  • Focus on Human Resources

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Picture credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara

Bob Gale appointed as next chair of Niagara Regional Council

Bob Gale is removing one hat and replacing it with another as he has been announced as the newest chair of Niagara Regional Council.

On Thursday he was appointed by the province as the head of council, filling a vacancy left by the September death of Jim Bradley, a 55-year politician in Niagara who had served as chair since 2018.

Click here to read more.

Picture credit: Arterra Wines Canada

Jackson-Triggs launches zero per cent wines

Jackson-Triggs debuts its first-ever zero per cent alcohol wine portfolio. It joins the brand’s re-imagined Light collection that now has 25 per cent less alcohol.

“We heard from Canadians that there was an opportunity to deliver exceptional taste in no and low alcohol wines, and we’re excited to have Jackson-Triggs lead the way,” says Jordan Mascarenhas, director, product, brand & growth marketing at Arterra Wines Canada.

Click here to read more.

Picture credit: City of Niagara Falls

Casino competition would benefit Niagara Falls, mayor says

Competition is what the gaming industry in Niagara Falls needs, says Mayor Jim Diodati.

“Every other industry in the city, you’ve got to put a great product out there to be successful,” he said. “When you have competition, it brings out the best.”

Click here to read more.

The Canadian (at left) and Ontario flags

Photo credit: Jazz / Adobe Stock

Canada and Ontario sign a new agreement to accelerate the construction of major projects in Ontario

Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, and the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, announced the new Co-operation Agreement between Ontario and Canada on Environmental and Impact Assessment.

This agreement will bring a “one project, one review” approach to major infrastructure initiatives in Ontario. Canada and Ontario will implement a streamlined and flexible assessment process that minimises duplication and delivers major projects faster while reinforcing strong environmental protections. This ensures both governments can adopt the most effective assessment process on a case-by-case basis – either by relying on Ontario’s process or by implementing a coordinated federal-provincial approach.

Click here to read more.

Sad Fired Young Employee businessmen hold boxes including pot plant and documents for personal belongings unemployment, resigned concept

Picture credit: snowing12 / Adobe Stock

Niagara EI claimants up 4.4% year-over-year

260 more Niagara residents were claiming Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in October 2025 than in the same month of 2024 – a 4.4% increase, bringing the total EI claimaint roll to 6,180.

Nationally, the number of Canadians receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits edged up (+1.1%; +6,200) to 553,000 in October. The number of beneficiaries has changed little since July, following an upward trend from January to June (+59,000; +12.0%).

Click here to read more.

Picture credit: Vittaya_25 / Adobe Stock

In September, the business opening rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 4.8%, following a 0.2 percentage point decline in the previous month. The business closure rate edged down 0.1 percentage points for a second consecutive month to settle at 4.7% in September. Both the opening and the closure rates were 0.1 percentage points above their respective 2015-to-2019 averages.

The number of active businesses grew 0.2% (+1,665 businesses) in September, as the number of business openings was higher than that of business closures.

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Focus on Human Resources

Most people recognize that we shouldn’t actively harm others at work. Yet people tend to assume that failing to act is relatively benign or inconsequential.

Imagine witnessing an employee being belittled by a coworker. As a manager, should you step in or could staying on the sidelines give employees room to resolve conflict themselves?

Our new research demonstrates that “perceived managerial inaction” — the belief that a manager has failed to act in response to a negative experience — can have devastating consequences in the workplace. We examined how employees react when they believe their manager has failed to respond to a harmful or disrespectful incident.

Across an experiment and surveys involving hundreds of employees, we measured whether people felt their manager had a duty to intervene, whether they believed that duty was violated and how this shaped their trust, well-being and behaviour.

Click here to read more.

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.

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