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Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce

Home / Daily Update  /  Daily Update: December 2, 2025

Daily Update: December 2, 2025

December 2, 2025 | Daily Update

In this edition:

  • Atlas Steels waste site to transform into Vista Park
  • ‘It will be shock and awe to businesses,’ Niagara BIAs say as recycling service ends in 2025
  • Councillors propose 14 changes to Welland mayor’s 2026 budget
  • St. Catharines to offer free weekday downtown parking for December
  • Ontario carbon monoxide alarm rules changing January 1, 2026
  • Unfilled job rate for health-related occupations nearly tripled between 2016 and 2024, report shows
  • S&P Global Canada Manufacturing PMI shows continued downturn in operating conditions
  • OBCT launches anti-discrimination, anti-harassment training program
  • Ontario exempting training centres from municipal and planning laws
  • Focus on Retail

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Picture credit: Niagara Region

Replacement of St. Paul Street West bridge in St. Catharines opens a year ahead of schedule

Niagara Region is proud to announce that the replacement of the St. Paul Street West CNR bridge (Regional Road 81) in St. Catharines is complete and has reopened to traffic and pedestrians – a full year ahead of schedule.

The bridge, which spans the Canadian National Railway (CNR) tracks, was replaced as part of the larger GO Station Precinct project.

Click here to read more.

Mona Patel, Niagara District Airport Commissioner (and NF City Councillor), S/Sgt. Sylvain Tessier, Detachment Commander, Niagara-on-the-Lake Detachment, RCMP, Dan Pilon, CEO Niagara District Airport, Terry Nord, Niagara District Airport Commissioner, Mike Britton, Executive Director Crime Stoppers of Niagara, Mark Stevens, Niagara District Airport Commissioner (and St. Catharines City Councillor) | Picture credit: Niagara District Airport

Niagara District Airport partners with RCMP, Crime Stoppers & #NotInMyCity on human trafficking

Niagara District Airport (NDA) is partnering with #NotInMyCity, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Federal Policing – Central Region (RCMP), and Crime Stoppers of Niagara to raise awareness and help put an end to sexual exploitation and sex trafficking in Canada.

Click here to read more.

Picture credit: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre leads regional conversation on the economic power of arts & culture

A new report on the state of Canada’s arts sector drew a crowd to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Monday, offering fresh numbers on how arts and culture are shaping both the national economy and local communities.

The free public talk, held Dec. 1 in the Robertson Theatre, featured Business/Arts president and CEO Aubrey Reeves, who walked attendees through Artworks: The Economic and Social Dividends from Canada’s Arts and Culture Sector.

Click here to read more.

Picture credit: Alectra Utilities

Alectra celebrated as a Top GTA Employer for fifth consecutive year

Alectra Inc. has been recognized as one of the Greater Toronto Area’s Top Employers for the fifth consecutive year, reflecting its continued commitment to supporting employee well-being, fostering innovation, and investing in a sustainable future.
Click  here to read more.

Picture credit: Tourism Partnership of Niagara

The Tourism Partnership of Niagara is inviting you to an informative virtual workshop on the Experience Ontario 2026 Program. 

Learn more about how Experience Ontario provides support for festivals and events that draw tourists, increase visitor spending and provide job opportunities

Click here to read more.

Photo credit: boule1301 / Adobe Stock

New report indicates already-dire housing situation could get even worse

Given current and anticipated conditions, the already-dire state of new home starts and sales across municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) is going to get worse before it gets better, according to a comprehensive new report undertaken for the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON).

Click here to read more.

A shopping cart filled with groceries stands in the aisle of a grocery store

Photo credit: monticellllo / Adobe Stock

Grocery Code of Conduct office finalizes governance framework, launches formal recruitment

The Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct (OGSCC) has completed its governance framework and the dispute resolution management process, a significant milestone in the implementation of the Canada Grocery Code.

OGSCC is now launching its formal recruitment campaign.

Click here to read more.

Focus on Climate

A new pipeline agreement between Alberta and Ottawa could trigger a race to the bottom on Canada’s climate policies, advocates said recently as they warned the deal would invite other provinces to make copycat demands.

While the deal saw Alberta agree to strengthen its industrial carbon price, it also came with several carveouts. The deal proposed to extend a timeline for cutting down on highly polluting methane emissions and suspending clean electricity rules — but only for that province.

The head of the Canadian Climate Institute said political carveouts are a short-sighted compromise that will increase emissions of planet-warming gases and invite provinces to ask for their own special treatment.

“That could trigger a race to the bottom,” the institute’s president, Rick Smith, said in a statement.

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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