In this edition:
- Ontario’s Sixth Working for Workers Act receives Royal Assent
- St. Catharines opens second intake for Neighbourhood Micro Grants
- Bryan Boles appointed Port Colborne Interim CAO
- Car dealers and auto parts lead retail pick-up in October
- Prime Minister announces reshuffle, eight new ministers join cabinet
- St. Catharines council permits water hookup for Henry of Pelham
- Focus on International Trade
Did you know you can get the GNCC’s Daily Update emailed to you? Click here to sign up.
Picture credit: JHVEPhoto / Adobe Stock
Ontario’s Sixth Working for Workers Act receives Royal Assent
David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, issued the following statement after the Working for Workers Six Act, 2024 received Royal Assent on December 19, 2024.
Major changes include giving over $2.5 billion in WSIB surpluses to hundreds of thousands of safe employers and reducing employer premium rates to the lowest average level in half a century, new standards for immigration representatives, and a $1.4 billion investment in the Skills Development Fund.
Picture credit: City of St. Catharines
St. Catharines opens second intake for Neighbourhood Micro Grants
Following a successful first intake earlier this year, the City of St. Catharines is now accepting applications for the second round of its Neighbourhood Micro Grants program.
Residents can apply for up to $1,500 in funding to support neighbourhood projects and events during the upcoming intake period, which runs from Jan. 1, 2025, to March 31, 2025.
Picture credit: City of Port Colborne
Bryan Boles appointed Port Colborne Interim CAO
The City of Port Colborne’s CAO, Scott Luey, has chosen to step down from his role for personal reasons, effective December 31. Mayor Bill Steele, on behalf of City Council, staff, and the residents of Port Colborne, thanks Mr. Luey for his nearly ten years of service to the community and wishes him and his family the best for the future.
Director of Corporate Services/Treasurer, Bryan Boles, will serve as Interim CAO, beginning today.
Picture credit: Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock
Car dealers and auto parts lead retail pick-up in October
Retail sales increased 0.6% to $67.6 billion in October. Sales were up in five of nine subsectors and were led by increases at motor vehicle and parts dealers.
Core retail sales—which exclude gasoline stations and fuel vendors and motor vehicle and parts dealers—were up 0.2% in October.
Wholesale trade declined 4.3% in the same period, with the largest losses coming from petroleum and related products.
Picture credit: World Economic Forum / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Prime Minister announces reshuffle, eight new ministers join cabinet
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced changes to his cabinet, with four ministers taking on new roles, and eight M.P.s elevated to ministerial posts.
Picture credit: Henry of Pelham Estate Winery
St. Catharines council permits water hookup for Henry of Pelham
Henry of Pelham winery will be allowed build a private water line to connect its rural property to city water — completely at its own expense — after city councillors unanimously went against a staff recommendation denying the request.
The winery, at 1459 Pelham Rd., now brings in truckloads of water three to six times a day for its operations.
Did you know?
Party City is closing its U.S. operations, although Canadian stores are unaffected.
Focus on International Trade
Anxiety creeps into auto sector as Trump threatens blanket tariffs on day one
Canada’s automobile executives are anxiously waiting to see if Donald Trump makes good on threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports after he assumes his second term as United States president in January.
More than 91 per cent of Canadian automotive and auto parts are exported to the U.S., and some parts cross the U.S. or Mexico border as many as eight times before they are installed in a final assembly.
That means the stakes are high for an industry that is already being destabilized by the costs and uncertainties of making the electric vehicle transition, considered one of the largest industrial transformations in history.
What’s more, industry insiders say the auto sector is still reeling from several years of other challenges, such as semiconductor shortages that depressed production and high interest rates and inflation that reduced consumer demand.
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.
