In this edition:
- Ontario invests $2M to create first-ever succession planning hub
- 10 Niagara restaurants among OpenTable’s top 100 most romantic in Canada
- Grimsby invites local stake holders to Transportation Master Plan info session
- Niagara Health to close Welland long-term care home
- Government expected to scrap EV mandate in favour of new fuel efficiency system
- Canadians support arrival of more Chinese EVs, poll finds
- Build Canada Homes launches RFI on modern methods of construction
- Single-mother households most likely to be persistent low-income, StatCan finds
- Government of Canada launches new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion
- Focus on Technology
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Ridley announces Hockey Cares partnership with Kugaaruk, Nunavut
Ridley College is proud to host the Hockey Cares Cultural Exchange, a national program of True North Aid that connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth through hockey and cultural exchange. The initiative reflects a shared commitment to reconciliation, education, and building stronger communities.
In February 2026, Ridley College will welcome youth from Kugaaruk, Nunavut, a remote Inuit fly-in community, to its St. Catharines campus. Their visit will include time at Ridley, experiences throughout Niagara, and opportunities to connect with students and the local community. In April, Ridley student ambassadors will travel north to Kugaaruk to continue the exchange through cultural immersion and shared learning.
This exchange is a moment for the Niagara community to come together and celebrate a meaningful initiative being hosted locally. Businesses and community partners are invited to get involved through sponsorship and in-kind support, helping create lasting experiences for youth while supporting reconciliation in action.
By Playing Together, We Learn From Each Other
Featured content by Ridley College
Photo credit: sidekick / Adobe Stock
Ontario invests $2M to create first-ever succession planning hub
The Ontario government is investing nearly $2 million to establish Ontario’s first-ever business succession planning services hub to help entrepreneurs prepare for the critical process of smooth ownership transition.
Delivered by the Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO), Succession Ontario is an online hub that provides tools and resources to help business owners understand the requirements for selling and exiting their business. To further support the planning process, Small Business Enterprise Centres (SBECs) located across the province will receive training and resources to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to deliver one-on-one advisory services in their local communities.
Picture credit: Prostock-studio / Adobe Stock
10 Niagara restaurants among OpenTable’s top 100 most romantic in Canada
Don’t know where to take your sweetheart to celebrate Valentine’s Day?
OpenTable has identified 10 Niagara restaurants as among 100 of the most romantic in Canada for 2026 .
Picture credit: Alphabet / Google Maps
Grimsby invites local stake holders to Transportation Master Plan info session
Picture credit: Seventyfour / Adobe Stock | Stock photo
Niagara Health to close Welland long-term care home
Niagara Health will not be renewing the operating licence for the long-term care home at the Welland Site. The licence expires in June 2026, which means the home will close once all residents have safely transitioned to new homes.
While care will continue until the final resident has moved, the building no longer meets modern long-term care safety and accessibility standards.
Photo credit: NVB Stocker / Adobe Stock
Government expected to scrap EV mandate in favour of new fuel efficiency system
The federal government is expected to announce its national automotive strategy on Thursday that includes scrapping Canada’s electric vehicle mandate and replacing it with a new system of fuel efficiency standards and credits, CBC News has learned.
Picture credit: Dmitry Presnyakov / Adobe Stock
Canadians support arrival of more Chinese EVs, poll finds
Sixty-one per cent of respondents supported allowing more Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market, including 24 per cent who strongly backed the decision and 38 per cent who somewhat supported it.
Picture credit: CMHC
Build Canada Homes launches RFI on modern methods of construction
Build Canada Homes (BCH) today launched a Request for Information (RFI) to engage Canadian firms specializing in MMC—including modular, panelized, and prefabricated systems. This initiative is a critical step toward accelerating the delivery of affordable housing across Canada.
Picture credit: photobyphotoboy / Adobe Stock
Single-mother households most likely to be persistent low-income, StatCan finds
A new study released today, entitled “Who experiences persistent low income? A study of various demographic groups from 2016 to 2022,” found that people in female lone-parent families (23%), people without a high school diploma (21%), and people who reported they always had limitations in their daily activities (18%) were more at risk of low-income persistence, compared to the overall population (9%).
Picture credit: vartzbed / Adobe Stock
Government of Canada launches new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion
Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, announced the creation of the new Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion. The Advisory Council will be comprised of prominent Canadians from academia as well as experts and community leaders, with a mission to foster social cohesion, rally Canadians around shared identity, combat racism and hate in all their forms, and help guide the efforts of the Government of Canada.
Focus on Technology
Why the AI-driven software stock crash probably isn’t over
Brian Sozzi, Yahoo!Finance
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.
