In this edition:
- Niagara unemployment rate ticks up to 7.6% as Ontario sheds jobs
- Niagara-on-the-Lake named one of the best destinations to visit for 2026
- HOPA in discussions with feds on trade-enabling plan for Hamilton
- Welland staff recommend city provide $17.8M for new Niagara Falls hospital
- Stellantis selling stake in battery plant joint venture in Ontario to partner
- New Economy Canada applauds federal automotive strategy while experts say details matter
- Amazon shares slide as $200 billion outlay fans fears over AI returns
- Election buzz ramps up with Liberals poaching candidates from opposition parties and Conservatives starting nomination process
- Focus on Climate
Did you know you can get the GNCC’s Daily Update emailed to you? Click here to sign up.
Picture credit: snowing12 / Adobe Stock
Niagara unemployment rate ticks up to 7.6% as Ontario sheds jobs
Niagara’s unemployment rate rose from 6.5% to 7.6% between December 2025 and January 2026, the highest rate since April 2025. Both the participation rate (percentage of people in the labour force) and employment rate fell, indicating a net loss of jobs.
National employment edged down in January (-25,000; -0.1%) and the employment rate decreased 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%. Employment decreased in Ontario (-67,000; -0.8%), while it rose in Alberta (+20,000; +0.8%), Saskatchewan (+6,100; +1.0%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+3,800; +1.6%). There was little change in the other provinces.
Picture credit: Alexandre / Adobe Stock
Niagara-on-the-Lake named one of the best destinations to visit for 2026
Niagara-on-the-Lake has been named as one of the best destinations to visit in Canada, ahead of Toronto, Niagara Falls and Ottawa.
Tripadvisor’s 2026 Travellers’ Choice Awards placed Niagara-on-the-Lake at number three among 15 spots, behind only Banff, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Picture credit: HOPA
HOPA in discussions with feds on trade-enabling plan for Hamilton
Picture credit: Niagara Health System
Welland staff recommend city provide $17.8M for new Niagara Falls hospital
City staff are recommending Welland council approve a $17.8-million contribution to the new 12-storey Niagara Falls hospital under construction at Montrose and Biggar roads.
Before it’s presented publicly at Tuesday’s meeting, city council will meet in camera to receive legal advice on the funding.
Picture credit: NextStar Energy
Stellantis selling stake in battery plant joint venture in Ontario to partner
Automaker Stellantis is selling its stake in its joint venture battery manufacturing plant in Ontario to its partner, LG Energy Solution.
Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.
Picture credit: THINK B / Adobe Stock
New Economy Canada applauds federal automotive strategy while experts say details matter
New Economy Canada published a press release stating that Canada’s new national automotive strategy can “transform and modernize Canada’s auto sector and reinvigorate Canada’s electric vehicle and charging industry.”
“We respect the government’s efforts to both sustain and encourage automotive investment in Canada, however, with all such announcements, the details matter,” said David Adams, head of Global Automakers of Canada, which represents Toyota, Honda and numerous other international automakers.
Picture credit: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock
Amazon shares slide as $200 billion outlay fans fears over AI returns
Amazon.com shares slid 9% on Friday after the company outlined a planned $200 billion capital outlay for the year, stoking investor concerns about the scale of Big Tech’s spending on artificial intelligence.
Click here to read more.
Photo credit: Wangkun Jia / Adobe Stock
Election buzz ramps up with Liberals poaching candidates from opposition parties and Conservatives starting nomination process
Ottawa is buzzing with election speculation as Elections Canada lines up offices and recruits staff, Liberals poach candidates and MPs from opposition parties, and the Conservatives have formally launched nomination contests.
“In a minority government context, the election could be called at any time,” wrote Clare MacDonald, an Elections Canada media spokesperson, in an email to The Hill Times.
Focus on Climate
As the climate changes, what does the future hold for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games?
Daniel Scott, Madeleine Orr, Robert Steiger, The Conversation
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.
