In this edition:
- Niagara unemployment reaches 6.5% in January data in reversal of broader trends
- St. Catharines calls for vendors for 2025 outdoor farmers market season
- Port Colborne City Council appoints Bryan Boles as new CAO
- Niagara-on-the-Lake welcomes new Climate Change Coordinator
- Federal infrastructure program would result in 4.3% tax hike, Regional Council told
- Tariffs threat is prompting businesses to overhaul their supply chains
- CMHC predicts home sales, prices to rebound in 2025, tariff threat clouds outlook
- Badawey proposes domestic and bilateral supply chain and logistics strategy
- Focus on Canadian-U.S. Business
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Photo credit: skrotov / Adobe Stock
Niagara unemployment reaches 6.5% in January data in reversal of broader trends
Niagara’s unemployment rate rose from 6.2% to 6.5% in January 2025, Statistics Canada reported today, even as the participation rate – the number of people working or actively seeking work – fell to 60.5%.
Nationwide, employment increased by 76,000 (+0.4%) in January and the employment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 61.1%. The unemployment rate declined 0.1 percentage points to 6.6%.
Click here to access the Labour Force Survey in brief interactive map.
Picture credit: City of St. Catharines
St. Catharines calls for vendors for 2025 outdoor farmers market season
The City of St. Catharines is calling on new farmers and producers to apply for a space at the 2025 St. Catharines Farmers Market.
Every spring, the farmers market expands to include outdoor spaces from May to October, welcoming back farmers for the main harvest season. In addition to more vendors, the outdoor market also features local musicians and an interactive community engagement space with free and fun experiences for all ages.
Picture credit: City of Port Colborne
Port Colborne City Council appoints Bryan Boles as new CAO
The City of Port Colborne is pleased to announce the appointment of Bryan Boles as the City’s new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), effective today.
Boles’ appointment marks a new chapter in Port Colborne’s continued growth and commitment to delivering an exceptional small-town experience in a big way. As a senior municipal leader with decades of progressive management experience and a passion for public service, Boles has served as Port Colborne’s Director, Corporate Services & Recreation / Treasurer since 2021.
Picture credit: Destination Ontario
Niagara-on-the-Lake welcomes new Climate Change Coordinator
Niagara-on-the-Lake is pleased to welcome Kassie Burns as its new Climate Change Coordinator, effective February 3, 2025. This important role, approved by Council through the 2024 budget, reinforces the Town’s commitment to environmental sustainability and aligns with key priorities within the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan.
Click here to read more.
Photo credit: Andrii Yalanskyi / Adobe Stock
Federal infrastructure program would result in 4.3% tax hike, Regional Council told
The federal government’s Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund offers $6 billion in infrastructure funding, available over 10 years, to municipalities across Canada that can apply for and use the money to accelerate housing construction.
Melanie Steele, Niagara Region’s associate director of reporting and analysis, said to receive funding, municipalities with a population of more than 300,000 must agree to a three-year freeze on development charges. Steele said the freeze would have a $69.3-million impact on the region’s revenues and add 4.3 per cent annually to the property tax levy.
Picture credit: Pixel-Shot / Adobe Stock
KPMG survey shows that tariffs threat is prompting businesses to overhaul their supply chains
KPMG in Canada recently surveyed 250 business leaders across Canada to gauge their reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and what actions, if any, they had already taken or were planning to take.
In anticipation of tariffs, most (88 per cent) Canadian businesses said they had diverted or are considering diverting goods to countries not facing tariffs. Nearly half (44 per cent) said they are already reconfiguring their supply chains to divert U.S.-destined exports to these third-party countries, with another 44 per cent exploring that option.
Picture credit: V. J. Matthew / Adobe Stock
CMHC predicts home sales, prices to rebound in 2025, but tariff threat clouds outlook
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is forecasting a rebound in home sales and prices this year as homebuyers take advantage of improved borrowing conditions, but its outlook is clouded by the threat of widespread tariffs from the U.S.
Photo credit: Vance Badawey, M.P.
Badawey proposes Canadian domestic and bilateral supply chain and logistics strategy
MP Vance Badawey has released a comprehensive report proposing a Canadian Domestic and Bilateral Supply Chain and Logistics Strategy, with a key focus on strengthening internal trade networks, enhancing infrastructure, and addressing vulnerabilities in Canada’s transportation and logistics systems.
Recognizing the critical role of supply chains in economic growth and national security, MP Badawey proposes a whole-of-government approach to modernizing Canada’s supply chain infrastructure. The plan also expands to a bilateral focus, advocating for stronger collaboration with the United States to optimize cross-border trade, reduce bottlenecks, and ensure long-term sustainability.
Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
California looks to Canadian timber to help in fire rebuild, despite tariff threat
California homebuilders say they will have few options but to keep buying Canadian lumber even if it’s hit with 25 per cent tariffs as they rebuild thousands of homes destroyed by devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, says “there aren’t really alternatives” to Canadian lumber used for homebuilding in the state because about 80 per cent of Californian land is owned by federal or state government and can’t be logged.
Dunmoyer says California also lacks mills, environmental policies and other ecosystem needs that would allow a quick switch to local lumber production, and making those changes would likely take years.
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.
