In this edition:
- US will impose 35% tariffs on Canadian imports, Trump says in letter
- Niagara unemployment rate drops to lowest level of 2025
- Port Colborne council moves forward on short-term rental bylaw with added enforcement plan
- Niagara hospital causes stat bump for Ontario institutional construction
- Niagara Region considers homelessness solutions — and the price tag
- Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
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Picture credit: Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok
US will impose 35% tariffs on Canadian imports, Trump says in letter
Donald Trump has said the US will impose a 35% tariff on imports from Canada from the beginning of August, and threatened to impose blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most other trading partners.
Late Thursday night, Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media that Canada would work towards a revised deadline of Aug. 1 in reaching a new trade deal with the U.S., updating the July 21 deadline set last June during the G7 Leaders’ Summit.
“If the U.S. chooses to pay more for the products they already buy from us, it will be Americans who will bear the final cost, through inflated prices and disrupted supply chains,” warned Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Candace Laing in a statement.
Photo credit: snowing12 / Adobe Stock
Niagara unemployment rate drops to lowest level of 2025
Niagara’s unemployment rate fell to 6.4% in June, the lowest rate of 2025. The participation rate fell, meaning fewer people were participating in the labour force, while the employment rate climbed. These seasonally-unadjusted data likely reflect the effect of Niagara’s seasonal tourism economy.
National employment increased by 83,000 (+0.4%) in June and the employment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 60.9%. The unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 6.9%.
Photo credit: Andrii Yalanskyi / Adobe Stock
Port Colborne council moves forward on short-term rental bylaw with added enforcement plan
Port Colborne city council is moving forward on its plan to address concerns surrounding the short-term rental industry.
But while a bylaw likely won’t be finalized until nearly the end of summer, a new enforcement officer could be hired sooner to address complaints.
Photo credit: Niagara Health System
Niagara hospital causes stat bump for Ontario institutional construction
The value of non-residential building permits sharply increased by $1.2 billion to $5.6 billion in May, driven by Ontario’s institutional component (+$1.3 billion). Construction intentions for the new hospital in Niagara, which reached almost seven times the average value of major permits in the institutional component, led the growth in Ontario’s institutional component. The hospital construction permit also drove the national institutional component upwards to a record $2.5 billion.
Picture credit: Erman Gunes / Adobe Stock
Niagara Region considers homelessness solutions — and the price tag
When it comes to the battle against homelessness in Niagara, securing millions of dollars in federal and provincial funding for supportive housing is key to success.
That’s the message Cathy Cousins, the regional director of homelessness services, delivered to councillors on the Public Health Social Services committee earlier this week.
Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
What a 35% Canada tariff could really mean for trade
Yahoo!Finance
President Trump capped off a week of tariff turmoil by threatening a 35% levy on Canadian goods, rattling markets and surprising officials who thought Canada was safe.
Yahoo Finance Washington Correspondent Ben Werschkul breaks down what the 35% tariff could actually mean, including key carve-outs and the upcoming August 1st deadline.
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.
