In this edition:
- Pelham building permit fee changes to take effect in 2027
- Marathon Community Services begins serving Niagara after agency merger
- St. Catharines approves $449K in arts and culture funding
- NRPS seeks public input on community safety priorities
- New retail theft sentencing rules take effect July 15
- International arrivals to Canada rise 3.6% in June
- Gordie Howe International Bridge to open July 27
- Air Canada, Ford reach tentative labour deals
- Focus on Markets
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The evening will feature a live performance by acclaimed Canadian indie folk band Great Lake Swimmers, with an opening performance by Minuscule and soundscapes from DJ Marinko. The event will also feature elevated food offerings from Niagara’s very own Chef Brad Rempel, along with craft beverages from Bench Brewing Company and other local providers.
Event Details:
- Date: Friday, July 24
- Time: 6 p.m.
- Location: Ball’s Falls Conservation Area
- Address: 3292 6th Avenue, Lincoln, ON L0R 1S0
Join us for an unforgettable summer celebration in nature.
Photo credit: Town of Pelham
Pelham building permit fee changes to take effect in 2027
Pelham council has approved a new building permit fee schedule following a fee study by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. The updated fees will take effect on January 1, 2027, giving builders, developers, and property owners time to plan for the changes.
Picture credit: Marathon Community Services
Marathon Community Services begins serving Niagara after agency merger
Mainstream Services and Gateway Residential & Community Support Services have merged to begin serving Niagara as Marathon Community Services. The new organization brings a broad range of community supports under one name, serving more than 1,400 people each year and providing housing opportunities for more than 440 individuals. Services will continue uninterrupted as the Marathon name is introduced across the organization’s communications, facilities, and digital platforms.
Picture credit: Ami Holmes Photography
St. Catharines approves $449K in arts and culture funding
St. Catharines council has approved $449,280 through the St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program to support local arts, culture, heritage, and festival organizations. The funding includes support for 22 applicants across three program streams, with six organizations receiving in-principle approval for three-year funding to help with longer-term planning, programming, and organizational development. Another SCCIP intake is scheduled for September.
Photo credit: Niagara Regional Police Service
NRPS seeks public input on community safety priorities
Niagara Regional Police Service is inviting residents to complete a Community Safety Survey to help identify policing and public safety priorities across the region. The survey will inform implementation of the NRPS 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, with questions covering neighbourhood safety, trust and confidence in policing, emerging issues, prevention, and community engagement. The survey is open in English and French until August 7.
Photo credit: Krakenimages.com / Adobe Stock
New retail theft sentencing rules take effect July 15
New federal bail and sentencing reforms taking effect July 15 will require courts to consider commercial intent as an aggravating factor when sentencing some property offences involving stolen merchandise. The change applies where goods were stolen for resale, barter, or fraudulent return, and could affect offences including theft, robbery, break-and-enter, possession of stolen goods, and trafficking in property obtained through crime. Retail Insider reports that the measure does not create a new offence or mandatory minimum sentence, but gives prosecutors and judges another tool in cases involving repeat or resale-driven theft.
Photo credit: TOimages / Adobe Stock
International arrivals to Canada rise 3.6% in June
International arrivals to Canada by air and automobile reached 5.5 million in June, up 3.6% from the same month in 2025, according to Statistics Canada’s preliminary data. US-resident trips to Canada rose 5.1% to 2.2 million, including a 7.6% increase in automobile trips, while overseas-resident trips also increased 5.1%. Air arrivals from the 15 overseas countries with teams playing FIFA World Cup matches in Vancouver and Toronto were up 32.5%, adding 29,500 arrivals compared with June 2025.
Picture credit: Antony-22 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Gordie Howe International Bridge to open July 27
Canada and Michigan have agreed to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge on July 27, adding a new six-lane crossing between Windsor and Detroit on North America’s busiest international land border corridor. The bridge is expected to strengthen supply chains, support manufacturing, and improve the movement of goods and people between Canada and the United States. The crossing will also include modern ports of entry on both sides of the border and a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of bridge-operation profits.
Picture credit: FS-Stock / Adobe Stock
Air Canada, Ford reach tentative labour deals
Air Canada has reached a proposed four-year deal with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers covering about 11,000 technical operations, airports, cargo, logistics, and supply employees, subject to ratification in the coming days. Ford of Canada and Unifor have also agreed to a tentative three-year national labour contract covering more than 5,000 unionized workers across the company’s Canadian headquarters, assembly and engine plants, parts distribution centres, and connectivity and innovation centres.
Focus on Markets
Retail investing is booming — but the trade is getting pickier
Jared Blikre, Yahoo!Finance
Retail investors are still crowding into the market, just not in the old buy-everything way.
VandaTrack data shows retail trading activity near record highs, while net buying — the gap between what retail investors buy and what they sell — has fallen to its weakest pace since the COVID era. It’s a sign that retail money is rotating quickly between trades instead of lifting the whole market.
That might look strange at first. Stocks are near records, AI remains the market’s dominant obsession, and retail traders are still showing up everywhere from SpaceX (SPCX) to crypto ETFs.
But the broad retail bid has faded. VandaTrack data shows one-month rolling net buying down to $13 billion across stocks and ETFs, while single-stock net buying has dropped to just $3.2 billion. Both were at much loftier levels in 2025 and earlier this year.
The twist is that retail hasn’t gone quiet. It’s gotten busier.
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.
