In this edition:
- Niagara Parks and Niagara College strengthen partnership with new strategic collaborative agreement
- Niagara pre-employment program tackles rising youth unemployment
- Esthers Friday Market celebrates grand opening in Welland
- Ontario leans on procurement and business supports as uncertainty caused by CUSMA non-renewal grows
- Brock Indigenous co-curricular program renamed Ode’min Wigwam
- Canada Post stopping parcel delivery to some EU countries because of new duty
- Niagara Falls mayor meets with Kashechewan chief after report concerns
- Focus on Internal Trade
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Picture credit: Niagara Parks
Niagara Parks and Niagara College strengthen partnership with new strategic collaborative agreement
Niagara Parks and Niagara College have signed a new Strategic Collaboration Agreement to expand co-op and placement opportunities, staff training, work-integrated learning, applied research, and academic partnerships. The agreement builds on a decades-long relationship between the two organizations, with a focus on career pathways in sectors including hospitality, tourism, skilled trades, horticulture, and environmental programming.
Picture credit: YMCA of Niagara
Niagara pre-employment program tackles rising youth unemployment
Before participants talk about resumes or mock interviews, they map the milestones that have shaped their lives — reflecting on where they have been as a first step toward imagining the possibilities ahead.
It’s one of the first exercises in a 10-week youth pre-employment program designed to help young people build confidence, form connections and create networks in preparation for entering the workforce.
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Picture credit: Carlos / Adobe Stock
Esthers Friday Market celebrates grand opening in Welland
Esthers Friday Market celebrates its grand opening on Friday, July 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Welland Farmers’ Market, with Mayor Frank Campion as special guest and live music from Rob Repovs. The new weekly community marketplace will run every Friday for the summer, featuring local entrepreneurs, artisans, food vendors, community organizations, and small businesses, with free admission and a family-friendly atmosphere.
Picture credit: Maurizio De Mattei / Adobe Stock
Ontario leans on procurement and business supports as uncertainty caused by CUSMA non-renewal grows
Ontario says it is prepared to support manufacturers caught in the crossfire of the U.S. decision not to renew CUSMA, but industry groups say the province’s ability to offset the damage is limited unless Ottawa can secure long-term trade certainty with Washington.
Although Queen’s Park can direct procurement toward Ontario-made products, offer financing and investment incentives, and streamline regulations, trade policy remains the exclusive responsibility of the federal government.
Picture credit: Brock University
Brock Indigenous co-curricular program renamed Ode’min Wigwam
After a traditional Naming Ceremony on Brock University’s campus, the co-curricular program formerly known as Indigenous Plus will be called Ode’min Wigwam. The Anishinaabemowin name translates to Strawberry Lodge in English.
The ceremony, which took place Friday, June 26 as part of Indigenous Peoples Awareness Week, introduced the name given as a sacred gift to the program by Elder Peter Beaucage.
Picture credit: Iryna / Adobe Stock
Canada Post stopping parcel delivery to some EU countries because of new duty
Canada Post says it is suspending service to some European Union countries over new customs rules for low-value shipments.
The postal service said earlier this week in a notice on its website that it’s not accepting parcels destined for a dozen countries until further notice. They include Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.
Picture credit: JHVEphoto / Adobe Stock
Niagara Falls mayor meets with Kashechewan chief after report concerns
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati met with Chief Hosea Wesley of Kashechewan First Nation after concerns were raised about comments on the city’s report on unhoused and vulnerable people. Diodati apologized for hurt caused by his comments, while saying the report was intended to seek stronger support for communities hosting displaced people, and both leaders said they would keep dialogue open.
Focus on Internal Trade
Canada can grow faster by unlocking its own market
Federico J. Díez and Yuanchen Yang, International Monetary Fund
Canada is one of the world’s most open economies. Over decades, it has built deep and resilient links to global markets, anchored in openness, predictability, and rules-based trade. Yet at home, the Canadian economy remains much less integrated than its global footprint would suggest. Goods, services, and workers face significant barriers when moving across provincial and territorial lines—a fragmentation that affects productivity, competitiveness, and overall resilience.
This is not a new diagnosis. Canada’s internal market has long reflected its federal structure, with provinces exercising constitutional authority over many of the policies that shape commerce. These include licensing, standards, procurement, and service regulation. Over time, regulatory differences and administrative frictions have accumulated, acting as barriers to scale, competition, and mobility—especially in services, where the economic opportunities, and costs, are highest.
With global growth under pressure and productivity constraints becoming more binding, the case for integrating Canada’s internal market has likely never been stronger.
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.
