In this edition:
Tourism spending still 34% below pre-pandemic levels
Canada Games unveils opening, closing ceremonies lineup
Nine-storey building part of possible development on former GM property
St. Catharines owners of vacant property now required to register
Patrick Brown disqualified from Conservative leadership race
Fireworks sales prohibited in St. Catharines until end of year
Regional Councillor Rob Foster acclaimed to AMO board of directors
Tourism spending still 34% below pre-pandemic levels
Tourism spending in Canada grew 1.3% in the first quarter of 2022, a fourth consecutive quarterly increase. Tourism gross domestic product (GDP) (+0.9%) and jobs attributable to tourism (+0.8%) also rose in the first quarter.
Tourism spending in Canada increased 50.7% over the last four quarters but was 34.2% below the pre-pandemic levels of the fourth quarter of 2019.
Growth in the first quarter of 2022 was driven by an increase in tourism spending by Canadians in Canada (+2.9%). Tourism spending by international visitors fell 6.9%, as overnight travel to Canada declined in the first quarter following a large increase in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Canada Games unveils opening, closing ceremonies lineup
With the Canada Summer Games less than a month away, the Niagara 2022 Host Society has announced the artist lineup for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Tim Hicks and POESY will perform on Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. at Meridian Centre in St. Catharines. Two weeks later, The Tragically Hip guitarist Paul Langlois and POESY will perform at the closing ceremonies at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls.
The opening ceremony will kick off the 15-day event that is expected to bring more than 5,000 competitors and coaches to Niagara. The Opening ceremony will begin with a “Parade of Teams” in which Games participants will march into Meridian Centre, one provincial or territorial team at a time. A flag bearer will lead each team’s delegation. The ceremony will also feature an artistic program that will showcase Niagara’s culture and history.
Nine-storey building part of possible development on former GM property
The City of St. Catharines is looking for input on a possible development on the former GM property. A nine-storey 351 unit apartment building and 14 townhouses are being proposed for a piece of the property on Pleasant Avenue.
The land is currently designated as medium density residential but the proposal is looking for an amendment to re-designate the property as high density. The development would also include ground floor commercial as part of the apartment building as well as 359 parking spaces with a majority of those underground.
The city is holding a zoom open house on July 14th. Those interested in taking part are being asked to register with city planner Taya Devlin at tdevlin@stcatharines.ca.
St. Catharines owners of vacant property now required to register
The City of St. Catharines’ Vacant Building Registry By-law regulates uninhabited structures in the City.
Owners are required to register their vacant buildings using the form found at stcatharines.ca/VacantBuilding and report on the status and property standards of the structure every two weeks until the building is no longer deemed vacant under the by-law.
Patrick Brown disqualified from Conservative leadership race
Patrick Brown has been disqualified by the leadership election organizing committee of the federal Conservatives.
A statement from Brown’s campaign calls the decision reprehensible. It also says the committee’s “undemocratic behaviour” breaks faith with hundreds of thousands of Canadians that embraced Patrick Brown’s vision of a modern, inclusive Conservative party.
Committee chair, Ian Brodie, announced the surprising move late Tuesday night, saying the party had learned of “serious allegations of wrongdoing” by the Brown campaign. Brodie says the allegations are related to the financing rules in the Canada Elections Act, but provided no further details.
The Brown campaign is accusing the party of basing its decision on “anonymous allegations” and not providing the full details or evidence.
Fireworks sales prohibited in St. Catharines until end of year
The St. Catharines Fire Service wants to remind both business owners and residents that it is now illegal to sell or set off consumer fireworks in St. Catharines for the remainder of 2022.
The City’s fireworks by-law prohibits the selling of consumer fireworks works without an approved permit and prohibits setting off fireworks on City property including parks. Business owners currently selling fireworks will be ticketed by fire prevention inspectors and property owners may also be ticketed for setting off fireworks illegally in St. Catharines.
Full details on the City’s fireworks by-law can be found at www.stcatharines.ca/fireworks.
Regional Councillor Rob Foster acclaimed to AMO board of directors
Lincoln Regional Councillor Rob Foster has been acclaimed to the Board of Directors, Regional and Single-tier Caucus, for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). This is Councillor Foster’s 3rd consecutive term on the AMO board.
AMO provides a strong advocacy voice for municipalities across Ontario with the provincial government and plays an important role in ensuring the needs of municipalities are reflected in provincial policies and programs.
Councillor Foster will serve on the AMO board for the 2022-2024 term. The AMO Board of Directors sets policy priorities that reflect the concerns of municipal governments around the province. The board meets frequently to develop policy positions on key issues, and advance those position with provincial law makers.
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Real estate slowdown in Toronto, Vancouver continues, as prices fall from pre-rate hike highs
CBC News
The slowdown underway in Canada’s two most expensive housing markets continued in June, with new numbers showing the number of homes sold in Toronto and Vancouver fell by more than a third, and average prices have now declined for several months in a row.
The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) said 6,474 homes were sold in the Greater Toronto Area last month, down by 41 per cent compared with last June.
As was the case in many parts of Canada, house prices in and around Toronto exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, as record-low interest rates allowed buyers to stretch their budgets to buy more expensive homes. But that trend changed direction abruptly in March of this year, when the Bank of Canada started to hike interest rates.
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.
