In this edition:
- Ontario invests $11.1M in sport and recreation facilities in Niagara
- Trump says he will hit copper imports with 50 per cent tariffs
- iMVR to launch innovative VR snowplow training at Pearson Airport
- NOTL Mayor delegates staff oversight using Strong Mayor Powers
- Niagara Region’s fiscal challenges laid out at ‘doom and gloom’ meeting
- From sisterhood to brotherhood: Future Black Female expands focus to Niagara’s male youths
- Federal Competition Bureau obtains court order in Amazon investigation
- Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
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Picture credit: City of Niagara Falls
Ontario invests $11.1M in sport and recreation facilities in Niagara
The Ontario government is investing over $11.1 million to protect jobs, upgrade the Chippawa Willoughby Memorial Arena and support other improvements to sport and recreation facilities in the Niagara Region.
Picture credit: Ali Shaker/VOA / Public Domain
Trump says he will hit copper imports with 50 per cent tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump says he will impose a 50 per cent tariff on copper imports — but isn’t saying yet when it will take effect.
“Today we are doing copper,” Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, adding “I believe the tariff on copper we are going to make it 50 per cent.”
Data from Natural Resources Canada shows the United States accounted for 52 per cent of Canada’s copper export value in 2023. That year, Canada’s total exports of copper and copper-based products were valued at $9.3 billion.
Picture credit: iMVR
iMVR to launch innovative VR snowplow training at Pearson Airport
Beamsville-based iMVR, a pioneer in virtual reality (VR) training solutions and the manufacturer of the recently launched SIM400 Snowplow simulator, has announced a groundbreaking collaboration with DriveWise Knowledge Surge and Aerodrome International Security, supported by the Ontario government through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN).
This project, hosted at Pearson International Airport, aims to transform staff training for airport winter operations, using advanced VR technology that enables realistic, scenario-based learning and decision-making.
Photo credit: Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
NOTL Mayor delegates staff oversight using Strong Mayor Powers
To support a smooth and successful transition, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa has made his first use of the Strong Mayor Powers, granted to the Town by the Province on May 1, 2025, by formally delegating oversight of municipal Staff operations to the CAO, Nick Ruller.
Picture credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara
Niagara Region’s fiscal challenges laid out at ‘doom and gloom’ meeting
Facing increasing costs and labour shortages, Niagara Region needs to spend $110 million more than it has next year to begin to address its backlog of aging facilities, housing, roads and bridges.
“So far we’ve identified $177 million in needs to maintain levels of service,” asset management director Pious Maposa told members of the municipality’s budget review committee last week.
From sisterhood to brotherhood: Future Black Female expands focus to Niagara’s male youths
When Future Black Female launched in 2019, its focus was on supporting young Black women, empowering them through education, career support and encouraging social and civic engagement.
It held workshops for youths of all genders and helped bring Black student associations to Niagara high schools, but most of Future Black Female’s programming was primarily focused on Black girls and young women.
Picture credit: S… / Adobe Stock
Federal Competition Bureau obtains court order in Amazon investigation
The Competition Bureau has obtained a court order to advance its investigation into Amazon’s conduct on its online Canadian marketplace, Amazon.ca, to determine if the company is engaging in conduct that may be an abuse of dominance under the Competition Act.
Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
Canada begins to diversify its trade, but U.S. tariffs still a ‘heavy weight’
Craig Lord, The Canadian Press
Canada’s efforts to broaden trade beyond the United States appear to be bearing fruit, but economists warn it will be a long road before Canadian exporters settle at a new status quo.
Statistics Canada said Thursday that the country’s merchandise trade deficit — the difference between how much we ship out and how much we bring in — narrowed to $5.9 billion in May as gold exports climbed higher.
The result compares with a trade deficit of $7.6 billion seen in April — a record high, which StatCan said Thursday was revised up from initial estimates of $7.1 billion.
Canadian exports got a boost in the early part of 2025 as businesses rushed to get ahead of U.S. tariffs, but that pull-forward has left weaker activity in April and May. After a relatively strong start to the year, real gross domestic product figures from StatCan show a 0.1 per cent decline in April and early estimates suggest there was a similar decline in May.
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.
