In this edition:
- Canada and Ontario invest $12M to strengthen agri-food sector
- Bilateral deals likely to be negotiated alongside larger trade pact, says LeBlanc
- Ontario delivers lowest-cost electricity capacity procurement in province’s history
- Carney announces national food security strategy meant to expand choice, lower prices
- Steel producers association unhappy with tariff remission program extensions
- SpaceX stock jumps after record IPO, making Musk the first trillionaire
- Focus on Small Business
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Picture credit: Andrii Yalanskyi / Adobe Stock
Canada and Ontario invest $12M to strengthen agri-food sector
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing an additional $12 million through the Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (ASI) to help farmers adopt practical improvements that increase efficiency, reduce costs and build long-term resilience.
The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) will continue delivering the Agricultural Stewardship Initiative through the fourth intake, which opens for applications on July 8, 2026. Program details, eligibility requirements and application guidance are available through the OSCIA website.
Photo credit: The Government of New Brunswick / Public Domain
Bilateral deals likely to be negotiated alongside larger trade pact, says LeBlanc
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he expects to see bilateral agreements negotiated with the United States as Canada and Mexico look to extend a critical continental trade pact.
“I would expect that we will have bilateral arrangements between Canada and the United States, between the United States and Mexico, sort of adjacent to the trilateral framework,” LeBlanc said at the U.S.-Canada Summit in Toronto on Jun. 11.
Picture credit: trongnguyen / Adobe Stock
Ontario delivers lowest-cost electricity capacity procurement in province’s history
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), at the direction of the Ontario government, has secured 640 megawatts (MW) of new electricity capacity through three selected projects under the capacity stream of the Second Long-Term Request for Proposals (LT2).
Through these three projects, Ontario has procured capacity at a weighted average price that is substantially lower than any of the capacity resources procured in IESO’s recent competitive procurements. The new battery storage capacity resources are 36 per cent lower cost than the battery storage procured through the government’s earlier E-LT1 capacity procurement and 16 per cent lower cost than the battery storage procured through the LT1 capacity procurement.
Picture credit: Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
Carney announces national food security strategy meant to expand choice, lower prices
The Liberal government has announced a national food security strategy aimed at giving Canadians more access to locally produced fruit, vegetables and other fresh items at lower prices.
The plan outlined Thursday is intended to change the way food is bought, sold, transported and distributed in Canada to better support farmers, small independent players and consumers.
Picture credit: littlewolf1989 / Adobe Stock
Steel producers association unhappy with tariff remission program extensions
The head of the Canadian Steel Producers Association says Ottawa’s latest extension of a program that offsets the cost of tariffs in some sectors fails to encourage domestic firms to diversify away from the United States.
The horizontal tariff remissions program for steel, aluminum and some steel derivative products was to end on June 30 but the federal government said last week it is extending it for another year.
Picture credit: NASA Johnson Space CenterDerivative work: Nythar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
SpaceX stock jumps after record IPO, making Musk the first trillionaire
SpaceX jumped above 20 per cent in its Nasdaq debut on Friday, lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion US as investors piled into the world’s largest IPO and bet on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets to AI.
The stock opened for trading at $150 US, compared with the IPO price of $135 US per share. It kept rising, reaching $166.90 US around 12:20 p.m. ET., making it the sixth largest U.S. company by market value.
Focus on Small Business
The Leaders: Lessons from John Boynton of Arterra Wines Canada
Shellee Fitzgerald, Canadian Grocer
In an interview with Canadian Grocer, Arterra Wines Canada president and CEO John Boynton reflected on the leadership lessons he has learned through turnaround and transformation roles across changing industries. Boynton said adaptability, humility, and openness to criticism are essential traits, and that he looks for drive, teamwork, integrity, and accountability in emerging leaders.
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.
