In this edition:
- Ontario adds 24 new grape varieties to VQA list
- Number of unfilled jobs falls back to pre-pandemic levels
- Canadian businesses brace for turbulence as confidence slumps again in Q2
- Niagara Region ready to turn Port Dalhousie road network over to St. Catharines
- Prospective buyer wants to redevelop Keefer Mansion into a hotel
- Canadian home sales rise while prices hold steady in May
- Trade deal between Canada and the U.S. could come within 30 days, Ottawa says
- 7-Eleven Canada stepping away from selling its own fuel in Ontario, Alberta
- Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
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Photo credit: guerrieroale / Adobe Stock
Ontario adds 24 new grape varieties to VQA list
The Ontario government is supporting grape growers and wineries by adding 24 new grape varieties to Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) certified wine. These new grapes were approved because of the high quality of wines they produce, their resistance to extreme temperatures and their lower dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Picture credit: Tamara Sales / Adobe Stock
Number of unfilled jobs falls back to pre-pandemic levels
Job vacancies fell in the first quarter of 2025 to 524,300, Statistics Canada reported today, following little change in the fourth quarter of 2024. Year over year, job vacancies were down by 18.1% in the first quarter of 2025. The number of vacancies in the first quarter was comparable to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic average of 506,300 recorded from 2017 to 2019.
The number of unfilled jobs in Canada peaked at almost a million in Q2 2022.
Photo credit: wichayada / Adobe Stock
Canadian businesses brace for turbulence as confidence slumps again in Q2
With inflationary pressures rising again and trade tensions casting a long shadow, Canadian businesses are increasingly on edge. According to Business Insights Quarterly (Q2 2025) from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab (BDL), firms are bracing for a volatile economic landscape defined by cost spikes, policy uncertainty and the constant threat of trade disruptions.
Picture credit: Trappy / public domain
Niagara Region ready to turn Port Dalhousie road network over to St. Catharines
If all goes according to plan, staff from St. Catharines and Niagara Region will begin negotiating the transfer of Port Dalhousie’s major roads sooner rather than later.
The Region is currently responsible for Main Street, Lakeport Road and Lock Street, which are in poor condition and need to be reconstructed, as do a pair of bridges on Lakeport Road near Michigan Avenue.
Picture credit: Michael Charron-Plante / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Prospective buyer wants to redevelop Keefer Mansion into a hotel
The Keefer Mansion on St. David St W could soon be the location of a luxurious hotel and spa.
As ThoroldToday reported, the city has decided to sell the iconic landmark building, which is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act. After putting out a call for real estate agents last fall, Karen Blackley from Boldt Realty was selected to handle the sale of the property.
Picture credit: Elena Berd / Adobe Stock
Canadian home sales rise while prices hold steady in May
The number of home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems climbed 3.6% between April and May 2025, marking the first gain in activity since last November.
The monthly increase was led by the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Calgary, and Ottawa.
Photo credit: Oleksii / Adobe Stock
Trade deal between Canada and the U.S. could come within 30 days, Ottawa says
A trade deal between Canada and the United States that addresses “immediate trade pressures and priorities” for the two countries could come within the next 30 days, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney‘s office.
Some insiders were more skeptical, with a former senior government official familiar with trade negotiations calling it a “nothingburger.“
“They’ve set forward a process to identify the issues that are holding back trade talks and report back in six months. We don’t need six months to report back on the issues. We know what they are.”
Photo credit: Jerome / Adobe Stock
7-Eleven Canada stepping away from selling its own fuel in Ontario, Alberta
7-Eleven Canada is stepping away from selling its own fuel in Ontario and Alberta, handing the pumps over to some of the country’s most recognized fuel retailers: Petro-Canada, Esso and Mobil.
Focus on Canada-U.S. Business
Canada-U.S. tariff clash reshapes business: Statistics Canada
Canada and the United States have long maintained one of the most significant trade relationships in the world. In 2024, bilateral trade in goods surpassed $1 trillion for the third consecutive year, with the United States accounting for 75.9% of Canada’s total goods exports and 62.3% of its total goods imports, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada.
But that deeply integrated trade partnership is now facing a major upheaval. A sweeping series of tariffs introduced by the U.S. administration in early 2025 has set off a retaliatory response from the Canadian government, sending ripple effects across Canada’s business landscape—especially in retail and manufacturing.
Exporters to the U.S.—which make up 86.6% of all Canadian exporters—are particularly vulnerable. Nearly one-third (32.2%) of these businesses expect the new U.S. tariffs to have a high impact, while another 19.8% anticipate a medium impact.
Over the next three months, 71.9% of exporters expect to face cost-related obstacles, with 30.4% forecasting a decrease in overall exports. Profitability is expected to decline for 35.4% of exporters, and 42.9% foresee rising operating expenses.
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.
