In this edition:
- Fairfax to acquire Andrew Peller in $579-million deal
- Decanter awards highlight rising global wine quality
- Thorold seeks public input on museum and cultural centre
- No deal, says Welland council, as it rejects settling dispute over proposed 7-storey apartment
- Split vote leads to uncertain future for last phase of St. Davids subdivision
- Canada announces provisional safeguard tariff on imports of canned vegetables to protect Canadian producers
- Retail sales rise as core spending weakens
- Focus on Technology
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Photo credit: Andrew Peller Limited
Fairfax to acquire Andrew Peller in $579-million deal
Grimsby-based Andrew Peller Limited has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Fairfax Financial Holdings in an all-cash transaction valued at about $397 million on a fully diluted equity basis, or $579 million including enterprise value. Shareholders would receive $8.00 per Class A share and $12.00 per Class B share, representing premiums of 41% and 70%, respectively, to the June 12 TSX closing prices. The deal, expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, would take the Niagara wine producer private, with CEO Paul Dubkowski, CFO Renee Cauchi and the current leadership team expected to remain in place. Andrew Peller owns brands including Peller Estates, Trius, Thirty Bench and Wayne Gretzky, along with 101 independent retail locations in Ontario.
Picture credit: EkaterinaKiseleva / Adobe Stock
Decanter awards highlight rising global wine quality
Decanter World Wine Awards has released its 2026 results, with nearly 17,000 wines from 58 countries blind tasted by 245 wine experts in the competition’s strongest quality performance to date. Among the Canadian highlights, Decanter singled out two Platinum medals for Vidal-based Icewines from Niagara, reinforcing Niagara’s international reputation for world-class sweet wines. Canada also earned 13 Gold medals, with Decanter noting strong showings for Chardonnay and a growing range of reds including Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.
Picture credit: City of Thorold
Thorold seeks public input on museum and cultural centre
Thorold is moving ahead with plans to repurpose the former Fire Station #1 at 16 Towpath Street into a new Museum and Cultural Centre with community gathering space and exhibits on the city’s history. The city will host a public information centre on Monday, July 6, from 5 to 7 p.m., inviting residents to share ideas on the people, places, stories and events that best reflect Thorold’s past and present. The project is now entering interpretive planning and exhibit design, with feedback intended to help shape what history is preserved for future generations.
Picture credit: Brouwer Architecture
No deal, says Welland council, as it rejects settling dispute over proposed 7-storey apartment
Welland city councillors rejected a proposed settlement of an Ontario Land Tribunal appeal, declining to accept a staff recommendation to rezone two Niagara Street properties to high-density residential from low-density.
The land tribunal (OLT) appeal was launched by Upper Canada Consultants on behalf of 1000044827 Ontario Inc., operating as Two Lake Developments.
Picture credit: Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Split vote leads to uncertain future for last phase of St. Davids subdivision
Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors couldn’t agree on receiving a staff report recommending approval of a proposed St. David’s subdivision at this week’s committee-of-the-whole general meeting.
A tied 4-4 vote defeated the motion to receive the report, with Couns. Gary Burroughs, Maria Mavridis, Andrew Niven and Sandra O’Connor voting against it.
Picture credit: Valerii Evlakhov / Adobe Stock
Canada announces provisional safeguard tariff on imports of canned vegetables to protect Canadian producers
Today, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, announced a 10 per cent surtax on global imports of canned vegetables. This provisional safeguard measure is intended to address the critical circumstances and immediate challenges facing the Canadian canned vegetable industry and to mitigate the impact of trade diversion on domestic producers, helping to stabilize market conditions and protect Canadian growers and processors.
The tariff takes effect on June 19, 2026, and will remain in place for a maximum of 200 days.
Picture credit: Krakenimages.com / Adobe Stock
Retail sales rise as core spending weakens
Canadian retail sales rose 0.5% to $73.0 billion in April, with gains in five of nine subsectors led by a 5.1% increase at gasoline stations and fuel vendors. Motor vehicle and parts dealers also posted stronger sales, up 1.7%, as new car dealers recorded a fourth consecutive monthly increase. However, core retail sales fell 0.7% for a second straight month, pulled down by weaker sales at food and beverage retailers and general merchandise stores. Ontario sales rose 0.5%, led by motor vehicle and parts dealers, while Statistics Canada’s advance estimate suggests national retail sales increased 1.0% in May.
Focus on Technology
AI at work: Insights from 20 leading technology companies
Bart Valkhof & Elli Pipic, World Economic Forum
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a future concern. It is already reshaping how people work, learn and grow. Three years after the launch of ChatGPT, companies across sectors are moving beyond small pilots and are starting to embed AI into their daily operations. An aggregated outlook from the World Economic Forum’s Communications and Technology Industry Strategy Officers community captures how this shift is unfolding inside more than 20 leading technology firms and their clients.
The community paper AI at Work: From Productivity Hacks to Organizational Transformation shows meaningful progress, but also many challenges. AI is raising productivity in specific workflows, improving client interactions and expanding opportunities for workers. At the same time, it is altering job tiers, pressuring mid-level roles, undermining trust, and forcing leaders to rethink the structure of the modern workplace.
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.
