In this edition:
- Tawny Ridge changes approved after last week’s tied vote left future uncertain
- DSBN approves $677M budget, maintains focus on student supports, infrastructure and staff development
- NOTL businesses lauded for accessibility efforts
- ‘We’re proud the Beatties name is retained’: Employee relationships cherished at opening of new storefront
- ‘Difficult decisions’ ahead as Niagara Region begins sweeping services review
- Bank of Canada reports strong support for 2% inflation target
- Government deficit rises as revenue declines
- Trump threatens 100% tariff penalty on countries that impose tax on digital services
- Focus on Internal Trade
Did you know you can get the GNCC’s Daily Update emailed to you? Click here to sign up.
Picture credit: Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Tawny Ridge changes approved after last week’s tied vote left future uncertain
Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) council has approved a developer’s request to scale down the next phase of the Tawny Ridge subdivision in St. Davids.
After councillors couldn’t agree on the issue last week, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa invoked his strong-mayor powers to bring the zoning bylaw back for a final vote at the June 23 council meeting.
Picture credit: DSBN
DSBN approves balanced 2026-2027 budget focused on student achievement
At the June 22 Regular Meeting of the Board, the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) Board of Trustees approved a balanced 2026-2027 budget of $677,740,260, an increase of $10.9 million from the previous year.
The Board’s operating budget meets all Ministry of Education funding regulations and is fully compliant with legislated requirements, including guidelines governing how specific funds must be used. Developed through a comprehensive planning process, the budget aligns financial resources with DSBN’s Strategic Plan and priorities, reflecting continued investment in student achievement, well-being, and system sustainability while responding to ongoing financial pressures.
Picture credit: Rafa Jodar / Adobe Stock
NOTL businesses lauded for accessibility efforts
Niagara‑on‑the‑Lake’s (NOTL) business community has earned recognition for its growing commitment to accessibility, with several local shops and organizations honoured this week.
The council chambers briefly became an awards stage during the June 22 council meeting as representatives from the Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee (JAAC) presented the 2026 Accessibility Matters Here Awards, which celebrate businesses across Niagara that are removing barriers for people with disabilities.
Picture credit: Beatties
‘We’re proud the Beatties name is retained’: Employee relationships cherished at opening of new storefront
Tuesday’s open house celebrated the Beatties name living on after the company came under new ownership by Bob Becker in 2025, as well as a new beginning for the office supply company founded in 1860. The business now focuses on selling and servicing printers and photocopiers, business phone systems, and document management services.
Picture credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara
‘Difficult decisions’ ahead as Niagara Region begins sweeping services review
Niagara Region is undertaking a fast-tracked, consultant-led review of its services to identify efficiencies, reduce costs, and guide budget and planning decisions, with results expected by the end of this year.
Port Colborne Coun. Vance Badawey said the review will answer questions about what services the Region provides, how they compare to other municipalities, and whether they are delivered efficiently.
Picture credit: New Africa / Adobe Stock
Ontario modernizing immigration program to fill in-demand jobs
The province is redesigning the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program to better target labour shortages, streamline applications, and connect more eligible workers with employers seeking in-demand skills.
The new stream will include minimum language and education requirements, prioritize Ontario-based work experience and direct connections with employers, and lower revenue thresholds so smaller Northern and rural businesses can access the program. The province says applications already in progress will continue under the previous structure, while the Expression of Interest system temporarily closed on June 25 and is expected to reopen later this summer.
Picture credit: JHVEPhoto / Adobe Stock
Bank of Canada reports strong support for 2% inflation target
The Bank of Canada has published a report summarizing public and stakeholder feedback gathered ahead of the renewal of Canada’s monetary policy framework later this year. The framework is reviewed every five years by the Bank and the federal government, with this round focused on inflation, supply shocks, volatility, and the relationship between interest rates, housing demand, housing supply, and shelter inflation.
The Bank said consultations showed strong support for maintaining flexible inflation targeting and the 2% inflation target, while many participants raised concerns about the cost of living and housing affordability. Participants also emphasized that clear communication about the information used in interest rate decisions is important for maintaining trust in the central bank.
Picture credit: Summit Art Creations / Adobe Stock
Government deficit rises as revenue declines
Canada’s general government deficit rose to $16.4 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up $1.5 billion from the same quarter last year, as expenses increased slightly while revenue edged down. The federal deficit widened by $3.3 billion to $19.4 billion, driven in part by lower goods and services tax revenue after the elimination of the federal consumer carbon tax.
Provincial and territorial governments recorded a smaller deficit than a year earlier, narrowing by $5.2 billion to $18.2 billion, as the quarter did not include the same large one-time expenses Ontario recorded in early 2025. General government net debt fell to $538.1 billion, or 16.5% of GDP, although excluding social security funds, net debt rose to $1.49 trillion.
Picture credit: frender / Adobe Stock
Trump threatens 100% tariff penalty on countries that impose tax on digital services
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 100 per cent tariff on imports from any country that imposes a tax on digital services from United States companies.
In a post on social media, Trump took aim at European countries that he said are discussing “imminent” implementation of taxes on American companies. The U.S. president has repeatedly sought to use tariffs as a way to deter such taxes, but many countries are looking for revenues as their economies increasingly operate in digital realms that are dominated by American companies.
Focus on Internal Trade
We tariff ourselves more than Trump does
Koyna Gupta, Financial Post
Canada spent the past year treating a 5.9 per cent tariff as a national emergency. It has spent much less energy on the nine per cent tariff it imposes on itself.
The two figures come from different places. The 5.9 per cent figure is the Bank of Canada’s October 2025 estimate of the average United States tariff rate on Canadian goods. The nine per cent is the estimate published in January by IMF economists Federico Diez and Yuanchen Yang, working with University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe, measuring the ad valorem equivalent of Canada’s internal regulatory barriers. In service sectors including health care and education, the equivalent tariff exceeds 40 per cent. “Such a level would be prohibitive in most international trade agreements,” the authors write. Fully eliminating these barriers, they estimate, would eventually raise Canada’s real GDP, or the total value of goods and services we produce in a year, by up to seven per cent. That’s roughly $210 billion — and if we kept them eliminated, we would get it every year, forever.
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.
