In this edition:
- Largest housing co-operative development in Niagara history to deliver housing at former Hotel Dieu site
- Niagara College bids farewell to applied research leader Marc Nantel
- Owners to sell Strewn Winery, possibly making way for new hotel
- Niagara Region wins gold at national public relations awards
- Canada’s former trade chief expects no tariff deal before U.S. midterms
- Niagara business openings outpace closures in latest data
- National sales figures at restaurants and bars on the rise
- What’s happening on Canada Day in Niagara
- Focus on Trends
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Picture credit: ACK Architects / Elevate Living
A new 492-unit co-operative housing development has been announced for the former Hotel Dieu Hospital site in downtown St. Catharines, which developer Elevate Living says will be the largest housing co-op development in Niagara’s history. Led by the Golden Horseshoe Co-operative Housing Federation in partnership with Elevate Living and supported by CMHC, the net-zero-ready project will include geothermal energy systems and is intended to provide affordable, sustainable housing while redeveloping a major downtown site.
Picture credit: Niagara College
Niagara College bids farewell to applied research leader Marc Nantel
Niagara College is marking the retirement of Dr. Marc Nantel, Vice President of Research, Innovation and Strategic Enterprises, who retires after helping build the college’s applied research capacity into one of the strongest in Canada. Since joining NC in 2011, Nantel helped develop five Innovation Centres, supported hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises, and led work that contributed to Niagara College being named Canada’s top research college in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
Dr. Nantel served on the GNCC’s Board of Directors for six years, ending his term in May 2026.
Picture credit: Strewn Winery
Owners to sell Strewn Winery, possibly making way for new hotel
Big changes are coming to Strewn Winery: after almost 30 years in business, the small winery is being sold and may become home to a new hotel with 58 rooms.
Jane Langdon, co-founder of the winery with her husband, Joe Will, says some prospective buyers are interested in purchasing the property and want to redevelop a portion of the land to build a hotel. The winery itself will still be open and operational beside the hotel.
Picture credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara
Niagara Region wins gold at national public relations awards
Niagara Region was recognized for excellence in communication with a 2026 Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) National Award of Excellence for their work on the Region’s 2026 Budget Campaign.
Picture credit: Polish Institute of International Affairs / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Canada’s former trade chief expects no tariff deal before U.S. midterms
Canada’s former chief trade negotiator says he doesn’t expect Ottawa to reach a tariff deal with Washington before the U.S. midterm elections.
Steve Verheul says while there could be a window ahead of the midterms this fall when the U.S. administration is looking for a win, he thinks it’s more likely that negotiations stretch into next year.
Picture credit: New Africa / Adobe Stock
Federal government expands Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program
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: prasannapix / Adobe Stock
Niagara business openings outpace closures in latest data
The number of active businesses in St. Catharines-Niagara rose to 8,916 in March, up from 8,888 in February, according to new experimental Statistics Canada estimates. The region saw 499 business openings that month, the highest level in the five-month period provided, while closures eased to 446 from 456 in February.
Picture credit: Creative Clicks / Adobe Stock
National sales figures at restaurants and bars on the rise
Canadian food services and drinking place sales rose 0.8% to $8.8 billion in April, with increases recorded across all industry groups. Limited-service eating places led the gain in dollar terms, while full-service restaurants, special food services and drinking places also posted increases, even as restaurant food prices were up 3.0% year over year and alcoholic beverage prices in licensed establishments rose 3.7%.
Picture credit: JHVEPhoto / Adobe Stock
What’s happening on Canada Day in Niagara
Celebrations for Canada Day are occurring across the region. Here’s what’s happening in your community.
St. Catharines to hold Canada Day celebration in Montebello Park
Grimsby celebrations relocated to Coronation Park
Lincoln celebrations to be held at Charles Daley Park
Niagara Falls celebrations to be held at Firemen’s Park
Pelham to hold parade and celebration in Harold Black Park
Port Colborne Optimist Club’s annual Canada Day event to take place at H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park
Thorold invites residents and visitors to celebrations in Battle of Beaverdams Park
West Lincoln to hold Canada Day event in Leisureplex
Focus on Internal Trade
Why tracking the return to the office is no longer a thing in Toronto
Garry Marr, Financial Post
About half a decade and a global pandemic later, the Strategic Regional Research Alliance is looking to finally pull the plug on tracking whether people are occupying Toronto offices.
There is little doubt occupancy has been going up since the pandemic ended, but the reality is that the trend has peaked, and some degree of hybrid or work-from-home is here to stay.
More importantly, a new reality may be emerging that is less about people wanting lines drawn in the sand about when or where to be in the office and more about flexibility on when and where work happens.
“We stopped publishing it because it’s just not a binary call anymore. You are not in, and you are not out,” said Iain Dobson, a co-founder of the group, which informally dates back to 2008. The SRRA will likely publish a final report in March 2027 to mark the anniversary of the pandemic’s onset.
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.
