In this edition:
- Ontario launches Fortress North America plan
- Province puts restrictions on NPCA
- Moose & Goose transitioning to 55-unit residential rental building
- Canadian manufacturers call for full CUSMA renewal and removal of U.S. tariffs
- Canada’s trade surplus widens in April
- Asking rents edge down in major cities
- Focus on Internal Trade: How Canada’s internal trade reform echoes 1864 — and what it will take to finish the job
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Picture credit: Oleksii / Adobe Stock
Ontario launches Fortress North America plan
Premier Doug Ford has concluded a two-day mission to Washington, D.C., where Ontario unveiled its renewed Fortress North America plan, calling for a fair free trade agreement that would create jobs, lower costs, and strengthen continental security. The province said the mission included meetings with U.S. senators, members of Congress, and executives in critical sectors including automotive, aerospace, and agriculture.
NPCA CEO Leilani Lee-Yates | Picture credit: Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
Province puts restrictions on NPCA
The Ontario government is prohibiting conservation authorities from buying or selling property, initiating capital projects or establishing any contracts valued at more than $500,000 until next February.
The province is establishing these “guardrails,” said Leilani Lee-Yates, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s chief administrative officer, to “minimize risk” as Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities amalgamate over the next year.
Picture credit: Alphabet / Google Maps screenshot
Moose & Goose transitioning to 55-unit residential rental building
Once the epicentre of downtown Thorold nightlife, The Moose & Goose is being transformed into 55 modern rental units.
It’s shaping up to be “quite the project,” said site co-owner Mike De Divitiis.
Picture credit: freshidea / Adobe Stock
Canadian manufacturers call for full CUSMA renewal and removal of U.S. tariffs
A new national survey from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) reveals overwhelming support among manufacturers for extending the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) during the 2026 joint review, removing harmful U.S. tariffs, and restoring certainty to North American trade.
Picture credit: Negro Elkha / Adobe Stock
Canada’s trade surplus widens in April
Canada’s total trade surplus in goods and services widened to $2.8 billion in April, as exports rose 1.0% to $95.8 billion and imports increased 0.5% to $92.9 billion. The gain was driven by merchandise trade, where exports rose 1.6% to a record $75.2 billion, supported by higher energy exports, farm and food products, motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, and chemicals. Services trade partly offset the goods gain, with exports down 0.9% and imports up 1.1%, narrowing the services surplus to $0.1 billion.
The figures point to continued export strength in goods-producing sectors, while higher travel services imports and rising cross-border trade with the United States underline the importance of international visitors, supply chains, and U.S. market access.
Picture credit: Blacqbook / Adobe Stock
Asking rents edge down in major cities
Statistics Canada reported that the average asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment across all census metropolitan areas was $2,150 in the first quarter of 2026, down 0.9% from the same quarter in 2025. Rents fell in several major markets, including Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa–Gatineau, Calgary, and Edmonton, while Halifax posted a 5.4% increase. The experimental data, produced with CMHC from rental listings on major platforms, reflect what prospective tenants may face in the market and point to housing costs remaining a key factor in workforce attraction and retention.
Focus on Internal Trade
How Canada’s internal trade reform echoes 1864 — and what it will take to finish the job
Steven Dowling, Policy Options
When U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January 2025 for a second term, his words were unequivocal: America would once again consider itself a growing nation — one that increases its wealth and expands its territory. Canada was not mentioned. It didn’t need to be.
Within hours, reports emerged of an imminent 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian goods. Within weeks, the threat to annex Canada as the 51st state had moved from campaign bluster to a presidential talking point. Within months, economic pressure was brought to bear on our country in a manner not experienced in living memory.
Our trade and national-security policies had been built for decades on the assumption of a friendly, economically aligned southern neighbour. That assumption was not a fact. It was a bet — and the game had just changed.
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.
