In this edition:
- New buyers sought for former St. Catharines General Hospital site
- New condo projects proposed for Grimsby, Port Colborne
- Average asking rental prices reached $2,193 last month
- Niagara College gaining ground as research arm for SMEs
- The latest on Southwestern Ontario’s rising farmland values
- Focus on Human Resources
New buyers sought for former St. Catharines General Hospital site
The former St. Catharines General Hospital site on Queenston Street is up for sale again after its owners went into receivership.
Potential buyers for the more than 4.86-hectare site are being asked to submit offers by March 26, according to a information package published by Lennard Commercial Realty.
New condo projects proposed for Grimsby, Port Colborne
Twenty-two- and 16-storey condominium towers could be in place as part of a residential complex at 540-544 North Service Rd., west of Casablanca Boulevard, by 2028.
“It will be a landmark,” said Liaquat Mian, whose company LJM Developments is proposing to build the development that will include 548 residential units, five levels of underground parking with 606 parking spaces plus parking space for 417 bicycles, along with landscaping work.
Port Colborne city council has given its tentative approval to a proposal for an eight-storey mixed residential and commercial development next to Lock 8 Gateway Park.
However, in order to proceed the owner will need to reach an agreement with St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., from which the city leases the land for the park, to use some of it for parking.
Average asking rental prices reached $2,193 last month
A new report says the average asking price for a rental unit in Canada was $2,193 per month in February, marking a 10.5 per cent jump year-over-year and the fastest annual growth since September 2023.
The data released Monday by Rentals.ca and Urbanation, which analyzes monthly listings from the former’s network, shows the average monthly cost of a one-bedroom unit in February was $1,920, up 12.9 per cent from the same month in 2023.
The average asking price for a two-bedroom was $2,293, up 11.3 per cent annually.
Niagara College gaining ground as research arm for SMEs
Since Canadian SMEs (small- and medium-sized companies) often lack the time, expertise, or equipment to innovate their products or technologies, many seek partnerships with applied research colleges.
Niagara College is one of them. Currently ranked the number one research college in Canada, the College’s Research & Innovation division offers SMEs facilities, expertise, and funding to help address their innovation challenges. “We tend to consider ourselves their research arm,” says Dr. Marc Nantel, Vice-President, Research, Innovation & Strategic Enterprises at Niagara College.
The latest on Southwestern Ontario’s rising farmland values
Just like home prices, farmland prices rose across the country last year – up an average 11.5 per cent overall from the year before, down slightly from the previous year. Prices for cultivated farmland rose in every province tracked by Farm Credit Canada except for British Columbia, which saw an average 3.1 per cent decline in prices but which is home to the costliest farmland in the country.
Average per-acre prices were put at just under $21,000 in the South East region – Norfolk, Brant and Haldimand counties, and the Niagara area.
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Focus on Human Resouces
RTO etiquette: Is Gen Z being bullied in the return to the office?
Gen Z are disproportionately reporting workplace bullying as their employers enforce return to office (RTO) policies, according to a survey.
Thirty percent of workers overall said their company’s culture has been “toxic” since RTO was mandated.
But 38 percent of Gen Z respondents (18 to 24 years old) said they’d been bullied since returning to the office — and almost half (45%) said they’ve experienced “creepy” behaviour, found the survey of 557 employees by U.S. company Resume Builder.
But what does “creepy” behaviour mean, from a legal standpoint?
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.
