In this edition:
- Brock reappoints Lesley Rigg as President and Vice-Chancellor
- City of Niagara Falls recognized for innovation with provincial engineering award
- Market participants expect modest growth and steady rates
- Ontario expands pharmacist services
- BoC report estimates U.S. counter-tariffs pushed prices up around 6% last year
- International arrivals rise for first time since early 2025
- Focus on Trends
Did you know you can get the GNCC’s Daily Update emailed to you? Click here to sign up.
Picture credit: Brock University
Brock reappoints Lesley Rigg as President and Vice-Chancellor
Brock University has reappointed Dr. Lesley Rigg to a second term as President and Vice-Chancellor. The unanimous decision was made by the University’s Board of Trustees at its recent meeting and comes at a time when President Rigg has just over one year left on her current five-year term. The new appointment takes effect Nov. 1, 2027.
Photo credit: City of Niagara Falls
City of Niagara Falls recognized for innovation with provincial engineering award
The City of Niagara Falls is celebrating provincial recognition after Aspire Consulting Group Ltd. received an Award of Distinction at the 2026 Ontario Engineering Project Awards (OEPA), presented by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Ontario.
Picture credit: Dilok / Adobe Stock
Market participants expect modest growth and steady rates
The Bank of Canada’s latest Market Participants Survey found that financial market respondents expect Canadian GDP growth of 1.6% by the end of 2026 and 1.9% by the end of 2027, while CPI inflation is forecast at 2.6% this year before easing to 2.1% next year. Respondents overwhelmingly saw the economy operating below potential, with trade tensions and geopolitical risks cited as major downside risks. The median forecast keeps the Bank’s policy rate at 2.25% through 2026, an important signal for businesses watching borrowing costs, investment decisions, and consumer demand.
Photo credit: Me studio / Adobe Stock
Ontario expands pharmacist services
Ontario will allow pharmacists to administer six additional publicly funded vaccines, including tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, pneumococcal, RSV and shingles, and to assess and prescribe for nine more common ailments starting in July 2026. The province says the move will make pharmacies a more convenient point of care and reduce pressure on doctors’ offices, walk-in clinics and other parts of the health-care system. For employers and residents, the expansion could mean easier access to routine vaccines and treatment for minor conditions, helping reduce time away from work and improving access in communities facing primary-care shortages.
Picture credit: amazing studio / Adobe Stock
BoC report estimates U.S. counter-tariffs pushed prices up around 6% last year
Analysts at the Bank of Canada say prices on goods affected by Ottawa’s counter-tariffs against the United States last year were roughly six per cent higher on average than non-tariffed goods.
The federal government imposed tariffs of 25 per cent on a variety of grocery items, clothing and other household staples coming from the United States for about six months starting in March 2025 as retaliation to U.S. President Donald Trump’s initial tariff campaign.
Picture credit: photobyphotoboy / Adobe Stock
International arrivals rise for first time since early 2025
Statistics Canada reported that international arrivals to Canada by air and automobile reached 4.7 million in April, up 3.5% from the same month in 2025 and the first year-over-year increase since January 2025. U.S.-resident trips to Canada rose 7.3% to 1.2 million, including gains by both automobile and air, while overseas-resident trips fell 3.1%.
For Niagara’s tourism and border-dependent businesses, the increase in U.S. travel is a positive signal, though StatCan noted Canadian travel to the U.S. remained 30% below April 2024 levels amid shifting Canada-U.S. travel patterns.
Focus on Trends
From dead malls to pickleball hubs: How the sport is reviving empty retail space
Tracy Hanes, Daily Commercial News
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.
