In this edition:
- Ontario introduces legislation to speed up home building
- Welland initiates Ward Boundary Review, solicits community input
- Unifor DHL Express Canada members vote in favour of strike
- St. Catharines area west of hospital seeing growth
- Several conferences relocate north of the border as Canadians refuse to travel to the U.S.
- Focus on Climate
Did you know you can get the GNCC’s Daily Update emailed to you? Click here to sign up.
Picture credit: nipol / Adobe Stock
Ontario introduces legislation to speed up home building
Today, Ontario is introducing the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025 to help speed up the construction of new homes and infrastructure, including by streamlining development processes and reducing costs in close partnership with municipalities.
Ontario’s housing minister admitted the province isn’t currently on track to meet its goal of getting 1.5 million homes built over 10 years.
The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) welcomed the move in a statement.
Photo credit: Harold Stiver / Adobe Stock
Welland initiates Ward Boundary Review, solicits community input
The City of Welland is undertaking a Ward Boundary Review to ensure local representation keeps pace with the city’s growth and changing demographics.
With Welland’s population expected to nearly double by 2051, and growth occurring in all corners of the city, a ward boundary review is essential to uphold voter parity and maintain strong, balanced representation across all areas.
Two rounds of public consultation will take place beginning May 9, supported by online surveys and digital feedback tools, in-person and virtual town halls, and targeted outreach.
Picture credit: Belish / Adobe Stock
Unifor DHL Express Canada members vote in favour of strike
Unifor members at DHL Express Canada locations across Canada voted 97% in favour of strike action on May 10. The week-long strike vote began May 3. Unifor began bargaining with the employer in September 2024. The parties have reportedly spent over 25 days at the table bargaining.
DHL Express Canada applied for conciliation, which puts each party in a legal strike or lockout position as of June 8, 2025.
Picture credit: KFA Architects +Planners Inc.
St. Catharines area west of hospital seeing growth
St. Catharines’ conversion of vacant, unused lands in the west end five years ago is starting to reap rewards with a new proposal for a 313-unit apartment complex and construction underway for a long-term-care home.
The 12 hectares of land west of the St. Catharines hospital were redesignated from employment uses to mixed uses under the city’s official plan by council in November 2020.
Picture credit: Rick Beauregard / Adobe Stock
Several conferences relocate north of the border as Canadians refuse to travel to the U.S.
Despite CBP’s reassurances that Trump’s border crackdown is designed to protect the country and that “lawful travellers have nothing to fear from these measures,” some conferences that already booked a U.S. location have decided to scrap the venues entirely.
If conference organizers continue to choose Canada over U.S. venues, it could be a boon for the Canadian economy, says non-profit conference manager Heather Dow, who has organized more than 100 conferences and events since 2012.
Focus on Climate
A new fully charged EV battery in five minutes: Are China’s swap stations the future of electric cars?
At a battery swap station near the Beijing Olympics Sports Centre, the owner of a Nio car watches as a fully charged battery is placed into his vehicle. The station’s staff drive his car onto a platform with an integrated system which removes the depleted battery from beneath the car and loads it a fresh one. The whole process takes no more than five minutes.
Behind him, a few other customers wait in line under an overcast sky, the iconic Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium not far in the distance. Outside the battery swap station, a slogan reads, “Battery swap stations are equivalent to gas stations for electric vehicles”.
Battery swapping – which simply means changing out depleted electric vehicle (EV) batteries for fresh, recharged ones – is an alternative to charging batteries inside the vehicle, as is used for the vast majority of the world’s electric cars.
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.
