In this edition:
- G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors conclude productive meeting in Banff
- Donald Trump will visit Canada for G7, White House confirms
- Niagara-made guide aims to make restaurants more food allergy-friendly
- Pelham Joins 2025 ParticipACTION Community Challenge
- Loss of patios will alter Niagara-on-the-Lake tourism: Irish Harp owner
- Ontario supporting new emergency communications system
- Canadian travel to U.S. continues steep decline, data shows
- Ontario launches award to honour exceptional veterans
- ‘Big gains to be had’ if Canada’s pension fund giants invested more at home: Desjardins
- Land of hope or fear? U.S. tariffs still a threat to Niagara, but optimism grows among local officials
- Focus on Technology
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G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors conclude productive meeting in Banff
Today, G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors concluded their meeting in Banff, Alberta, which is part of Canada’s 2025 G7 Presidency. The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, and Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada, co-chaired the meeting.
Ministers and Governors reached agreement on a communiqué which emphasized, above all, the the importance of G7 unity in the face of complex global challenges. In advance of the Leaders’ Summit next month in Kananaskis, Alberta, the meeting included a productive and frank exchange on the global economy, unsustainable global imbalances, and ways to promote growth and productivity.
Picture credit: Office of the President of the United States
Donald Trump will visit Canada for G7, White House confirms
U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada next month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a briefing.
Trump will be in Canada from June 15 to 17. More details of his visit will be announced shortly, Leavitt said.
On May 6, during Mark Carney’s meeting with Trump at the White House, the prime minister noted that the two leaders “look forward to meeting next month at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis.”
Photo Credit: M.studio / stock.adobe.com
Niagara-made guide aims to make restaurants more food allergy-friendly
David Giacometti says his new guide could entice a growing population that doesn’t often go to restaurants.
The population he’s referring to is people with food allergies.
“The food allergy community is very loyal to the restaurants that can accommodate them,” said the 36-year-old Beamsville resident and restaurant industry veteran.
Illustration credit:Town of Pelham
Pelham Joins 2025 ParticipACTION Community Challenge
The Town of Pelham is taking part once again in the ParticipACTION Community Challenge, running from June 1–30, 2025.
This year, the Town has been awarded a grant to support inclusive sport and recreation programming, helping ensure that physical activity opportunities are available and accessible for residents of all ages and abilities.
Photo credit: ako-photography / stock.adobe.com
Loss of patios will alter Niagara-on-the-Lake tourism: Irish Harp owner
Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors finalized their vote this spring to end the town’s temporary patio program at the end of this year, and some business owners with patio permits say the landscape of local business and tourism is about to change.
Business owners with patio permits issued during the pandemic will soon see changes, with some having no opportunity to reapply at all.
Photo credit: MargJohnsonVA /stock.adobe.com
Ontario supporting new emergency communications system
As part of its plan to protect Ontario, the government is investing almost $22 million to help municipalities and emergency response centres support the transition to a new 9-1-1 communications system known as Next Generation 9-1-1.
“Every second counts when calling 9-1-1, and that’s why we are taking action to ensure Ontario’s emergency operators and dispatchers have access to state-of-the-art technology so that they can get help to where it’s needed most,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “Extending Next Generation 9-1-1 funding for an additional year will support the continued adoption of this life-saving system, resulting in safer communities and a better-protected Ontario.”
Photo Credit: robin / stock.adobe.com
Canadian travel to U.S. continues steep decline, data shows
Travel between Canada and the United States continues to steeply drop, new data from Statistics Canada (StatCan) shows.
In March this year, Canadian residents made 4.3 million trips returning from abroad, a 14.9 per cent decrease from the same month in 2024, in what the agency calls the third consecutive month of year-to-year declines.
Among the steepest drops were returning trips by car over the Canada-U.S. land border, down 31.4 per cent to 1.7 million trips in March. Meanwhile, air travel returning from the United States has shown a smaller, but more steady decrease of roughly eight per cent each month in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same time in 2024.
Photo Credit: Erman Gunes / stock.adobe.com
Ontario launches award to honour exceptional veterans
Today, the Ontario government launched the new Ontario Veterans Award for Community Service Excellence (OVACSE). The award honours individuals for exceptional and ongoing service to their communities, such as work to help veterans re-integrate into civilian life, supporting those dealing with ongoing mental or physical injuries, or other broader community-building initiatives.
“Premier Ford and our government are proud to launch the Ontario Veterans Award for Community Service Excellence, a historic program to honour the invaluable volunteer efforts of our veterans,” said Graham McGregor, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism. ” We can never fully repay those who have served our country, but this award will help strengthen our province by recognizing the legacy of our veterans and their contributions to building a stronger Ontario.”
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‘Big gains to be had’ if Canada’s pension fund giants invested more at home: Desjardins
Even a small shift in Canada’s enormous pension funds’ investment focus towards domestic assets could lead to “big gains” in the domestic market, a new report from Desjardins Economic Studies says.
Most of the funds’ roughly $3.6 trillion in investments are currently in foreign assets, Desjardins foreign exchange strategist Mirza Shaheryar Baig writes, but there is an appetite for change both within government and the institutions.
“Due to their large size relative to the domestic market, any shift in their asset allocation or currency hedge ratios can have a significant impact on financial markets, and current market dynamics suggest that there is some scope for change.”
Photo Credit: freshidea / stock.adobe.com
Land of hope or fear? U.S. tariffs still a threat to Niagara, but optimism grows among local officials
Niagara is one of the few regions in Canada that is a net exporter to the United States, and in regular times, that’s a good thing.
However, with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House, these are anything but ordinary times.
Focus on Technology
The future of marketing is personal: data quality, AI insights are Critical to delivering true one-on-one connections
Amit Jhawar, Forbes
We’re living through a marketing shift. Today’s most effective strategies aren’t just about reaching more people but reaching the right people with the right message at the right time. Personalization isn’t a buzzword anymore—it’s the new baseline.
Our 2025 consumer trends report found that three out of four surveyed shoppers have already abandoned brands they once loved in favor of those offering more personalized experiences, while 81% say they routinely ignore marketing messages that don’t feel relevant. At the same time, customer acquisition costs are climbing, lifetime value is shrinking and the competitive landscape is intensifying.
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.
