In this edition:
- Carney stresses Canada will never be for sale in first meeting with Trump
- Ontario expands Skills Development Fund by nearly $1 billion
- Niagara Region launches new tool to show progress on key initiatives
- Paused: Proposed St. Catharines bylaw requires residential units be replaced within 2 years of demolition
- Niagara restaurant wins coveted top spot on country’s top-100 list
- Niagara Region receives Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for twentieth consecutive year
- Gale moves to limit Niagara Region’s budget increase to 3.5 per cent
- Focus on Finance & Economy
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Picture credit: Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
Carney stresses Canada will never be for sale in first meeting with Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the White House on Tuesday for his first talks with Donald Trump and bluntly told the U.S. president that Canada would never be for sale.
Photo credit: sidekick / Adobe Stock
Ontario expands Skills Development Fund by nearly $1 billion
The provincial government is expanding its Skills Development Fund (SDF) by nearly $1 billion over the next three years, for a total of $2.5 billion. This includes $705 million in new funding through the upcoming 2025 Ontario Budget to train more workers through the SDF Training Stream, building on the additional $100 million announced in January 2025.
Picture credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara
Niagara Region launches new tool to show progress on key initiatives
Niagara Region is proud to announce the launch of its new Council Strategic Priorities dashboard – a user-friendly online tool that keeps residents informed about the progress being made on key initiatives in their community.
Photo credit: karamysh / Adobe Stock
Paused: Proposed St. Catharines bylaw requires residential units be replaced within 2 years of demolition
A proposed bylaw to protect residential units in St. Catharines from being demolished without a plan to replace the units is being reviewed, after concerns were raised by the Niagara Home Builders’ Association.
The demolition control bylaw would prevent the city’s chief building official from issuing demolition permits for any buildings with one or more residential units unless a building permit is issued simultaneously to construct a new building.
Photo credit: Jim Norton Photography / Town of Lincoln
Niagara restaurant wins coveted top spot on country’s top-100 list
After several years bouncing around the top 10 of the best restaurants in Canada list, Restaurant Pearl Morissette earned the coveted No. 1 spot on the Canada’s 100 Best restaurants in 2025.
St. Catharines Fat Rabbit also earned a spot on the list at No. 97.
Picture credit: Summit Art Creations / Adobe Stock
Niagara Region receives Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for the twentieth consecutive year
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded Niagara Region a Canadian Award for Financial Reporting (CAnFR) for the twentieth year in a row.
Picture credit: Regional Municipality of Niagara
Gale moves to limit Niagara Region’s budget increase to 3.5 per cent
Niagara Falls regional Coun. Bob Gale served a notice of motion at the full meeting of regional council in April that, if approved, would limit the Region’s consolidated levy budget to a 3.5 per cent increase.
Focus on Finance & Economy
High cost of food weighing on Canadians, with inflationary worries growing
Food affordability remains top of mind as Canadians expect their grocery bills to climb even higher in the coming year.
According to the spring edition of the bi-annual Canadian Food Sentiment Index by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, 79.7% of consumers said food prices have increased more than any other category in the past 12 months. While that’s a slight decrease from the fall 2024 index (84.1%), it still indicates “consistently high concern,” according to the report.
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.
