In this edition:
- Mayor of St. Catharines issues new direction to staff to fast-track housing and development projects
- City of Thorold’s ferry will soft-open this weekend
- Niagara Parks and City of Niagara Falls announce holiday road closure schedule
- Niagara Regional Police announce 4th annual Spring Forward Food Drive
- Unionized workers rejecting more deals as fight for wage gains presses on
- Focus on Finance & Economy
Mayor of St. Catharines issues new direction to staff to fast-track housing and development projects
Today, Mayor Mat Siscoe, directed the CAO and staff to adopt a housing-focused approach, including implementing enhanced customer service, and fast-tracking planning and development applications. In addition, all City departments have been instructed to prioritize development applications.
St. Catharines approved a new housing strategy early last year, with a target of building 11,000 homes by 2031. Just a few months ago, the city was awarded $2.3 million for hitting 80 percent of its annual target, breaking ground on 648 new housing units last year.
City of Thorold’s ferry will soft-open this weekend
The City plans to launch a soft-opening of Bridge-it ferry this weekend on May 11 and 12, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., before opening officially for the season on May 18.
As the only ferry service on the Welland canal, Bridge-it provides local residents, visitors and cyclists direct transportation between the east and west sides of Port Robinson in Thorold. The ferry has shuttled passengers across the Welland canal since the 1970s, and is wheelchair accessible and pet-friendly.
Niagara Parks and City of Niagara Falls announce holiday road closure schedule
Niagara Parks has partnered with the City of Niagara Falls to establish a schedule of planned road closures throughout the core area of Queen Victoria Park, beginning with the Victoria Day long weekend.
On Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19, the Niagara Parkway will be closed to vehicular traffic from Clifton Hill to Fraser Hill, beginning at 7 p.m. with a full road closure in place by 8 p.m. Clifton Hill from Victoria Avenue to Falls Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic beginning at 7 p.m. with a full closure in place by 8 p.m.
Other planned closures can be found at the link below.
Niagara Regional Police announce 4th annual Spring Forward Food Drive
As part of Police Week 2024 the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) is proud to announce the kick off of the 4th annual Spring Forward Food Drive.
The Spring Forward Food Drive is led by officers of the NRPS Community Oriented Response and Engagement Unit (CORE). After three very successful years the Spring Forward Food Drive has collected 51,044 lbs. in food and $35,113.45 in cash/gift cards donations. Donations have been received from members of the public and businesses.
CORE officers have once again partnered with 10 local food banks and 13 local grocery stores in an effort to help support the demand for food and donations within Niagara.
Unionized workers rejecting more deals as fight for wage gains presses on
Union workers are feeling increasingly emboldened to reject tentative agreements as they fight to join the ranks of those benefiting from the recent wave of wage gains, experts say.
“It’s pretty clear to me that there is an uptick in workers rejecting agreements that have been recommended by their contract bargaining committees,” said Barry Eidlin, an associate professor of sociology at McGill University.
It’s a sign that their expectations have risen significantly over the past few years, he said, and a symptom of a more militant attitude among unionized workers.
Did you know?
Ottawa’s Elgin Street Theatre was the first in the world to have two screens.
Focus on Finance & Economy
Global housing shortages are crushing immigration-fuelled growth
Across much of the developed world, one of the most dependable drivers of economic growth is faltering.
For decades, the rapid inflow of migrants helped countries including Canada, Australia and the U.K. stave off the demographic drag from aging populations and falling birth rates. That’s now breaking down as a surge of arrivals since borders reopened after the pandemic runs headlong into a chronic shortage of homes to accommodate them.
Canada and Australia have escaped recession since their Covid contractions, but their people haven’t with deep per-capita downturns eroding standards of living. The U.K.’s recession last year looked mild on raw numbers but was deeper and longer when measured on a per-person basis.
All up, thirteen economies across the developed world were in per-capita recessions at the end of last year, according to exclusive analysis by Bloomberg Economics. While there are other factors — such as the shift to less-productive service jobs and the fact that new arrivals typically earn less — housing shortages and associated cost-of-living strains are a common thread.
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.
