In this edition:
- NOTL heritage committee approves demolition permit to make way for new Royal George Theatre
- Stevensville Volunteer Fair to connect non-profits and service providers with volunteers
- Niagara wineries see ‘bright light at the end of the tunnel’ as grape harvest begins
- St. Catharines invites community input for Garden City Plan
- Canadian Major Projects Office announces initial projects under consideration
- Government of Canada and FCM to invest $85.5M investment in green housing
- Ontario launches career fair to connect students and jobseekers to skilled trades careers
- Housing starts flat in first half of 2025 amid declines in condo projects, reports CMHC
- Sobeys and Safeway parent Empire Co. says its first-quarter profit and sales up
- Going paperless with Alectra helps fill food bank shelves for Ontario families this fall
- Canadian households’ net worth rises for seventh straight quarter to $17.9 trillion
- Focus on Retail
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Picture credit: Shaw Festival
NOTL heritage committee approves demolition permit to make way for new Royal George Theatre
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s heritage committee has approved a demolition permit for two houses on Victoria Street as part of Shaw Festival’s $50-million rebuild of the Royal George Theatre.
The two structures are designated under the town’s Queen-Picton Heritage Conservation District, “reflecting their important contextual contribution to the character” of the area.
Photo credit: Dragana Gordic / Adobe Stock
Stevensville Volunteer Fair to connect non-profits and service providers with volunteers
Downtown Stevensville is hosting a Volunteer Fair to connect local non-profits and service providers with community volunteers. This free event will bring groups and residents together in one place to share opportunities, build connections, and strengthen volunteer efforts across Fort Erie. Non-profits and service providers will receive complimentary booths.
Photo credit: guerrieroale / Adobe Stock
Niagara wineries see ‘bright light at the end of the tunnel’ as grape harvest begins
It has been a weather roller-coaster since spring, with June temperatures in the mid-30s, followed by a cooling-off period, then a hot and dry July and August, and then colder days and a smattering of rain in late August and September.
Debbie Zimmerman, chief executive officer of Grape Growers of Ontario, said in a brief statement “the crop is lighter this year for sure.”
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Following the the 2024 harvest, Grape Growers of Ontario sent a letter to the provincial government urging it to provide a “plan for the long-term success of our industry” after farmers had to address a large surplus of grapes.
Picture credit: City of St. Catharines
St. Catharines invites community input for Garden City Plan
The City of St. Catharines is inviting the community for help to update the Garden City Plan.
The City’s Official Plan, called the Garden City Plan, is more than 10 years old and needs updating to reflect current planning rules in Ontario. Everyone who lives, works and plays in St. Catharines is encouraged to have their say.
Picture credit: chitsanupong / Adobe Stock
Canadian Major Projects Office announces initial projects under consideration
Projects deemed to be of national importance and significance are being referred to the Major Projects Office who will continue to work with proponents, provinces, territories and Indigenous Peoples to find the right way forward for these projects. The initial projects under consideration are focused on energy, resources, and logistics, including mining projects, a port expansion, nuclear power, and LNG.
Photo credit: StockPhotoPro / Adobe Stock
Government of Canada and FCM to invest $85.5M investment in green housing
This World Green Building Week, the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) President Rebecca Bligh announced $85.5 million in funding under the Sustainable Affordable Housing (SAH) stream of the Green Municipal Fund (GMF). This investment includes approximately $67.9 million for 21 capital and pilot projects and $17.6 million for planning and feasibility studies that will help communities of all sizes develop and scale innovative housing solutions that are affordable, energy efficient and climate-resilient.
Picture credit: Kzenon / Adobe Stock
Ontario launches career fair to connect students and jobseekers to skilled trades careers
The Ontario government is launching its annual Level Up! career fairs to introduce a record number of students, educators and jobseekers to in-demand careers in the skilled trades. Through multi-day events, open house sessions and over 200 interactive exhibitors, the 2025 fairs will inspire the next generation of workers to build the homes, highways, hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure that the province needs.
Picture credit: Svjatoslav / Adobe Stock
Housing starts flat in first half of 2025 amid declines in condo projects, reports CMHC
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says growth in overall housing starts was flat during the first half of the year compared with 2024, though there were significant regional differences.
The agency says cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa and Halifax built homes at paces that were either at or near records or in line with historical averages in the first half of the year.
Picture credit: Prashanth Bala / Adobe Stock
Sobeys and Safeway parent Empire Co. says its first-quarter profit and sales up
Empire Co. Ltd. says its first-quarter profit and sales rose compared with a year ago.
The grocery retailer, which operates Sobeys, Safeway and other banners, says it earned a profit attributable to owners of the company of $212 million or 91 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 2.
Picture credit: Drazen / Adobe Stock
Going paperless with Alectra helps fill food bank shelves for Ontario families this fall
This fall, Alectra Utilities is encouraging customers to switch to paperless billing and help support families in need. As part of its annual ebilling campaign, Alectra will donate $25,000 to Feed Ontario’s Full Shelves program, which provides pantry staples and school-friendly snacks to stock food bank shelves across the province. Every customer who switches to ebilling will help put a meal on the table for someone in need.
Picture credit: Andrii Yalanskyi / Adobe Stock
Canadian households’ net worth rises for seventh straight quarter to $17.9 trillion
Financial assets continue to be a key driver of Canadians’ wealth, as collective household net worth grew to $17.9 trillion in the second quarter of 2025.
Statistics Canada’s latest national balance sheet, released Thursday, revealed that household net worth was up 1.5 per cent, notching its seventh consecutive quarter of growth.
Focus on Retail
Tipping is everywhere. Have Canadians had enough?
Ben Cousins, Financial Post
It seems someone is asking for a tip pretty much anywhere you go.
Whether it’s a fast-food outlet, a sit-down restaurant, a massage or even a self-checkout machine, Canadians can’t escape being asked for tips and they appear to be reaching their tipping point.
More than a third of Canadians are tipping less frequently than they did a year ago, according to a recent survey by fintech platform Adyen NV, in what the company calls a “clear signal that the country may be reaching peak tip fatigue.”
Younger Canadians are most likely to tip less, the survey said, with 46 per cent of gen-Zers and 44 per cent of millennials admitting to cutting back on tips.
But income doesn’t seem to be a differentiator, as Canadians bringing in $100,000 a year were just as likely to tip less this year as middle- and lower-income earners.
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.
