In this edition:
- Royal George Theatre rebuild gets up to $25 million from Ottawa
- Niagara councillors examine water utility model amid $2.8-billion infrastructure backlog
- Ontario expands tariff supports as new U.S. trade measures take effect
- Sam Oosterhoff named Ontario agriculture minister in cabinet shuffle
- Trump raises Canadian dollar as new issue in trade dispute
- Nearly four in 10 Canadian shoppers used AI to shop in past year
- Ontario funds 40,000 more postsecondary seats in high-demand programs
- Retail vacancy expected to remain elevated after Hudson’s Bay closures
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Chris Bittle M.P. | Picture credit: Hugo Chesshire / Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce
Royal George Theatre rebuild gets up to $25 million from Ottawa
The federal government is investing up to $25 million toward the $90-million rebuild of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Royal George Theatre. The project is expected to create 850 jobs and generate $80 million in annual economic activity, with construction already underway on the new Shaw Festival venue.
Picture credit: Klymentii / Adobe Stock
Niagara councillors examine water utility model amid $2.8-billion infrastructure backlog
Niagara Region is examining whether an arm’s-length municipal service corporation could help finance its water and wastewater systems as the Region faces a $2.8-billion infrastructure backlog. More than one-third of Niagara’s water and wastewater infrastructure is in poor condition, while borrowing pressures are tightening.
Picture credit: Summit Art Creations / Adobe Stock
Ontario expands tariff supports as new U.S. trade measures take effect
Ontario is expanding eligibility for the Protect Ontario Financing Program and Ontario Together Trade Fund as new U.S. tariffs and import bans take effect. The affected products include metals, furniture, dairy products and alcoholic beverages, with eligibility expanding as the respective U.S. measures begin September 15 and 29.
File photo | Picture credit: Brad Demers / Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce
Sam Oosterhoff named Ontario agriculture minister in cabinet shuffle
Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff has been named Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness in Premier Doug Ford’s latest cabinet shuffle. The province is also creating a new Associate Minister of Artificial Intelligence Adoption, with Vijay Thanigasalam taking on the portfolio.
Picture credit: alexey_arz / Adobe Stock
Trump raises Canadian dollar as new issue in trade dispute
U.S. President Donald Trump has called the Canadian dollar’s relative weakness an unacceptable “imbalance,” raising another issue in the Canada-U.S. trade dispute. The loonie is trading around 72 cents U.S.; economists say government efforts to influence exchange rates can be difficult and costly.
Picture credit: Valerii Apetroaiei / Adobe Stock
Nearly four in 10 Canadian shoppers used AI to shop in past year
Nearly four in 10 Canadian shoppers used AI to help them shop over the past year, according to Salesforce research. Price comparisons and deal hunting lead the uses, while retailers are increasingly confronting questions about how their products, prices and inventory appear in AI-generated recommendations.
Picture credit: Nejron Photo / Adobe Stock
Ontario funds 40,000 more postsecondary seats in high-demand programs
Ontario is funding 40,000 additional seats at publicly assisted colleges and universities in STEM, health care, education, trades and other labour-market-driven programs. The seats form part of a $1.7-billion expansion supporting more than 70,000 new spaces, with funding announcements for additional recipient institutions expected in the coming weeks.
Picture credit: Canmenwalker / CC BY 4.0
Retail vacancy expected to remain elevated after Hudson’s Bay closures
Canada’s retail vacancy rate is expected to remain near 2.5 per cent over the next year as the market continues absorbing former Hudson’s Bay space, according to CoStar. Shopping-mall vacancy jumped from about three to eight per cent after the closures, while retail rent growth is forecast to slow further.
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.
