In this edition:
- Niagara municipalities among 27 of 34 earning failing grade in RESCON residential construction report
- Thalia Semplonius and Jamie Miller named Co-Executive Directors of Workforce Collective
- NOTL council speeds up budget process to stay ahead on capital projects
- City of Welland hosting regional purchasing open house to help local businesses connect and grow
- Niagara farmers oppose scrapping temporary foreign workers program
- 3 in 4 Canadians dining out less amid rising costs, Restaurants Canada report finds
- Farm Credit Canada report suggests strategies to diversify food exports
- Focus on International Trade
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Picture credit: Framestock / Adobe Stock
Niagara municipalities among 27 of 34 earning failing grade in RESCON residential construction report
Most municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including the City of Toronto, have been given a failing grade in a comprehensive new report done by the University of Ottawa’s Missing Middle Initiative for the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON).
Housing starts in the St. Catharines-Niagara CMA have declined significantly compared to the same point in previous years, earning St. Catharines a ‘C’ grade, while Niagara Falls and Welland were both awarded a ‘D’. Other municipalities were not included as they were not allotted provincial targets.
Picture credit: Workforce Collective
Thalia Semplonius and Jamie Miller named Co-Executive Directors of Workforce Collective
Niagara’s Workforce Collective has announced the retirement of Executive Director Vivian Kinnaird at the end of September. She will be replaced by Thalia Semplonius and Jamie Miller as Co-Executive Directors.
Picture credit: Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
NOTL council speeds up budget process to stay ahead on capital projects
Niagara-on-the-Lake council is shrinking its timeline for putting together the final municipal budget by three weeks, they decided last Tuesday.
Council set a new deadline of Dec. 3 for approving next year’s budget, 19 days earlier than the previously proposed Dec. 22.
Picture credit: TarikVision / Adobe Stock
City of Welland hosting regional purchasing open house to help local businesses connect and grow
On Thursday, September 25, the City of Welland will host a first-of-its-kind Purchasing Open House at the Welland Community Centre, bringing together procurement professionals from across Niagara. Participating municipalities include Niagara Region, the Town of Fort Erie, the Town of Lincoln, and the cities of Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, and St. Catharines.
Photo credit: @Nailotl / Adobe Stock
Niagara farmers oppose scrapping temporary foreign workers program
Early this month in Mississauga, Poilievre called on the Liberal government to permanently scrap the program and stop issuing visas for temporary foreign workers so those jobs could be accessed by Canadians.
“It was shocking,” said Jamie Slingerland, director of viniculture at Pillitteri Estates Winery. “[Eliminating the program] would wipe out the tender fruit and grape industry. What was he talking about?”
Photo credit: weyo / Adobe Stock
3 in 4 Canadians dining out less amid rising costs, Restaurants Canada report finds
Three in four Canadians (75%) are eating out less often due to the rising cost of living, according to Restaurants Canada’s 2025 Foodservice Facts report released today. That share rises to 81% for those aged 18 to 34, it said.
As a result of this pullback in dining out, the 2025 outlook for foodservice businesses is mixed. An increase in domestic tourism is driving more sales, but Canadians are spending less per capita and opting to eat at home more than they were pre-pandemic, said the national organization.
Photo credit: photoschmidt / Adobe Stock
Farm Credit Canada report suggests strategies to diversify food exports
Canada has an opportunity to diversify $12 billion of food and beverage exports to non-U.S. markets to protect against trade disruption, enhance global competitiveness and build a more resilient agriculture and food system, according to Farm Credit Canada (FCC)’s new report, titled ‘The $12-billion trade shift: Canada’s opportunity to diversify food exports beyond the U.S.‘
According to FCC, Canada’s food and beverage sector is heavily reliant on the U.S. as over three-quarters of its exports were destined to the southern neighbour, compared with 31 per cent of primary agricultural products in 2023.
Focus on International Trade
Canada’s tariff wall on Chinese electric vehicles is deepening dependence on the U.S.
Addisu Lashitew, The Conversation
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.
