In this edition:
- Ontario invests $76 million to add 3,586 seats at Brock and Niagara College
- Ontario Land Tribunal approves 846-unit north Welland development
- Federal government proposes extending fuel excise tax relief through January 2027
- Bill C-39 proposes one-year federal project reviews and new labour rules
- Competition Bureau agreement limits Empire grocery property controls
- U.S. visits to Canada rise 9.1% in July
- Canada and Norway establish defence procurement framework
- King Charles III recognizes Niagara’s Covenant Chain history in message to inaugural roundtable
- Welland advances $2.3-million Cooks Mills Community Centre design
- Rodman Art Institute says it may not survive without funding and permanent home
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Featured content by HR with Intent Consulting
You Promoted Your Best Employee – Now What?
You have a great employee. They’re reliable, knowledgeable, hardworking and respected by their peers. A supervisor or manager position opens up and they seem like the natural choice.
They get the promotion and suddenly, everything changes.
Now they’re expected to manage performance, give feedback, navigate conflict, motivate different personalities and have difficult conversations.
But who taught them how to do that?
A good place to start? Give new leaders clarity on what’s expected of them, teach them how to have the conversations they’ll inevitably face, and make sure they have somewhere to turn when they’re unsure what to do next.
Because the first question shouldn’t just be, “Are they ready to lead?” It should also be, “Have we prepared them to?”
Picture credit: ake1150 / Adobe Stock
Ontario invests $76 million to add 3,586 seats at Brock and Niagara College
Ontario is providing $76 million for 3,586 additional seats at Brock University and Niagara College in STEM, health, trades and education programs. Brock will receive 2,565 new seats and Niagara College 1,021, with enrolment beginning as early as fall 2026.
Picture credit: chernikovatv / Adobe Stock
Ontario minimum wage rises to $17.95 on Oct. 1
Ontario’s minimum wage will rise by 35 cents, from $17.60 to $17.95 per hour, on Oct. 1. Retail, food services and accommodation account for the majority of minimum-wage workers in the province.
Picture credit: NPG Planning Solutions
Ontario Land Tribunal approves 846-unit north Welland development
The Ontario Land Tribunal has approved a revised north Welland development with 822 apartment units, 24 stacked townhouses and 1,120 square metres of commercial space. The project was reduced from an original 1,196-unit proposal after negotiations involving the developer, residents’ group and city.
Photo credit: alexanderuhrin / Adobe Stock
Federal government proposes extending fuel excise tax relief through January 2027
Bill C-38 would keep the federal fuel excise tax fully suspended through Jan. 31, 2027, before applying 50 per cent of regular rates through March 31. The extension covers gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels and is expected to provide an additional $2.9 billion in tax relief.
Picture credit: the Right Honourable Mark Carney
Bill C-39 proposes one-year federal project reviews and new labour rules
The federal government has tabled Bill C-39, proposing one-year timelines for major project reviews, national-interest zones with pre-approval powers and changes to federally regulated labour rules. The bill would also expand mediation requirements and set conditions for federal intervention in strikes or lockouts.
Picture credit: eugen / Adobe Stock
Competition Bureau agreement limits Empire grocery property controls
Empire, parent company of Sobeys, Foodland, FreshCo and other banners, has entered a legally binding Competition Bureau agreement limiting grocery property controls. Empire will stop enforcing restrictive covenants and limit exclusivity clauses that can prevent competing food retailers from opening nearby.
Picture credit: photobyphotoboy / Adobe Stock
U.S. visits to Canada rise 9.1% in July
U.S.-resident trips to Canada rose 9.1 per cent year over year in July, while Canadian return trips from the U.S. increased 10.1 per cent. Canadian U.S. trips remained 25.6 per cent below July 2024 levels despite four consecutive months of year-over-year growth.
Picture credit: luzitanija / Adobe Stock
Canada and Norway establish defence procurement framework
The Canadian Commercial Corporation and Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency have signed a letter of intent creating a framework for government-to-government defence procurement. The agreement could open Norwegian procurement opportunities for Canadian ammunition, missiles, UAVs, air-defence systems, electronic warfare, medical equipment and related services.
Picture credit: Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations
King Charles III recognizes Niagara’s Covenant Chain history in message to inaugural roundtable
King Charles III highlighted Niagara’s historic role in Crown-Indigenous relations in a message to the inaugural Niagara Roundtable Conference. The Sept. 19 gathering in Niagara-on-the-Lake brought together First Nations leaders, Indigenous knowledge holders and scholars to examine the Covenant Chain and four centuries of Indigenous relations.
Picture credit: NPG Planning Solutions Inc. and Spriet Associates
Welland advances $2.3-million Cooks Mills Community Centre design
Welland is moving the new Cooks Mills Community Centre into detailed design as part of $7.3 million in phased park and facility improvements. The 345-square-metre, $2.3-million hall is now scheduled for construction in 2027, one year earlier than previously planned.
Picture credit: City of Thorold
Rodman Art Institute says it may not survive without funding and permanent home
The Rodman Art Institute is holding public meetings as it faces rising costs, no permanent home and a November deadline to leave its temporary Thorold space. Its 2,000-piece collection, appraised at about $6 million, has been stored off-site at an annual cost of $70,000 to $75,000.
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.
