In this edition:
- Canada and Ontario investing $14.6 million to help farmers make improvements to farmlands
- Niagara College welcomes students for Fall 2025 with record domestic enrolment
- Final round of applications for 2025 St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program now open
- Canadian productivity declines in second quarter, after little change in the first
- Government of Canada concludes Budget 2025 consultations
- Canadian salary increases projected to slow to 3.1% in 2026 as employers tighten budgets
- Focus on Climate
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Picture credit: littlewolf1989 / Adobe Stock
Canada and Ontario investing $14.6 million to help farmers make improvements to farmlands
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $14.6 million through the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP) to help farmers make other improvements to their farmland.
As part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario, this investment supports the province’s Grow Ontario Strategy to give farmers the tools they need to build long-term resiliency and stay competitive in the face of tariffs and economic uncertainty.
Picture credit: Niagara College
Niagara College welcomes students for Fall 2025 with record domestic enrolment
Niagara College has officially kicked off its Fall 2025 term, welcoming thousands of new and returning students to both the Welland Campus and the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake for Orientation on September 2.
This year marks a milestone for domestic enrolment at NC, with the College proudly welcoming its largest cohort of domestic students since 2019, a sign of growing demand for NC’s career-focused programs.
Picture credit: City of St. Catharines
Final round of applications for 2025 St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program now open
The deadline for Arts Development, Culture Builds Community, and Festival Programs applications is Sept. 18 (for projects starting Jan. 2026 or later). There will also be a virtual info session on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6:30 pm on Zoom. Cultural Services Staff will give a short presentation on the programs, provide tips for the grant-writing process, and answer questions.
Picture credit: Syda Productions / Adobe Stock
Canadian productivity declines in second quarter, after little change in the first
Labour productivity of Canadian businesses declined 1.0% in the second quarter. This decline followed a nearly flat variation in the first quarter, which had followed a strong increase of 1.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024. The last time productivity declined so sharply was in the fourth quarter of 2022 (-1.1%).
Photo credit: Wangkun Jia / Adobe Stock
Government of Canada concludes Budget 2025 consultations
Today, the Government of Canada concluded its nationwide consultations ahead of Budget 2025, which will set out the federal government’s plan to support Canadians and Canadian businesses during this time of heightened global challenges while building the strongest economy in the G7.
Over the last six weeks, Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne, Secretary of State Wayne Long, and Parliamentary Secretaries Ryan Turnbull and Rachel Bendayan, met with stakeholders in 26 cities across the country.
Photo credit: Dilok / Adobe Stock
Canadian salary increases projected to slow to 3.1% in 2026 as employers tighten budgets
Canadian workers are poised to see smaller pay raises next year as companies rein in salary budgets amid easing inflation and reduced pressure to compete for talent.
Average wage increases are forecast at 3.1 per cent for 2026, down from 2025, with companies leaning on targeted raises instead, according to new compensation data from consultancy firms Gallagher and Normandin Beaudry.
Focus on Climate
Federally driven homebuilding must be green, say stakeholders
Daily Commercial News
Nearly 90 businesses, tradespeople, and climate organizations are calling on the federal government to commit to using exclusively modern clean heating technologies, rather than polluting oil or gas furnaces, in its new Build Canada Homes program.
The demands were shared in an open letter published today in response to the Housing Ministry seeking input into the design of the new agency, which plans to build millions of new homes in the coming years.
“In our homebuilding business, we already build all-electric buildings only,” says Bruce Murdoch, a homebuilder from Cranbrook, B.C., with building company K-Country Homes. “From a builder’s perspective, all-electric homes with heat pump heating for air and water are simpler than older systems since there is one energy source and one appliance for both heating and cooling. Building electric also offers a triple benefit of reducing building costs, production time, and operational costs for homeowners. We need to ensure that federally funded new homes are all-electric and eliminate costly retrofits of obsolete equipment down the road.”
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.
