Niagara Falls rents keep rising, defying national trends: Report

by Jay Goldberg

Rents in Niagara Falls continue to defy national trends, with rents there rising year-over-year in May despite steep declines across the country.  However, rents in both St. Catharines and Welland continue to follow national trends, up slightly month-over-month but down significantly year-over-year.  That’s all according to a new Rentals.ca report.  Overall Canadian rents fell by […]

More debt and higher spending fueling a national decline

by Jay Goldberg

Canadians heard a lot about a Liberal “lost decade” from the Conservatives during this year’s federal election campaign.  The Tories pointed to surging government and household debt, weak economic growth, nationwide housing deficits, and crumbing infrastructure as evidence of 10 years of Canada falling behind.  A new study from the Fraser Institute shows that the […]

Region kicks off 2026 budget process

by Jay Goldberg

Niagara Region has officially kicked off its 2026 budget process, with the first of a dozen content-specific budget meetings having been held last week. The budget process is starting much earlier this year, as Councillors want to ensure that this year’s budget is completed ahead of the 2026 calendar year, which also happens to be […]

As hospital wait times worsen, it’s time for new solutions

by Jay Goldberg

A new report from the Montreal Economic Institute shows what every Canadian who has been to an emergency room knows in their bones: wait times are unacceptably long and getting worse. Despite more and more government spending, Canadians’ stays in emergency rooms are getting longer and longer.  In Canada’s largest province of Ontario, for example, […]

Port Colborne set to appoint Davies’ replacement to Regional Council

by Jay Goldberg

Port Colborne is set to appoint a new Regional Councillor to fill the shoes of Fred Davies, who left his role to become the new Member of Parliament for Niagara South following April’s federal election. The federal election was the second time Davies sought to run for higher office, having lost his bid to become […]

Region appoints new corporate services commissioner

by Jay Goldberg

The Niagara Region has a new Commissioner of Corporate Services. Tim Ellis was hired for the role following what the Region calls “an extensive and competitive recruitment process.”  “The Commissioner of Corporate Services is a key role at the Region,” said Regional Chair Jim Bradley. “In addition to overseeing over 265 staff in multiple lines […]

Canadian natural gas is the silver bullet that could both help grow Canada’s economy and reduce global emissions at the same time.  If Canada were to significantly increase the production of natural gas here at home and export it to countries heavily reliant on coal to power their economies, like India and China, the Canadian […]

St. Catharines City Council approves funds to enforce public space by-law

by Jay Goldberg

The City of St. Catharines is putting money on the table to enforce its new public space by-law seeking to prevent homeless encampments near designated sites.  Roughly a month ago, St. Catharines City Council backed a motion put forward by Councillor Bill Phillips (Ward 5 – Grantham) to restrict homeless encampments from popping up near […]

Niagara housing market’s downward trend continues in April: Report

by Jay Goldberg

The Niagara real estate market is continuing to feel the impact of the trade conflict with the United States, according to the Niagara Association of Realtors.  Its monthly report, which was released earlier this month, shows that home sales fell dramatically in April compared to April 2024.  Just 539 homes were sold in Niagara Region […]

A 30-minute hovercraft ride from downtown Toronto to Niagara Region is getting closer to becoming reality. Hoverlink Ontario Inc. has been looking at creating a hovercraft route between Toronto and Niagara Region for more than three years. The company says the service it would offer could cut commute times between Toronto and Niagara to as […]