Weekly Regional Business Intelligence
|
|
|
Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc.
|
|
|
EmployerOne Survey: Nonprofits lean into seasonal hiring
The non-profit sector across the region remained a steady employer last year, but leaned harder on seasonal and short-term hiring, according to the 2026 EmployerOne Survey, the region’s annual non-profit employer snapshot released this week. Data from the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board (EMOWPDB) and Pillar Nonprofit Network found that while non-profits continued to hire at a steady clip this year (73 per cent of the non-profits surveyed reported hiring last year), that’s down from last year, when 89 per cent reported hiring. And more of that hiring is less permanent than in previous years: seasonal positions now make up 24 per cent of new hires at local nonprofits, up from around 10 per cent the year before, making seasonal hiring the largest component of hirings. Case in point: internship and co-op placement hiring grew nearly ten-fold in 2025 compared to the year prior. Victor Igboanusi, a policy analyst at Pillar, still cast the findings as flattering for the sector. “The nonprofit sector keeps showing up for our communities, even while absorbing funding uncertainty, rising costs and a tightening labour market,” he said. “This year’s results show a sector that is adapting, leaning more on seasonal and project-based roles, opening more doors for students and still outperforming other industries on living wages — but the underlying pressures on compensation and stable funding aren’t going away.” The report did find that nonprofits are doing well on compensation — 47 per cent reported paying a living wage to their entire staff, compared with 40 per cent of employers region-wide.
The upshot: Igboanusi’s spin on the findings isn’t wrong by any means, but it is probably a glass half-full way of looking at things. The sector did continue to hire this year (though at a lower rate than last year), it has continued to generally pay liveable wages and there appears to be improvement on the retention front over last year, when retention issues were the headline concern of the 2024 report. However, you could look at this data and conclude it achieved all those things by hiring more seasonally, with more contracts and more part-time positions. It’s hard to be too critical though, because it’s been a tight year for non-profits who rely on donations and grant money, both of which have been much harder to access this year. “The sector is facing increasing funding uncertainty and economic pressure that it won’t be able to withstand indefinitely,” said Petrusia Hontar, EMOWPDB executive director. Hontar offered a reminder that it’s exactly these kinds of economic conditions where a strong non-profit sector is a key asset, though. “Nonprofits are woven into the fabric of a working community,” she said. “They run the childcare that allows parents to work, they help employers find and train talent, they support people through the job search when times are tough, and they fill countless other gaps in between.”
Read more: Pillar Nonprofit Network
|
|
|
Looming WestJet strike puts travel plans to and from YXU at risk
Air travel in and out of YXU could be a little dicey over the next little while with a labour disruption looming at WestJet, the country’s second-largest carrier. The union representing approximately 4,400 flight attendants issued a 72-hour strike notice, prompting the airline to respond with a 72-hour lockout notice. Negotiations remain ongoing, and both sides say they are working toward an agreement before the notice period expires early Sunday morning. If no deal is reached, job action could begin as soon as Sunday, but observers say some flights could be affected as early as today. The potential strike could affect WestJet’s direct flights from London International Airport to Calgary and Winnipeg. WestJet is allowing passengers travelling between July 30 and August 4 to make a one-time flight change or cancel
The upshot: London International Airport president and CEO Scott McFadzean is encouraging passengers to consider adjusting their travel plans before the possible work stoppage and to monitor updates from the airline, telling CTV News London it is “likely the smarter option to change travel plans” as a possible Sunday strike deadline approaches. While YXU officials remain hopeful an agreement will be reached, staff are preparing to assist affected passengers and shift operations to support flights operated by other airlines if necessary.
Read more: CTV News London
|
|
|
Grand Theatre launches inaugural comedy series
The Grand Theatre is adding comedy to its annual lineup for the first time, announcing a three-show series called Grand Laughs for the 2026-27 season. The series will open on November 8 with a show called HYPROV, pairing Colin Mochrie, of Whose Line Is It Anyway? fame with hypnotist Asad Mecci for a show that mixes improv with audience hypnosis. In late January, the series will feature The Soaps, a “live, improvised soap opera,” by Rebecca Northan and Kevin Kruchkywich, before wrapping on March 7 with Does This Taste Funny? — CBC Radio’s Ali Hassan’s special about trading a cooking career for comedy. Tickets are now available if you want to catch all three shows; individual tickets are set to go on sale later in August.
The upshot: Other than one-off shows here and there, getting into the comedy world is a new move for the Grand Theatre, but it does make sense for them to start dipping their toes in — comedy shows are a booming segment within the live entertainment industry these days. The biggest touring comedy acts now routinely fill stadiums like Canada Life Place (which recently hosted shows by comedian Nate Bargatze), and smaller venues like the Grand are eager to get in on the action. In 2024, Live Nation president Erik Hoffman said that the live entertainment company was doubling the number of shows it promotes each year, and comedy is taking up a lot more stage time than it used to. “In the past three years, the number of reported comedy performances topped 6,000 each year,” stated a Pollstar press release. “That’s almost double the number reported in the three years prior to Covid.”
Read more: Grand Theatre
|
|
|
Chicago investment firm takes stake in KGK Science
KGK Science Inc., a London-based firm that runs clinical trials for the nutraceutical and supplement industry, announced this week it has taken on a “growth investment” from Maxim Partners, a Chicago-based investment firm. “This investment marks an exciting new chapter for our company,” said KGK Science founder and CEO Najla Guthrie. “Maxim shares our long-term vision and brings the strategic resources and sector experience to help us expand our capabilities.” According to KGK, the investment will support expanded clinical trial capacity, continued investment in decentralized and virtual trial capabilities, growth of KGK’s regulatory services and continued expansion of its commercial organization. Gregg Wilson, founder of Maxim Partners, said that “as demand for clinically validated consumer nutrition products continues to grow, we believe KGK is exceptionally well positioned to capitalize on those long-term industry trends. We are excited to partner with Najla and the management team to support the company’s next phase of growth.” Neither company disclosed the size of the deal, which closed on June 30.
The upshot: It’s yet another chapter for KGK Science, which has been a bit of a shapeshifting company over the last ten years or so. In 2018, it was bought in the middle of the cannabis boom by Auxly to serve as its in-house research arm; Auxly sold KGK to a company that later became Wellbeing Sciences in 2021, when KGK Sciences was getting more involved in clinical trials for substances like psilocybin and ketamine. Then, in 2023, it was sold again to the Cardinal Group. Since then, the company’s public activity in the therapeutic psychedelics space seems to have waned somewhat, with increased activity in the natural supplements sector. Judging by their comments, Maxim isn’t buying into the company for their cutting-edge psychedelics testing capacity, but rather for their connections in the supplement world. In 2020, they invested with a similar contract research organization, Nutrasource (based in Guelph), exiting that investment with a reported 50 per cent growth in revenue in 2023. It seems plausible that they’re looking to repeat that playbook with KGK Science.
Read more: Newswire
|
|
|
London plays starring role in new mini-series
If you’re jonesing for your next hit of summer streaming romance, you might throw a watch to a new local series, filmed and set in the Forest City. Love in All the Small Places, the creation of actor and director Sarah Cleveland, hits Bell Fibe TV1 on Monday, with an in-person premiere the same night in Toronto. Cleveland stars as Sasha, a woman rebuilding her life in her 40s, in “an unfiltered take on modern dating and starting over.” Cleveland told CBC News London that the character is essentially a composite of women she’s known in her own life. “I saw a lot of my friends dipping their toe back into the dating world, but had no idea what that looked like anymore. It wasn’t like when we were 20,” she said. You’ll get to see some local spots make an appearance: The Tasting Room, Covent Garden Market, Hi-Ignition Fit Lab, Peppermoon Restaurant & Bar and Innovation Works were all used as locations for the show. “Everyone was really excited to be able to show London that way,” Cleveland said. Andrew Dodd, manager of Film London, said productions that openly credit the city are rare. “It’s very common in movies to film in one city but pretend it’s another,” he told CBC. “It’s extra special when London gets to be featured.” A second season is already written, and Cleveland says she’s hoping to lock down some grant money to get it into production.
The upshot: A short miniseries on a somewhat under-the-radar streaming service is a modest bit of promotion for the city, but such is life for Canadian TV productions. Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience started as CBC shows, while more recently, shows like Heated Rivalry have been viral hits that broke containment from their Canadian-market platforms. And there’s always a huge upside potential for the businesses featured in these shows, too, if the series ends up being a hit (just ask Relay Coffee Roasters in Hamilton, which stood in for a smoothie shop in Heated Rivalry). Cleveland talked up that angle to the CBC as well. “I think there’s something to be said about community and family-run businesses, and I really just wanted to support that,” she said, noting that her parents were small business owners. “The film community is really lovely, and I wanted to see more production happen and really represent London in the real sense.”
Read more: CBC News London | CTV News London
|
|
|
Highway 3 expansion begins ahead of planned PowerCo opening
Construction crews have started twinning a 6.7-kilometre stretch of Highway 3 in St. Thomas, one of several road projects the province is working on ahead of the planned opening of Volkswagen-backed PowerCo electric battery plant and amid the growth of the area’s industrial sector. The work runs between Centennial Avenue and Ron McNeil Line and, when connected with the Talbotville Bypass (another ongoing construction project), is meant to give the area a direct run from Highway 401 into St. Thomas. “We’re really trying to time the opening of both with the eventual opening of the PowerCo plant,” said Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, though the province stopped short of guaranteeing that the highway will be ready for 2027, when the plant is (for now) expected to open. Also in the works in the region are other industrial projects, like the Vianode synthetic graphite plant. St. Thomas Councillor Jeff Kohler said the city was grateful, adding it “will enhance transportation safety and improve connectivity for our residents, businesses, and visitors.”
The upshot: Building out the infrastructure around the new industrial facilities was always part of the pitch economic development officials working with St. Thomas and Canada were bringing to companies like Volkswagen, and in general it’s also being treated as a knock-on benefit for St. Thomas residents and commuters. “People need to be able to get to work safely and efficiently. Businesses need reliable transportation corridors to move goods and attract investment. Emergency services need dependable routes, and families deserve less time sitting in traffic and more time at home,” said MPP Rob Flack. The Ontario government also loves to be seen as a road builder, as their many commercials attest. Ontario’s Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli tied the project to the province’s pitch for investment amid trade tensions with the U.S. “Companies want to come here in this war that we’re in with the U.S. You’ve seen the Prime Minister, you’ve seen our government traveling the world looking to bring new partners in,” he said. “St. Thomas is a great location for them.”
Read more: CTV News London | CBC News London
|
|
|
Dispatch: July 31, 2026
A summary of recent business appointments and announcements, plus event listings for the upcoming week.
View listings here
|
|
|
|
|
