Canada relaxes some mortgage rules to tackle housing crisis

Canada relaxes some mortgage rules to tackle housing crisis

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday announced changes to some mortgage rules as part of an effort to make housing more affordable, although some housing experts are doubtful that the new measures will have a meaningful long-term impact on housing affordability and say they might even push prices up. The federal government will increase the cap on insured mortgages … Read more

Leading business groups ask Liberals to send Air Canada pilot dispute to binding arbitration

Leading business groups ask Liberals to send Air Canada pilot dispute to binding arbitration

Dozens of Canadian business associations across the country have signed a letter urging the Liberal government to prevent Air Canada pilots from striking by sending the labour dispute to binding arbitration.  The letter — which was signed by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Council of Canada, Food Producers of Canada and the Canadian Toy … Read more

Air Canada says it hasn’t cancelled flights today over pilot talks, but some operations affected

Air Canada says it hasn’t cancelled flights today over pilot talks, but some operations affected

Air Canada says some operations will start to be affected today as time is running out before a potential shutdown because of a labour dispute with its pilots, but noted it hadn’t cancelled any flights Friday in anticipation of a strike. “At this point we have not cancelled any flights for today due to the … Read more

Competition Bureau studying Canadian airlines amid ‘relatively high’ airfares

Competition Bureau studying Canadian airlines amid ‘relatively high’ airfares

Canada’s Competition Bureau has launched a market study into the country’s domestic air passenger service, noting that fares remain pricier than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the study’s terms of reference published earlier this week, the bureau says there are signs “domestic airfares in Canada may be relatively high,” and that “average airfares … Read more

Canada is still backing the fossil fuel industry with billions, report finds

Canada is still backing the fossil fuel industry with billions, report finds

A new report says the federal government is providing billions of dollars in financial support for the fossil fuel industry, despite measures announced last year to limit certain types of subsidies for the oil and gas industry. The analysis, released today by the advocacy group Environmental Defence, estimated that Ottawa offered up at least $18.6 … Read more

Trans Mountain’s latest cost estimate climbs 10%, regulatory filing shows

Trans Mountain’s latest cost estimate climbs 10%, regulatory filing shows

The company building the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion now estimates the project’s costs will come in 10 per cent higher than its May 2023 estimate of $30.9 billion. That’s according to a regulatory filing Trans Mountain Corp. provided to the Canada Energy Regulator on Monday. It represents the latest in a series of cost increases … Read more

Canadian customs officers could soon be based in the U.S. for the first time

Canadian customs officers could soon be based in the U.S. for the first time

Canadian customs officers could soon be posted to U.S. border posts on American soil for the first time in history, and American officers could be assigned to work from border posts in Canada, CBC News has learned. “It’s a fundamental shift,” said Mark Weber, president of the union that represents Canadian border officers. “You’re working … Read more

Why flights between Newfoundland and Europe have Labrador Inuit shaking their heads

Why flights between Newfoundland and Europe have Labrador Inuit shaking their heads

Two Inuit leaders in Labrador are calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to chip in for flights to their fly-in communities as the province becomes the latest to support leisure travel to and from international destinations. Johannes Lampe, president of the Inuit Nunatsiavut government, and Barry Andersen, the AngajukKak — or mayor — of Makkovik, N.L., … Read more

Time’s up for some short-term rentals in B.C. as new housing rules look set to transform scene

New year, new tax measures — what to expect in 2024

Nancy Paine’s short-term rental business is dead in the water. As co-founder and CEO of Victoria-based Superhost, Paine said she had been at the forefront of the Airbnb revolution for seven years, acting as a “liaison” for homeowners needing help with the logistics of running a listing on the accommodation site. At the peak of … Read more