Annual pace of housing starts in Canada down 22% in November, says CMHC

The pace of housing starts in Canada fell by 22 per cent in November, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said Friday. The agency says the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts in November came in at 212,624 units, down from 272,264 in October. A housing start is defined as the beginning of construction work … Read more

National pharmacare plan is in limbo as health minister calls pending deadline ‘arbitrary’

Health Minister Mark Holland signalled Tuesday the government is unlikely to meet the end-of-the-year deadline imposed by the NDP for passing pharmacare legislation — a condition of the supply-and-confidence agreement that was struck to keep the Liberals in power until 2025. Holland said talks are ongoing with NDP MP Don Davies, the party’s health critic, … Read more

SmileDirectClub shuts down months after filing for bankruptcy protection

SmileDirectClub is shutting down just months after the struggling teeth-straightening company filed for bankruptcy protection. In a Friday announcement, the U.S.-based company that was operating in multiple countries, including Canada, said it had made an “incredibly difficult decision to wind down its global operations, effective immediately.” That leaves existing customers in limbo. SmileDirectClub’s aligner treatment through … Read more

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

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