The Bank of Canada has held its trend-setting Policy Rate at 2.25% for a fifth straight setting. The decision was not unexpected but there have been some rumblings about interest rate movement based on the latest GDP numbers, which put the country into a “technical” recession. Many of those rumblings have been more political than […]

As the 2026 federal census is being carried out across the country Statistics Canada has looked back through some past questionnaires and pulled out some enlightening information about Canada’s Millennials. An intergenerational comparison shows 49.9% of millennials owned their home as of 2021, while 56.2% of Gen Xers did in 2006 and 55.9% of Baby […]

April ended with a busy week of financial news. There were three significant announcements. The first was the federal government’s Spring Economic Update, delivered on the 28th. It contained a key development in Ottawa’s efforts to get more homes built. Six billion dollars is being committed to get more people into the skilled trades needed in home construction. The funding is designed to bring as many as 100,000 new workers […]

The decision-making process at the Bank of Canada has become a lot less mysterious since 2023, when the Governing Council started releasing its Summary of Deliberations. The latest summary offers some insights about how the process works. The war in Iran was top of mind for the policy makers at the Bank, but they decided […]

The federal government has announced a plan to put up $1.7 billion in an effort to get more homes built across the country. The announcement on Thursday of last week (March 26) was a bit anti-climactic because the provincial government in Ontario revealed what it intended to do with its share of the money a day earlier. […]

World events and domestic economic reports are rekindling speculation about the Bank of Canada’s interest rate policy. The BoC’s Policy Rate came to rest at 2.25% back in October and the central bank has been “hands off” since then.  That has been the expectation of most analysts going forward.  But there are some who are now saying […]

Things are looking a little better for Canada’s housing market this year, in the eyes of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The national housing agency has released its latest Housing Market Outlook and is projecting modest growth in sales and prices for 2026. CMHC’s baseline forecast predicts home sales will rise to 489,000 units, up […]

Canada’s housing market continues to tilt in favour of buyers, according to a recent report from one of the country’s big banks. But the report also suggests buyers are still being cautious. The report focuses, mainly, on Canada’s largest markets.  It notes that demand is down sharply in Vancouver and the Fraser Valley while Toronto and Montreal also continue to soften.  Across the prairies, Edmonton, Winnipeg and […]

With the arrival of the New Year, it is only natural to look forward and scan for clues about what might lie ahead. The folks at Fortune magazine decided to turn to technology for help.  They asked an AI model for a one-word description of the economic outlook for 2026.  “Precarious” is the answer they […]

The ongoing and increasing adoption of artificial intelligence appears to have its limits. The personal touch, especially when it comes to matters of money and home ownership, still carries a premium for many Canadians. A recent survey conducted by the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC) reaffirms the preference for independent, professional advice, over online and […]