It’s only the second week of 2026, but most Canadians have already written the year off. MNP’s latest Consumer Debt Index survey shows households expect rising inflation, deteriorating housing affordability, and worsening public finances. While some are tightening budgets and seeking advice, many—especially young adults—are checking out entirely. One thing most Canadians agree on? Life […]
Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s top stories. Canadian Real Estate Canada’s Jobless Count Soars by 73k, Second-Worst Spike Since 2020 Canada’s job market just wiped out months of progress. The unemployment rate jumped 0.3 points to 6.8% in December, a 4-month high. It works out to 73.0k more unemployed people, the second-biggest […]
Out with the new, in with the old? Canada’s job market looked stable in December, but the details tell another story. Statistics Canada’s (StatCan) Labour Force Survey shows flat headline employment, but the composition is shifting fast. Older workers and publicly-funded, non-market sectors are seeing substantial gains. Meanwhile, youth and market-based private sector jobs are […]
Canada’s central bank won’t love what the latest trade data says about the economy. Statistics Canada’s (StatCan) latest merchandise trade data shows a return to deficit territory in October due to surging imports. Demand is running so hot it’s seeking its fix abroad, while demand for Canadian goods is failing to keep up. The imbalance […]
Greater Toronto real estate started 2025 with a whimper and ended with… near silence. Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) data shows prices continued to slide in December. The drop was driven by inventory at record highs and sales slipping lower, with the latter’s volume ending 2025 as the weakest volume in 25 years. While […]
Canadian households saw their wages grow faster than inflation, but those gains failed to keep up with essentials. That was the take from RBC in its 2026 outlook, noting the cost of food and housing continues to outpace incomes. The bank sees inflation pressures moderating further this year, but warns affordability pressures aren’t going away […]
Canada’s immigration slump is deepening—but not evenly, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Finalized applications for temporary residents had the weakest October since the pandemic. It’s been a persistent trend over the past year, as the country throttles certain segments. While this has impacted most of the traditional sources, the declines haven’t been […]
Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s top stories. Canadian Real Estate Canadian Mortgage Arrears Hit A 5-Year High, Banks Shrink Books Canadian banks saw mortgage arrears hit a five-year high, but that isn’t their only problem. CBA data reveals the mortgage arrears rate climbed to 0.25% in October. At the same time, banks […]
There’s plenty of supply for Canadian renters—if they can actually afford it. The CMHC’s 2025 Rental Report shows vacancy rates have more than doubled record lows. They note the increase helped slow price growth in purpose-built rentals (PBRs). Unfortunately, slow isn’t low—and far from a contraction. Rental prices continue to grow much faster than income. […]
Research from the central bank for central banks shows government debt is pushing its limits. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) latest quarterly review reveals sovereign debt is now so abundant that it’s eroding the discount they once enjoyed. The scale is so large it’s distorting credit markets and mispricing corporate risks while quietly inflating […]
