Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s top stories. Canadian Real Estate Canada’s Public Spending Spree Means Higher Mortgages For Longer A new National Bank of Canada (NBC) report confirms what most already know—government spending is spiralling. Government “investment” has grown at 3.5% annually over the past three years, over double the 1.7% rate […]
Canada is using public spending to mask private sector weakness, and the bill won’t stop at taxes. A new National Bank of Canada (NBC) report warns public investment is growing at over twice the rate of overall GDP. It’s also fueling more borrowing, lifting the benchmark rate that impacts borrowing costs for everything from government […]
Toronto real estate’s downturn continued last month, showing few signs of improvement. Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) data shows home prices made a minor increase in February. Despite the mild bump, sales slipped to one of the lowest levels on record, while robust inventory continued to stagnate in the market. Toronto Real Estate Prices […]
Canada’s central bank is “chasing its tail,” warns a new Bank of Canada (BoC) staff paper. The researchers studied the impact of including mortgage interest in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), discovering the circular logic. The BoC sets interest rates based on CPI, but CPI includes mortgage interest costs driven by those very rates. As […]
Canadian real estate affordability is improving at a record pace—after collapsing at one too. National Bank Financial’s (NBF) Housing Affordability Index shows affordability across the country improved for an 8th consecutive quarter in Q4 2025. The bank’s data reveals meaningful progress, but the core problem remains: Home prices are still deeply unaffordable, even after the […]
Canadian renters are seeing an improvement after years of hikes, but it’s a bit of a lottery. A new Rentals.ca report shows the gap between asking rental prices and incomes has steadily improved since peaking in early 2023. However, Alberta is the only province considered affordable—defined as the median household spending 30% or less of […]
Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s top stories. Canadian Real Estate Canadian Mortgage Delinquencies Just Made A Rare, Historic Jump Canadian banks are experiencing a sudden and abrupt climb in mortgage delinquencies—again. Banks reported the arrears rate climbed 1 basis point to 0.26% in December, the highest since June 2020. However, the key […]
Canada’s banks are still discovering the extent of the mortgage leverage problems their customers face. Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) data shows the mortgage arrears rate climbed in December, hitting a nearly 5-year high. The rate was driven by an abnormally large monthly jump in mortgages entering arrears. Canadian Mortgage Arrears Rate Approaches 5-Year High CBA […]
Canada’s non-partisan numbers watchdog expects policymakers to hit their immigration goal… sort of. A new report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) shows Ottawa will hit its temporary resident reduction target. The analysis also reveals it’s being met by delaying implementation and reclassifying 148,000 temporary residents. The latest update presents a plan that prioritizes the […]
Canada is seeing its total active business count hold firm, but a dramatic recomp is happening. Statistics Canada (StatCan) data shows active businesses climbed in November, even if it was a minor advance. Looking past the headline data, there are a few more problems that may not be obvious at first—such as the reliance on […]
