Canadian housing market show 0.6% growth The Canadian housing market has slowed its decline to 3.1 per cent year over year, with a 0.6 per cent increase in home sales last month, according to BMO Chief Economist Doug Porter, citing recent data from the Canadian Real Estate Association. Porter notes that since the implementation of new mortgage [...]
More Canadians shopping around for food, following a budget due to rising food prices Rising food prices are becoming a major concern for Canadians, according to a Royal Bank of Canada survey. With rising food prices eating into their household budgets, an overwhelming majority of Canadians (91 per cent) say they will tighten their belts [...]
Western Canada leading the country’s growth Businesses in Canada are keeping a bright outlook as the Western provinces lead economic growth, according to the new edition of the BMO Blue Book. The BMO Blue Book combines the expertise of BMO’s economists with anecdotal information on current business conditions from BMO’s commercial bankers. “A slowing housing market, sluggish consumer spending and [...]
BBB says risk is high for scams if Internet Explorer 8 vulnerability not fixed The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is urging users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 to take steps to fix a vulnerability that could allow scammers to access and take over users’ computers. The problem was first announced Wednesday, and Microsoft released a workaround, which acts as a [...]
CFIB says Canada Pension Plan expansion would halt employment growth Increasing the benefits of the Canada Pension Plan would hurt the economy, according to a new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Expansion of the Canada Pension Plan will be discussed by provincial finance ministers next month. One option under consideration includes increasing [...]
Overlooking additional costs of Canadian tax compliance Canadians spent anywhere from $19.2 billion to $24.8 billion on tax preparation, filing and remittance to comply with the Canadian tax code in 2011, according to a report by the Fraser Institute. “At this time of the year as Canadians file their income tax returns, they clearly see [...]
Developing the Alberta tech community has taken time, a lot of it By Warren Bergen The Alberta tech community is like a playground. While the word playground immediately triggers visions of happiness and fun in a sun-kissed Norman Rockwell world, this picture is not reflective of the Alberta tech community, at least not entirely. Ours is a playground with a [...]
Better Business Bureau offers tips for those filing last-minute taxes The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is urging Canadians who are filing last-minute taxes to avoid making a hasty decision when enlisting the help of a tax preparation service. The tax filing deadline is coming up on April 30. “There are a number of potential pitfalls to [...]
Wealthy Canadians ordered to pay $22.2 million in back taxes Wealthy Canadians with money stashed overseas have come forward in droves to confess their misdeeds after secret lists began circulating with the names of people apparently evading taxes in foreign banking havens. The Canada Revenue Agency has seen the number of voluntary disclosures of foreign, [...]
Entrepreneurs are not their companies, which sometimes have to fail By Warren Bergen Jody Sherman founded several companies. Some got bought out for modest success and others failed. Ecomom was his last startup. Management and staff tried hard but Ecomom didn’t work and it burned. When Sherman saw no hope for Ecomom, he saw [...]
