South Granville businesses are leaving en masse and scores of jobs hang in the balance Vancouver’s high property taxes, labour costs and exorbitant leases are forcing smaller, independent business out of the neighbourhood Ouisi Bistro owner Rob Clarke and chef Darcy Fry will close up shop Oct. 26 after 25 years in business. Photograph By […]

International students have powerful influence on real estate: data Students from overseas spend $12,000 a year on housing in B.C., one of Canada’s most popular educational destinations International students represent a powerful economic influence in Canada, according to data from the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), not the least of which is seen in […]

Improving job numbers, wages will keep fuelling our love of debt Debt is already growing faster than wages, a dynamic that probably isn’t sustainable The more the Bank of Canada sifts through the data left behind by the housing boom, the clearer it becomes that the economy would be in trouble if we weren’t so […]

From housing prices to childcare to transit, Canadian voters are feeling tight on cash Politicians are trying to turn financial anxiety into votes by promising tax cuts and other initiatives to make life more affordable Canada’s political party leaders are making affordability the central talking point of their election campaigns, rolling out targeted measures to […]

What the parties are promising to make housing more affordable OPINION: With home ownership out of reach for many Canadians, Marc Lee looks at what the parties are promising to do to solve the problem Across the country, lack of affordable housing is top of mind for many Canadians. The increase in housing prices has […]

Canadian Mortgages Are Now So Large, The Benefit of Low Rates Is Minimal

August Data Confirm That Housing Has Turned the Corner   Statistics released today by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that national home sales rose for the sixth consecutive month. Transactions are now running almost 17% above the six-year low reached in February 2019, but remain about 10% below highs reached in 2016 and […]

Bank of Canada holds rate for now, but says trade war taking a toll Kevin Carmichael: Elevated household debt still a concern, but focus squarely on global trade tensions The Bank of Canada is almost ready to join the other major central banks in cutting interest rates. But not yet. The consensus agreed by Governor […]

No need to tweak B-20 stress tests for ‘shrewd’ Canadians: Scotia CEO Scotiabank CEO Brian Porter: Best to stand pat on B-20 stress tests for now Bank of Nova Scotia’s chief executive officer believes Canadian consumers are in good shape amid high household indebtedness and a shifting real estate landscape. “Canadian consumers have been pretty […]

Household Debt Soaring Among Canada’s Young Adults, And It’s Not Mortgages Expect to see more regulation of consumer borrowing, Transunion predicts. Nattakorn Maneerat via Getty Images High house prices and the mortgage stress test are making it as difficult as it’s ever been to buy a house, but young Canadians are finding other reasons to […]