Description: Starbucks has announced that in a bid to reduce waste associated with its popular cold drinks, it is coming out with a new cup with that will cut its plastic footprint by roughly 20 per cent. The company sees this as an industry leading practice and it maintains that the cups will still be… Read more »
Posts By: Brent White
Students: File That T-1!
Description: If you are a student, you should be filing a T-1 Canadian income tax return, even if you don’t think you have earned money in the last year. Tax credits like the GST/HST credit and the Carbon Rebate have the unique feature of being dropped directly into your bank account, versus serving to reduce… Read more »
Where’s the Gold?
Description: On April 14, 2024, the CBC ran a story noting how the big 400 kg gold heist from Pearson Airport was hitting a one-year anniversary with no word of arrests https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto-pearson-gold-heist-anniversary-1.7169898 . Almost as if on cue, came news this week that a number of individuals were being charged for their parts in the… Read more »
The Camper Glut
Description: In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic when air travel was heavily disrupted, Canadians directed their vacation spending towards things that would allow them to spend time outdoors; purchases such as travel trailers, RVs, ATVs, and camping gear. But a combination of the bounce-back from Covid travel restrictions and a decline in discretionary… Read more »
Solar Eclipse Good for Tourism
Description: The April 8 solar eclipse was certainly good for business. Niagara Falls, with locations on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, anticipated a million visitors https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/lifestyle/travel/a-million-solar-eclipse-enthusiasts-expected-at-niagara-falls-canada . About 100 Super 8 motels in the path of totality sold out. Occupancy rates on AirBnB trended upwards and no doubt some in the tourism industry had… Read more »
How Much House Debt Can You Handle?
Description: For those of you getting set to graduate and enter the workforce, do you see a house purchase in your immediate future? If so, you may want to take a look at this handy tool CBC news reported on this week. This simple to use tool gets you to fill in a simple four… Read more »
Investors Pressure RBC on Green Reporting
Description: Under pressure from the City of New York’s pension funds, RBC has agreed to reverse course and start reporting on the ratio of its green investments to its investments in fossil fuels. The move will help RBC avoid the potential embarrassment of losing a vote on the issue at its upcoming annual meeting of… Read more »
There Goes Your Show
Description: Bell has announced that starting next month, shows customers have recorded on their PVRs will disappear after 60 days. With the move to cloud storage, Bell clients have benefited by being able to watch their recorded shows on mobile devices. But, of course, all that cloud storage comes at a cost, and, it appears… Read more »
University Hit in Cyber Attack
Description: The University of Winnipeg has been the victim of a cyber attack, forcing it to cancel some classes and exams. The university reports that the attackers probably stole data from students – both current and former – as well as faculty and staff. The hackers may have targeted such details as social insurance numbers,… Read more »
Chocolate Heading Up
Description: The price of chocolate is heading up, adding particular pain to some Canadians as they mark the rising food prices in their budgets. Chocolate is made from cocoa, and the major growing region of West Africa suffered from drought and disease, reducing crop yields while essentially tripling the price. Olive oil is another case… Read more »