Standing up for dairy farmers

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy, Marketing & Strategy.

Description: It’s probably news that Canadian dairy farmers did not want to hear. While visiting Wisconsin, U.S. President Donald Trump promised he would stand up for dairy farmers in that dairy state, criticizing current trade rules as unfair. Meanwhile, the dairy sector in Australia, New Zealand and Mexico welcomed the thought of attacking the Canadian… Read more »

Quebec bucks the trend

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy, Canadian governments, Uncategorized.

Description: While Saskatchewan, Alberta and the federal government in Ottawa have all delivered budgets with big planned deficits in recent weeks, last week the Province of Quebec issued a balanced budget. The budget also promised an income tax cut for Quebec citizens. Could this have anything to do with a coming election in 2018? Date:… Read more »

Food prices dropping?

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy, Corporate Strategy.

Description: You might think lower food prices would be good news. But Sylvain Charlebois, Dean of Dalhousie Univeristy’s Faculty of Management says that we might want to hold off on the celebration. Agricultural commodity prices have dropped to about half of what they were in 2012, creating challenges for producers, retailers and processors. Date: October… Read more »

Household debt rising in Canada

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Canadian Economy.

Description: One downside of the long period of low interest rates is that consumers have been piling on the household debt. With income growth in trouble, debt is growing faster than household income. Canadians now owe almost $1.70 per every $1 coming in. The Bank of Canada is concerned about the impact of these debt… Read more »

Going negative

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Advanced Accounting, Canadian Economy, Uncategorized.

Description: Try this one on for size: you pay the bank for the privilege of holding your money. Sounds pretty strange doesn’t it? But with stagnant economic growth, central banks in several jurisdictions are crossing the boundary between low interest rates and negative rates – effectively chargingĀ  banks to place their funds with the central… Read more »

Shadow Flipping

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy, Ethics.

Description: You may be familiar with the stories of sky-high prices on real estate in Vancouver. One of the forces behind the rise is a practice known as shadow-flipping. In a shadow-flip, an agent earns multiple commissions on the same property by arranging resales of the property before the closing date. As well, those in… Read more »

Tax rates: Who’s highest?

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy, Personal Tax.

Description: This week the New Brunswick government released its budget for the coming fiscal year. And one budget item got first page attention on the front page of Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail. The Globe featured an article noting how New Brunswick’s budget promises a tax cut for the wealthiest citizens in order… Read more »

Debt loads troublesome

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy, Financial Reporting and Analysis.

Description: The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is concerned. But this time it’s not about government forecasts. Rather, this week the PBO warned that Canadians debt to income level has reached a point not seen in over 25 years. House prices and other pressures are expected to raise those debt to income levels to close to… Read more »

Big year for auto sales

Posted by & filed under Canadian Economy.

Description: Both Canada and the United States saw record auto sales in 2015. A number of factors appear to have contributed to the big year, including low petroleum prices and low interest rates. Pent-up demand is another likely influence, a factor which may continue to play a role as Canadians are driving a record 10… Read more »