Cassettes Anyone?

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy, Student life.

Description: It may seem a bit strange, but cassettes are now showing up again in music stores. With artists such as Taylor Swift and The Weekend including this retro-form as a medium of distribution for their new offerings, there’s definitely some shelf space opening up for a format once thought to be obsolete. Part of… Read more »

Suncor Keeping Petro-Canada

Posted by & filed under Financial Reporting and Analysis, Student life.

Description: After shopping around for potential buyers, Suncor has decided to keep, rather than sell, fuel retailer Petro-Canada. Suncor had been seeking a cash purchase price in the range of $3.8 billion to $5.7 billion. Though Petro-Canada has the largest market share in its class in Canada, no buyer was interested in paying the price…. Read more »

Financial Literacy

Posted by & filed under Student life.

Description: How financial literate do you feel you are? November was financial literacy month in Canada and some high schools in Canada are adding this important life-skill area to the curriculum. With the economic pressures facing Canadians, and the clear correlation between financial health and mental health, some observers are calling for mandatory financial literacy… Read more »

Questionable Conduct at Laurentian

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Student life.

Description: In a special report on the Laurentian University financial crisis, Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk showed that senior management at the school erred by declining government assistance and heading straight to bankruptcy. Lysyk found that the Laurentian senior management and board of governors relied on external advisors in opting for the bankruptcy route, rather… Read more »

Six Unions; Only One Contract

Posted by & filed under Financial Accounting, Student life.

Description: Workers at six Starbucks locations in Alberta and British Columbia have formed unions. But so far, only in one store in Victoria has the new union actually reached a collective agreement with management. Until that first contract is in place, union members do not pay dues. It will be interesting to watch ongoing developments… Read more »

Insolvencies Up

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Student life.

Description: Insolvencies in Canada were up 22.5% over the same quarter last year. Statistics Canada said this was the largest year-over-year increase in 13 years. During the pandemic, a number of government programs seemed to have helped businesses and consumers to avoid this level of financial difficulty. But the rise of inflation, increasing interest rates,… Read more »

Tax on Stock Buybacks

Posted by & filed under Financial Reporting and Analysis, Student life.

Description: The federal government is set to introduce a 2% tax on stock buybacks. The government hopes this move will encourage companies to reinvest their profits in order to grow and benefit the Canadian economy, rather than buying back shares with excess cash. Kim Forrest of Bokeh Capital Partners does not believe the 2% penalty… Read more »