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Housing starts in Canada appear to be slowing down, according to the latest data. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported on Tuesday that the annualized rate of housing starts fell 17 per cent in October compared with September of this year.Data from the same time period last year showed housing starts increased eight per cent from September to October 2024.Last month saw construction begin on 232,765 units compared with 279,174 units in September, according to the CMHC.A housing start is defined by the CMHC as the beginning of construction on a building where a dwelling unit will be located, and begins officially when the concrete has been poured for the footing of the structure, or an equivalent stage if there is no basement. Story continues below advertisement ...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said premiers had a “productive” meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday, mainly to discuss the federal budget and progress on tariff talks with the United States. Noting the impact of U.S. tariffs on New Brunswick, Holt told reporters the group spoke about the plight of the softwood lumber industry and Carney indicated a “significant” new package is coming from the federal government.Ontario Premier Doug Ford also hinted that an announcement on steel and softwood lumber will be coming in the next “week or so.”“We talked about the budget, which was positive,” Ford told reporters Monday. “Told him we’re light on the infrastructure but I believe tha...

As MPs get ready to vote on the federal budget, those in the auto sector say they’re concerned it fails to meet the needs of workers in the industry. The budget did include some aspects that auto sector officials noted can be helpful, such as the productivity super deduction to make it cheaper for businesses to invest in equipment, but they said there isn’t enough targeted on sectors heavily hit by U.S. tariffs.“The budget encompasses very large projects and really is lacking in direct support for autoworkers being affected by these tariffs,” said Jeff Gray, president of Unifor Local 222, which represents more than 8,000 active workers including those at Oshawa’s General Motors facility. The union also represents approximately 13,000 retired workers as well.Gray said he was pleased by rece...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will use the notwithstanding clause if necessary to make information from the sex offender registry public as he eyes changes to the system. Currently, the Ontario Sex Offender and Sex Trafficker Registry is accessible to police enforcement agencies but not to members of the public.On Monday, Ford indicated he was planning to change that.“We’re going to make sure the sex offender registry is out there in public,” he said. “And sure, we’re probably going to get shot down from the courts again, but I’ll use every single tool available to make sure we protect victims over sex offenders.”The premier said he would use the notwithstanding clause “in a heartbeat” to keep his planned law in place if a judge finds it unconstitutional. Story continues below ...