Taking Stock with Amanda Lang

How can Canada make sure it gets a piece of the future growth as America continues its ‘buy American’ policies? What kind of protection do gig workers need? Jennifer Scott is President of Gig Workers United Are gig workers good or bad for small businesses? Dan Kelly, Pres. and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business Lululemon dropped prices in the holiday shopping season – the stock...

Immigration hits new record; Jobs in Canada and the US; More big tech layoffs; Travel chaos; Rogers/Shaw deal delayed again; Sick Kids Hospital ransomware attack; Real estate sales continue to slow.

What does poverty in Canada look like and what can be done about it? Scott MacAfee, chair, National Advisory Council on Poverty. Canada’s government is spending on housing to improve affordability – is it working?  One not for profit focusses on education plus empowerment to lift women and their families out of poverty Food insecurity is a growing problem – but food banks shouldn’t be the last sol...

Bank of Canada raises rates again; Consumer debt shoots higher; Food inflation to continue this year; Grocery execs on the hot seat, Did the feds send about $30 billion to people and companies that didn’t need pandemic support? Spending by government added to inflation modestly, but accounts for a big share of the rate hikes we have seen and A coroner’s inquest into a 2014 trench collapse death co...

How is the holiday shopping season shaping up?; Effect of rising rates on variable mortgages; Are grocers really ripping us off with higher prices?; Alberta’s power grab should outrage not just the citizens of that province, but all Canadians, for the way it undermines the very idea of Canada. 

More money doesn’t have to be the solution, instead we should look to countries that do a better job, like Germany or the Netherlands: Bacchus Barua, director of health care policy, Fraser Institute. Drug shortages shocked many parents recently, but Canada has persistent – and easy to solve – issues when it comes to shortages like these. Guest: Dr. Joel Lexchin, pharma policy expert, and emergency...

Cost of living in Canada is higher than minimum wage - we take a look By The Numbers. Also, Meridian Credit Union is certified as a cost-of-living employer, promising to pay a living wage. However, as rates rise, are the most vulnerable workers going to pay the biggest price? Finally, Canada is sitting on a lot of the resources the world will need to build clean and green tech. 

US Inflation cools slightly; Canadian insolvencies jump sharply but are still below pre-pandemic levels; Federal and provincial health ministers meet to talk money; shortages of children's medicines cause worry; Facebook parent lays off 11,000 employees globally, including Canada; cyber attacks highlights risk to business

Fall fiscal update strike a balance between prudence and new spending; Government outsourcing jumps despite promises to drop it; Canadians feel worse than they did during the financial crisis; milk prices are going up again, the third increase in a year; Canada will aim to increase immigration to 500,000 a year by 2025. The great resignation is calling attention to a long standing problem with bur...

As Canada's population ages it could have profound impact on our economy.  Long term care homes were under a spotlight during covid, with plenty of concerns about quality of care. What has changed?  Staying in our own home as long as possible is what most Canadians want in their old age. How to make that more possible.  Saving for retirement can feel daunting, how much should we worry and is there...

Business and consumer confidence in Canada , by The Numbers. Small and medium sized businesses are the lifeblood of the economy and jobs in Canada. The good news is they are feeling pretty good. and labour is supposed to be in the drivers seat, but will a recession derail that? 

New warnings of a global recession; US Inflation still running at 40 year highs; Canadian uranium miner Cameco buys into nuclear power player Westinghouse; Canada Post will offer loans from TD Bank; Cineplex blames weak Hollywood roster for limp September; employers in Ontario have 30 days to fess up to any surveillance of employees

Bank of Canada warns rates will continue higher to fight inflation; Jobs in Canada eke out gains in September; Oil prices set to rise after OPEC members cut production; Home sales continue to slide across Canada as volume dries up; TC Energy buys into solar in Alberta; Retailers can begin passing on the transaction cost of your credit card purchase.

Canada’s economy is still growing as rates rise, and the number of unfilled jobs drops; Ontario to spend $90 million training disadvantaged groups for skilled work; Fiona’s aftermath will mean hundreds of millions of insured losses; all Covid border restrictions are lifted – airlines celebrate the end of the mask; a pipeline between Russia and Germany is hit with three leaks, and finger pointing a...

Canadian inflation moderates but is still too high; retail sales in july fell hard as consumers pulled back; manufacturers warn that labour shortages are costing them money; more Canadians are living paycheck to paycheck; the World Bank warns a global recession could be the fallout of higher interest rates; Canada to lift Covid border restrictions and is the pandemic over? Doctors warn we may be g...

Nowhere is inflation hitting harder than at the grocery store…is there any relief in sight? Wages are set to rise as a tight labour market empowers workers. Turbulent markets for stocks and falling value of homes can create anxiety.

The Bank of Canada hiked rates again with the promise of more; A read on Canadian jobs shows a still-tight labour market; Canadians are growing their debt ahead of a possible recession. The gap between pay and expectations is keeping workers from taking available jobs. Cities were hit hard by pandemic and a slow re-open: How Toronto is faring, By The Numbers and quiet quitting is a form of working...

The province of Alberta posted a surprise government surplus and will use it all to pay down debt. Home price declines may have hit a plateau, as Toronto average home prices rose in August and are still above year-ago levels in Vancouver and Calgary. A federal tax is now in effect on luxury cars and yachts. Airport and other government service delays are improving but are far from perfect, governm...

Is there such a thing as housing being too big economically? As rates cool housing markets, what will be a catalyst to move it one way or another? The long term consequences of unaffordable housing concealed households. We’ve been sold a story line on housing, but maybe its time to flip the script, and make renting an appealing option.  

US Inflation may have peaked but still runs high; Ontario's health minister hints at privatization; CRA says it has 1.4 billion in uncashed cheques; Air Canada finds a loophole to avoid paying compensation to travellers; Cineplex posts its first profit since pandemic started; US bill its more aggressive move on climate change yet.

Jobs reports in Canada and the US tell a story about the economy; Housing markets show continued softness; A crisis in health care with no end in sight; Air Canada revenue soars but it operates at a loss; Air BnB posted a profit on record number of nights booked

Luring older workers back to the workforce may be the answer to unfilled jobs, the push to automate jobs continues - but can it be an opportunity as much as a threat? and why a G-shaped recovery is not good for the economy.

A look at the economic challenge ahead of Canada in this transition, clean electricity only works on demand - more storage will be needed to produce more wind and solar and reducing emissions has to become a personal part of our lives.

Bank of Canada shocks with 1% rate hike; Home prices continue to drop but are still up year over year; Roger's will have to win back customer trust after major outage; Provinces would like the Federal share of health care costs to rise; Ontario expands the availability of a second booster shot as we face the prospect of another serious wave of Covid; Twitter sues Elon Musk over failed takeover bid...

When will tourism return to pre-pandemic levels? How will the hotel industry change amid new challenges? and most of Canada's tourism is domestic, why can't a great country like this one sell itself better?