A guide to free tuition with OSAP and CSG + MORE Sep 13th

TORONTO — Men and women are each making comparable contributions to the family finances in nearly one-third of all couples, Statistics Canada said Wednesday as the latest data from the 2016 census revealed new details about how — and which — Canadians are paying the bills.
Of the 8.2 million married or common-law couples in the country last year, 96 per cent of them saw both members earn at least some income in 2015, the most recent year for which data was available, the agency reported.
And in 32 per cent of cases, both incomes were “fairly equal,” or within 40 to 60 per cent of each other — a marked improvement over 1985, when only 20.6 per cent of couples were each making comparable salaries.
READ: 4 ways women can take control of their finances now
“Many factors have contributed to this advance, led by the increased labour force participation of women,” Statistics Canada said in a brief on the new data. “Combined with a narrowing of the gender wage gap, women now contribute a larger portion of the couple’s combined income…

OTTAWA – Nikkie Edwards and her boyfriend make about $31,000 a year, a sum that leaves them below the poverty line as defined by Statistics Canada — and in the company of another 4.8 million people, according to the latest census numbers released Wednesday.
Of those, 1.2 million Canadians are children under 18 — including their 10-month-old daughter, Isabelle.
The agency defines the so-called low-income measure, or LIM, as household earnings of less than half the national median income — $22,133 for a single person, or $38,335 for a family of three — as part of its latest glimpse into life in poverty in Canada.
But the measure is not a perfect way of determining the poverty threshold, in part because it can’t take into account the often complex financial circumstances many families are forced into: Edwards, for instance, lives rent-free with her boyfriend’s parents.
MORE: Census 2016: A picture of a bigger, more urban Canada
But the newest census data, based on tax information from 2015, the most recent year available, forms a baseline for the federal Liberal government, which has vowed to slash child poverty, reduce inequality and find a way to help parents like Edwards obtain better child care…

TORONTO _ The main index on the Toronto Stock Exchange fell today, despite big gains in the energy sector as the price of oil gained ground.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 16.60 points to 15,126.81 in a broad-based decline.
Surging oil and gas stocks, up nearly 2.5 per cent, were one of the few bright spots on the commodity-heavy index.
The October crude contract climbed $1.07 to US$49.30 per barrel.
On Wall Street, it was the second straight day of record highs for major indexes.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 39.32 points to 22,158.18. The S&P 500 index added 1.89 points to 2,498.37 and the Nasdaq composite index gained 5.91 points to 6,460.19.
In currency markets, the Canadian dollar was trading at an average price of 82.05 cents US, down 0.19 of a U.S. cent.
Elsewhere in commodities, the December gold contract was down $4.70 at US$1,328.00. The October natural gas contract added six cents to US$3.06 per mmBTU an ounce while the December copper contract gave back six cents to US$2…

Amid tighter housing rules and rising interest rates, the Canadian real estate market is facing several years of “retrenchment” and slow price gains, a new report from Moody’s Analytics suggests.

Alisha Gordon, an Indigenous undergraduate at the University of Calgary, will have less than $1,000 in student debt at the end of her four-year degree. Like many students in Canada, she’s benefitted from the federal and provincial governments’ efforts to reduce the cost of an education. Gordon received a grant for low-income students from the Alberta government as well as the Indigenous Careers Award to help pay for her final year of tuition. This, together with the Belcourt Brosseau Métis Award—which covers nearly 90 per cent of her tuition and post-secondary fees every year—will allow her to graduate with a limited financial burden. “My parents are deceased, and I have younger brothers, so for me, being in debt is something that really stresses me out,” says Gordon.
READ: New OSAP rules mean free tuition for mature students
Earning a post-secondary education means a financial strain for many Canadians. Approximately 50 per cent report having student debt, according to a 2015 survey by the Canadian University Survey Consortium…