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Should you buy back pension service from your employer? Jun 19th
While defined benefit (DB) pensions are the Cadillac of retirement plans, they also entail a unique set of decisions. Buybacks are one of them.
There are a few ways to build up the value of your DB pension: by working to accumulate years of “pensionable service,” of course; by transferring servi.... More »
Pandemic living is driving some Canadians to save money — and many are coming out ahead Oct 4th
Quick to point out they’re among “the lucky” ones, those who’ve continued to earn a decent income during COVID-19 are seeing their wealth grow and investing in their futures..... More »
Tilray stock jumps on medical cannabis collaboration with pharmaceutical giant Dec 18th
Tilray Inc. shares jump after the B.C.-based company takes another step to strengthen its medical marijuana business outside Canada through a new collaboration with Novartis pharmaceutical group's Sandoz AG..... More »
Connacher wins court approval to seek bidders for its oilsands assets + MORE Mar 30th
CALGARY _ Oilsands producer Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. has won court approval for a process to find a buyer or investor that could allow it to emerge from Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act protection after nearly two years.
A court ruling Wednesday approves the Calgary-based company’s.... More »
Months after massive IPO, China's Didi moves to delist from NYSE - MarketWatch Dec 3rd
Months after massive IPO, China's Didi moves to delist from NYSE MarketWatchChina Tech Rout Deepens to $1.5 Trillion as Didi Emboldens Bears Yahoo Canada FinanceDidi says it will delist from the New York Stock Exchange and prepare to list in Hong Kong CNBCDidi of Chi.... More »
First Cobalt to acquire US Cobalt in a friendly stock deal amid growing interest
– canadianbusiness.com
TORONTO _ First Cobalt Corp. says it will take over US Cobalt Inc. in an all-share deal valued at $150 million as it looks to add to its supply of the industrial metal ahead of increased demand.
The friendly deal, which requires approval by US Cobalt shareholders, comes as growing investments and demand in electric vehicles has spurred interest in key metals like cobalt, used in the vehicle’s battery packs.
As a result, cobalt prices have more than doubled since the start of last year.
First Cobalt says the acquisition will help it position itself as a North American-focused cobalt company, as buyers of the metal look to diversify from a widespread reliance on production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where human rights groups have raised concerns of child labour in mining operations.
The company says US Cobalt’s flagship project in Idaho, as well as lithium projects in Utah and Alberta, will complement its own cobalt projects and refinery in Ontario.
The rise in cobalt prices has prompted other Canadian mining companies to push ahead on cobalt-related projects sitting on their books, including RNC Minerals looking to spur development of its Dumont nickel-cobalt project in Quebec and Fortune Minerals looking to breath new life into its project in the Northwest Territories…
The friendly deal, which requires approval by US Cobalt shareholders, comes as growing investments and demand in electric vehicles has spurred interest in key metals like cobalt, used in the vehicle’s battery packs.
As a result, cobalt prices have more than doubled since the start of last year.
First Cobalt says the acquisition will help it position itself as a North American-focused cobalt company, as buyers of the metal look to diversify from a widespread reliance on production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where human rights groups have raised concerns of child labour in mining operations.
The company says US Cobalt’s flagship project in Idaho, as well as lithium projects in Utah and Alberta, will complement its own cobalt projects and refinery in Ontario.
The rise in cobalt prices has prompted other Canadian mining companies to push ahead on cobalt-related projects sitting on their books, including RNC Minerals looking to spur development of its Dumont nickel-cobalt project in Quebec and Fortune Minerals looking to breath new life into its project in the Northwest Territories…
New mortgage rules behind slide in B.C. home sales: real estate association
– canadianbusiness.com
VANCOUVER _ The British Columbia Real Estate Association says tough mortgage qualification rules are a key reason for a provincewide drop in housing demand last month compared with February 2017.
The association says home sales fell 5.7 per cent in February, with about 6,200 properties changing hands.
Chief economist Cameron Muir says on a seasonally adjusted basis, sales have plummeted more than 26 per cent since new federal mortgage rules took effect at the beginning of the year.
But the association says prices continue to climb, with the average home selling for just over $748,000, an 8.8 per cent jump over February of last year.
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions implemented new lending guidelines in January that require borrowers who don’t need mortgage insurance to show they would still be able to make payments if interest rates rise.
In order to get insurance, homebuyers must prove they can service their uninsured mortgage at a qualifying rate two percentage points higher than the lender’s rate or the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark rate, currently set at 5…
The association says home sales fell 5.7 per cent in February, with about 6,200 properties changing hands.
Chief economist Cameron Muir says on a seasonally adjusted basis, sales have plummeted more than 26 per cent since new federal mortgage rules took effect at the beginning of the year.
But the association says prices continue to climb, with the average home selling for just over $748,000, an 8.8 per cent jump over February of last year.
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions implemented new lending guidelines in January that require borrowers who don’t need mortgage insurance to show they would still be able to make payments if interest rates rise.
In order to get insurance, homebuyers must prove they can service their uninsured mortgage at a qualifying rate two percentage points higher than the lender’s rate or the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark rate, currently set at 5…
Mark Milke is author of Tax Me I’m Canadian: A Taxpayers’ Guide to Your Money and How Politicians Spend It.
If Canadians want a case study on how governments make a problem worse, cast an eye at British Columbia and housing. The provincial government, both under the previous Liberals and now the NDP, have continually kept or enacted policy, such as rent control and now a speculation tax, that exacerbates a tight rental market and high real estate prices.
Supply problems and slum promotion: The problem of rent control
British Columbia has long had rent control. That policy always discourages the construction of rental units as it limits the return on investment, which, in turn, squeezes supply, even condominiums bought by potential individual landlords. Such controls also produce slums as landlords have little incentive to fix up or improve units beyond the bare legal minimum. This ultimately harms renters by producing artificial shortages and a degraded housing stock.
READ: Alberta and B…
If Canadians want a case study on how governments make a problem worse, cast an eye at British Columbia and housing. The provincial government, both under the previous Liberals and now the NDP, have continually kept or enacted policy, such as rent control and now a speculation tax, that exacerbates a tight rental market and high real estate prices.
Supply problems and slum promotion: The problem of rent control
British Columbia has long had rent control. That policy always discourages the construction of rental units as it limits the return on investment, which, in turn, squeezes supply, even condominiums bought by potential individual landlords. Such controls also produce slums as landlords have little incentive to fix up or improve units beyond the bare legal minimum. This ultimately harms renters by producing artificial shortages and a degraded housing stock.
READ: Alberta and B…
