Ontario’s Dream companies had highest female board and executive numbers: report + MORE Nov 30th

MONTREAL _ Canada’s prosperity ranking has slipped in 2017 to the lowest level in 11 years, according an annual index that measures several factors including wealth and well-being.
Canada now ranks No. 8 in Legatum Institute Prosperity Index, three spots below last year and the lowest level since 2007.
That’s in part due to Canadians viewing banking services as being increasingly unaffordable and people feeling less convinced that working hard will get them ahead.
Norway leads the survey while the United States fell one spot to 18th. Yemen was last in 149th spot.
Overall, the index showed that prosperity has been growing around the world and sits at the highest level since the index was first published in 2007. Still, the gap between the most and least prosperous has widened over the last five years with the 30 least prosperous countries suffering a decade-long decline.
Western Europe has marginally overtaken North America for the first time as the continent’s score fell more than any region of the world…

TORONTO _ Canada’s main stock index rose sharply today, boosted by a strengthening energy sector after OPEC and Russia agreed to prolong crude output cuts until the end of next year.
The S&P/TSX composite index advanced 99.76 points to 16,067.48, with oil and gas company stocks up more than two per cent.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average surged 331.67 points to 24,272.35. The S&P 500 index was up 21.51 points to 2,647.58 and the Nasdaq composite index was up 49.58 points to 6,873.97.
The Canadian dollar was trading at an average price of 77.59 cents US, down 0.21 of a U.S. cent.
In commodities, the January crude contract was up 10 cents to US$57.40 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down 15 cents to US$3.03 per mmBTU.
The February gold contract fell US$9.50 to US$1,276.70 an ounce and the March copper contract gave back about a penny at US$3.06 a pound.
 
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MONTREAL _ The Dream group of real estate companies had the highest proportion of female board members and executives last year, according to detailed data released Thursday by Canadian securities regulators.
Five Dream-related Ontario businesses scored highly with Dream Unlimited Corp. (TSX:DRM) boasting 63 per cent women on its board, while 100 per cent of management on Dream Global Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX:DRG) were women.
Cheese and dairy processor Saputo Inc. (TSX:SAP) was next highest with women comprising 55 per cent of its board, but just 18 per cent of senior management.
Pizza Pizza Royalty Corp. (TSX:PZA), Sienna Senior Living Inc. (TSX:LW) and Quebecor’s TVA Group (TSX:TVA) all had boards with equal representations of men and women.
Far more companies had large contingents of women in executive positions than on boards.
Le Chateau Inc. (TSX:CTU), Dundee Energy Ltd. (TSX:DEN), Crosswinds Holdings Inc. (TSX:CWI), St. Augustine Gold and Copper Ltd. (TSX:SAU) each had women accounting for two-thirds of C-suite positions…

Photo: The Canadian Press
The real estate industry knows buying a home in major cities is becoming prohibitively expensive for many Canadians. So it’s proposing to help. The Canadian Real Estate Association is lobbying the federal government to allow parents to dip into their registered retirement savings accounts to fund their children’s home-ownership dreams. 
CREA, which represents more than 100,000 agents, brokers and salespeople, has made a 2018 pre-budget submission proposing changes to the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP). That program allows a first-time buyer to withdraw up to $25,000 from an RRSP account to purchase or build a home. The realtors’ association suggests expanding the program so that parents can withdraw from their own RRSPs for their children to purchase of a home. Both parents would be eligible to take funds from their accounts, subject to a maximum amount. “Extending the HBP is a compassionate and fiscally responsible way to help modern Canadian families finance the purchase of a home, and also help close the gap for young Canadians,” according to CREA’s submission…

CALGARY _ Shares of Enbridge Inc. popped higher in early trading after the company announced plans to raise its dividend, issue shares and sell off at least $3 billion in assets next year.
The stock was up $2.72 or about six per cent at $48.47 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday morning.
In a strategic update after markets closed Wednesday, the Calgary-based pipeline company said it has identified $10 billion of what it describes as non-core assets.
The company also announced Wednesday a private placement of $1.5 billion in common shares and plans to issue an additional $4 billion of hybrid securities through the end of 2018.
The moves follow Enbridge’s takeover of U.S. -based Spectra Energy earlier this year.
“With the Spectra Energy assets now in the fold, we will focus our attention on what we do best and the value proposition that has served shareholders well over the years,” Enbridge chief executive Al Monaco said in a statement.
“We will rationalize our asset mix to a pure regulated pipeline and utility business model, which emphasizes low risk businesses and strong growth in our three crown jewel businesses: liquids pipelines and terminals, natural gas transmission and storage and natural gas utilities…