Tag: politics
-
Alberta Tax Savings to Start in July 2025 Under New Income Bracket Shift
Starting next month, around two million Albertans will begin to see the effects of a new personal income tax system that the Alberta government says will help families better manage rising living costs. The new tax structure includes the introduction of an 8% tax bracket on the first $60,000 of income, which will not only…
-
Canadians Are Spending Less Time With Friends – Especially Working Adults, Says StatCan
A new report from Statistics Canada reveals a concerning trend in Canadian social life: face-to-face friendships are declining, particularly among working-age adults. In 2022, only 19.3% of Canadians reported seeing friends on an average day, compared to 47.9% in 1986. The most dramatic drop occurred among those aged 25 to 64, whose likelihood of seeing a friend fell from 42% to just 14% over…
-
Up to $50K in Savings: New GST Rebate for First-Time Canadian Home Buyers (2025)
If you’re a first-time home buyer in Canada, you may be eligible for a major new rebate that could save you up to $50,000 on your new home. On May 27, 2025, the federal government introduced the First-Time Home Buyers’ GST Rebate (FTHB GST Rebate)—a game-changing measure designed to make homeownership more affordable and accessible…
-
Canada Needs to Double Home Construction to Restore Affordability by 2035, Says CMHC
CMHC: 4.8 Million New Homes Needed to Close Canada’s Affordability Gap In a newly released report, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) says that Canada must double its current pace of housing construction to restore affordability levels last seen in 2019. That means building between 430,000 and 480,000 homes per year– both in the…
-
Calgary Still Short 42,000 Homes Despite Record-Breaking Construction Efforts
Calgary may be leading Canada in housing starts, but it’s still nowhere near closing its housing gap. According to the city’s chief housing officer Reid Hendry, Calgary is on track to be short 42,000 housing units by the end of 2025, despite building more new homes than ever before. The update comes from Hendry’s latest…
-
Alberta Is Now the Only Province That Hasn’t Raised Its Minimum Wage This Decade
Alberta hasn’t increased its minimum wage since 2018, making it the only province in Canada that hasn’t made at least one adjustment in the 2020s. In fact, if you’re under 18, wages actually went down. The province introduced a youth minimum wage of $13/hour in 2019 for students working 28 hours a week or less.…
-
Toronto Moves Forward on Citywide Upzoning for Sixplexes
Toronto is one step closer to legalizing sixplexes in residential neighbourhoods, after the city’s Planning and Housing Committee voted in favour of expanding multiplex permissions to allow five- and six-unit dwellings across low-rise areas. If adopted by full council later this month, this change would allow detached houses across the city to be redeveloped or…
-
Canada’s Affordable Housing Report Card: Alberta Scores Lowest, P.E.I. Leads on Market Gaps
A new national report card ranking Canada’s provinces on housing affordability and climate resilience is highlighting where progress is being made—and where major gaps remain. Alberta received the lowest overall grade with a D+, while no province scored higher than a C+. The federal government earned a B, driven by its proactive policies around tax…
-
Up to $50K in Savings: New GST Rebate for First-Time Canadian Home Buyers (2025)
If you’re a first-time home buyer in Canada, you may be eligible for a major new rebate that could save you up to $50,000 on your new home. On May 27, 2025, the federal government introduced the First-Time Home Buyers’ GST Rebate (FTHB GST Rebate)—a game-changing measure designed to make homeownership more affordable and accessible…
-
How a U.S. Trade War Could Impact Canada’s Housing Market
A potential trade war with the U.S. could significantly impact Canada’s housing market by driving up construction and renovation costs. Experts warn that new tariffs could raise the price of homebuilding materials, making homes less affordable and reducing new housing supply. How Tariffs Could Affect Home Prices The U.S. and Canada are major trading partners,…
Canada Housing Market 