Category: Canada

Loonie Could Jump Up To 82 Cents US If Trade Talks Are Successful, Says Economist | CBC News

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Even with a resilient, if not strong, Canadian economy, the loonie has failed to gain momentum this year — losing more than four per cent against the U.S. dollar — as trade uncertainty ate away at its “fundamental” value. But that could all change if a trade deal is struck between Canada and the U.S. soon, according to James Orlando, senior economist at TD Economics. He’s calling for the Canadian dollar to jump to as much as 82 cents US in the near term if trade talks between the two countries are successful. That’s a…

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As Airlines Hike Checked Bag Fees, Charges For Carry-on Luggage Could Be Next | CBC News

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Buckle up: Now that Air Canada and WestJet have hiked their checked bag fees for economy fares, some airline experts predict charges for carry-on luggage could be next. “It’s only a matter of time,” said airline analyst, Fred Lazar. He believes higher checked bag fees will inspire even more people to stuff all their luggage into carry-on bags, prompting the two airlines to introduce carry-on charges to help stem the tide. “The initial driver will be the problems as people shift more and more to carry-on,” said Lazar, a professor of…

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Free Trade Talks Could Finally See Canada Raise De Minimis Levels For Duty-Free Online Shopping | CBC News

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One concession Canada seems likely to make in the current round of free trade discussions with the U.S. and Mexico is on the level of duties that Canadians must pay when shopping online — and it’s one where Canadian consumers could end up be happy with the result. Known as the de minimis threshold, it’s the level at which consumers have to pay duties and taxes on imported goods, whether through bringing items back on a trip or ordering them online and having them delivered by mail or courier. In the United…

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CRTC’s Unlocked Phone Rule Has Sparked A Crime Spree, Bell And Rogers Say | CBC News

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Bell and Rogers say new rules mandating all Canadian wireless carriers sell unlocked phones have triggered a rise in phone thefts. “There have been multiple instances of armed robberies at our stores targeting unlocked, new devices,” Bell said in a submission to the CRTC. The broadcast regulator had requested information from carriers to assess how its new rules are working out. To help spur competition, on Dec. 1, the CRTC mandated that all carriers unlock phones for free and only sell unlocked phones going forward. Previously, telcos sold customers phones locked to their networks and charged a…

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Tesla Sues Ontario Government, Alleging Customers Denied Incentives | CBC News

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Tesla Motors Canada is suing the Ontario government, alleging it has suffered “substantial harm” and lost sales amid the cancellation of an electric vehicle rebate. In mid-July, Ontario Premier Doug Ford scrapped the province’s Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program (EHVIP), which was brought in by the previous Liberal government. The program offered rebates of up to $14,000 on qualifying vehicles, so long as they were under $75,000. When it cancelled the EHVIP, the province promised to honour the incentive for those who have their vehicle delivered, registered and plated if it…

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Cellphone Tracking Has Been Used In At Least 1 Canadian Mall, Former Employee Says | CBC News

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A Canadian real estate company already under investigation for using facial recognition technology in malls may also be tracking the movement of shoppers using mobile phones. A former employee of Cadillac Fairview told CBC News he was aware of at least one of the company’s Canadian shopping centres that had a system installed to track cellphone movement throughout the mall to collect market research data. CBC News has agreed to keep the former employee’s identity confidential. He worked directly for Cadillac Fairview in security for more than three years, and was responsible…

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Can Canadian Border Agents Search Your Phone Or Laptop? A New Guide Explains | CTV News

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A civil liberties group has published a new guide for people concerned about Canadian border agents searching their electronic devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets. Although there are unsettled legal questions about how these searches should work, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says “the bottom line is that the CBSA can and does search electronic devices at the border” without a warrant and sometimes randomly. That means border agents could end up seeing private emails and text messages, photos, web browser histories and sensitive documents, even if you’ve done nothing…

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Prices For Canned Goods About To Go Up In Canada As Tariffs Start To Bite | CBC News

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Canadians should brace for higher prices on everything from soda to soup as manufacturers begin to feel the impact of the U.S.-Canada trade war and pass on the cost of aluminum and other tariffs to retailers. PepsiCo Beverages Canada recently advised retailers that it plans to raise its prices by about a penny per can, starting at the end of July. In a letter sent to retailers in late June, the beverage giant cited tariffs the Canadian government recently implemented on a range of products, including the aluminum that makes the cans that holds…

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Will Canada Become The Next Country To Offer Mobile Passports? Feds Studying Idea Despite Privacy Fears – National | Globalnews.ca

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Immigration officials are exploring the idea of allowing Canadians to renew or potentially use their passports via mobile apps on their phones. If you have a Canadian passport, you know the deal. Every five to 10 years, you go through the process of filling out forms, gathering photos and references and mailing it all in to Passport Canada, all in the name of renewing the little blue booklet that lets Canadians travel abroad. Once at the airport, you take it out for check-in, during security screenings, to show the gate…

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Aeroplan, PC Optimum Grapple With Points Theft As Thieves Drain Accounts, Book Flights | CBC News

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Loyalty programs Aeroplan and PC Optimum have each recently been hit with multiple cases of points theft. Flights have even been booked using stolen Aeroplan miles. “I was blown away,” said Christina Rayburn, after discovering that someone had swiped most of the miles from her online Aeroplan account and taken a trip. “The fact that they were able to do that kind of concerns me.” Cyber thieves are increasingly targeting Canadians’ stockpiles of lucrative loyalty points — PC Optimum has dealt with points theft since the program launched in February. Some cybersecurity experts say…

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