$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Equifax Canada is exploring how rent data could factor in to credit scores to help make credit and financial services accessible to more people.
The agency said it has been testing small volumes of rental payment data to assess its suitability.
An Equifax study found that including "alternative data" could establish or enhance the credit scores for millions of Canadians.
"Equifax Canada has been leading the way and has been modelling how rental payments, just like mortgage payments, can help build a credit score," Equifax Canada president and CEO Sue Hutchison said in a news release.
"This is so important for young Canadian consumers, new Canadians and other underserved consumers."
The federal government announced last month it wants to see rental payment history count toward credit scores.
"Renters matter, and young Canadians put a lot of their hard earned money toward rent. We think that should count for a lot more," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said when he announced several initiatives to help renters on March 27.
In its budget last week, Ottawa called on banks, fintechs and credit bureaus to prioritize launching tools that would allow renters to opt in to reporting their rent payment history.
This could help more renters become homeowners, the government said, as a history of on-time rental payments could strengthen credit scores and make it easier to qualify for a mortgage or a lower interest rate.
Equifax said including rental payments in credit scores will help make credit and mainstream financial services more accessible.
"Renters are a growing part of the Canadian economy and it's time they are recognized for making their rent payments on time," Hutchison said.
Ottawa's announcement was welcomed by some companies, including Equifax Canada, while advocates for renters said it could be a double-edged sword.
Elizabeth Mulholland, chief executive of charity Prosper Canada, said many people are struggling with higher rental costs and may not always be able to pay their rent on time.
Because of that, it's important people have control over whether they want to share rental data with credit bureaus, Mulholland said.
"If you just blanket build it in, that could be problematic for a lot of low income people and vulnerable people," she said.
-- With files from Ian Bickis
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2024.
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Residents of Fort of McMurray who were displaced over wildfire concerns were told to return home Saturday.
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza.
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested after police say he dragged an officer while trying to get around the scene of a fatal accident Friday ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.