Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly "under stress" from the surging cost of living.
"Our data says about 50 per cent of Canadians are living paycheque-to-paycheque," Sue Hutchinson, the president of Equifax Canada, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.
The Liberals have already announced a bevy of measures to help put a dent in Canada's housing crisis, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledging to "meet the moment" as younger generations increasingly feel "middle-class stability" is out of reach.
"Millennials and Gen Z now make up the majority of Canada's labour force," he said. "They are our economy."
However, Hutchinson says although shelter cost remains "the biggest spend" for Canadians, the stress is being seen across the board -- and both consumers and businesses are feeling the pressure.
"We are seeing a lot of stress," Hutchinson explained to CTV News' Renee Rodgers in a one-on-one interview. "We're seeing bankruptcies up, we're seeing missed payments up."
Equifax "excited" by Renters' Bill of Rights
Hutchinson also warned that sky-high shelter costs are becoming an increasing problem for many Canadians and moves to "support growth in housing" is both welcome and needed – but increasing Canada's rental stock should be prioritized.
"We've got an increasing number of renters in this country," she said. "It's gone up about 20 per cent."
Hutchinson says Equifax Canada is excited by the "evolving discussion" around renters and rental payments, particularly Ottawa's Renters' Bill of Rights, which would see timely payments count towards a credit score.
"We have about a third of Canadians that have no credit history," Hutchinson explained. "This really disadvantages them in terms of getting access to mainstream financial services."
"A lot of stress"
The pressure that businesses are facing also shouldn't be forgotten, with bankruptcies rising across the country, and Hutchinson says that the number of businesses that struggled to repay CEBA loans should serve as a warning.
"Some of the COVID loans to businesses… about 25 per cent missed their January payments," Hutchinson warned. "So we are seeing a lot of stresses here."
Although there's been some speculation about the possibility of a tax hike, a possibility Trudeau has ruled out for the middle class, Hutchinson says it's important that the federal government provides support for the segments of the population struggling the most with the rising cost of living.
"We certainly have the 'haves' and 'have nots' in this country."
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
Powerful storms killed at least 13 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.