Ontario’s carbon plan would cost more than Liberals’ tax: report
The climate plan Doug Ford’s provincial government is proposing as an alternative to the Trudeau Liberals’ carbon tax would cost consumers and businesses much more than the federal scheme, Postmedia reports, quoting a study from Canadians for Clean Prosperity. The report, being released Tuesday, will show how the provincial Tories’ plan to target certain industries for emissions reductions would cost $334 million by 2022, or $62 per tonne of carbon removed. By contrast, the carbon tax will cost $214 million by that time, or $40 per tonne.
Vancouver real estate’s downward slide continues
Greater Vancouver just saw its worst May for home sales since 2000, according to the region’s real estate board. Sales picked up from April to May but are down 6.9 per cent from the same month last year (and that had been a weak month to begin with). Ashley Smith, CEO of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, placed the blame for the slowdown on two things: The mortgage stress test and prices that are just too high. She suggested that people in the market adjust their expectations. “Whether you’re a buyer looking to make an offer or a seller looking to list your home, getting your pricing right is the key in today’s market,” she said in a statement.
Watch: Canada’s auto industry could be gone completely in a few decades. Story continues below.
Need a job? Get a trucker’s licence and move to B.C.
The trucking industry in British Columbia needs help. Lots of it, and now. Some 17 per cent of all trucking jobs in the province are unfilled right now, prompting one economist to tell an industry conference: “I don’t even know how you’re operating, if that is at all possible.” Job vacancies are high in trucking throughout the country (6.8 per cent in Quebec, 6.5 per cent in Alberta and Manitoba) but B.C. leads the country. It’s just one sign of Canada’s ongoing labour shortage.
Canadian auto sales down for 15 straight months
Auto sales are considered a bellwether of economic activity, because when things get a little tight, buying a new car is one of the first things you put off. So it’s not good news that auto sales in Canada clocked a 5.9-per-cent decline in May, according to Desrosiers Automotive. This marks the 15th straight month vehicle sales are lower than they were a year earlier. And it’s likely no coincidence that auto sales started suffering not long after the Bank of Canada started raising interest rates. Canadians are taking longer loans than ever before to buy vehicles, and a seven-year loan is now the standard.
SAS takes a load off
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) says it will stop offering in-flight duty-free sales in order to reduce the carbon emissions from its flights. SAS says the move will reduce the weight of its airplanes, and in any case, the airline is reporting fewer in-flight sales. The airline hasn’t estimated how much fuel it will save from the move, but says “every step on the way to sustainable travel is important.” SAS aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 25 per cent in the next 11 years. (From the Associated Press)
Spark one up in the Highlands
Sir Sam’s Inn and Spa, in the Haliburton Highlands cottage country north of Toronto, is the first hotel or resort in Ontario to welcome cannabis consumption by its guests, Canada.com reports. The hotel is keeping a low profile about it, though, because management doesn’t want it to become “a pot-smoking hotel.” In other words, this is not the place for your Harold-and-Kumar-Go-To-White-Castle-style road trip. “It’s more about acknowledging it is legal now,” the hotel’s business development director says. “We are an adults and couple resort and we do have professionals who like to come up and relax with the setting we provide.”