
Extend GST housing rebate to seniors who want to downsize, report recommends
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OTTAWA — The federal government's GST rebate on new homes should be extended to seniors who want to downsize, a new report says, to help boost the supply and cut the price of family homes.
The report, released Tuesday by the Ottawa-based Missing Middle Initiative, says that Canada's housing crisis is being partly fuelled by market bottlenecks preventing seniors from downsizing.

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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
U.S. ambassador says Canadians facing device searches, detainment 'not a pattern'
The U.S. ambassador to Canada is pushing back on Ottawa's travel advice, saying his country doesn't search phones at the border and arguing some Americans travelling to Canada are having a tough time. "We welcome Canadians to come in and invest, to spend their hard-earned Canadian dollars at U.S. businesses," U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told The Canadian Press in an interview Friday. "If a Canadian has had a disappointing experience coming into the United States, I'm not denying that it happened, but I'm saying it's an isolated event and it is not a pattern." In April, Ottawa updated its advice to Canadians travelling to the United States to warn them about the possibility they might be detained if denied entry. "Expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices," reads the new guidance. There have been reports of Canadians facing intensified scrutiny at the border, having phones searched and, in some cases, being detained. WATCH | Canadian visits to U.S. plummet over fears of new security measures: Canadian visits to U.S. plummet over fear of harsh new security measures 2 months ago Duration 2:08 Canadians are making fewer trips to the U.S. over fears about the Trump administration's harsh new security measures, including the heightened possibility of being detained. Statistics Canada says air travel is down 13 per cent, and land travel is down by almost a third. Hoekstra insisted concerns about device searches are not grounded in reality. "Coming to the U.S., that's a decision for the Canadians to make. Searching devices and all of that is not a well-founded fear. We don't do that. America is a welcoming place," he said. Americans also scrutinized at border: Hoekstra He said some Americans have expressed similar concerns about Canada. "I've heard that from Americans coming into Canada as well, OK? Saying, 'You know, we've not received a warm reception when we've gotten to Canadian customs,'" he said. When asked if these reports from American travellers involve arbitrary phone searches and lengthy detainment, Hoekstra said there are consular cases of Americans complaining to the embassy about the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). "We've said, 'OK this may have been an isolated event. There may have been a Canadian border person who was having a bad day, and thought they'd take it out on, you know, somebody across the border,'" he said. In a statement, the CBSA said its officers follow a code of conduct and the federal ethics code that both require them to treat everyone equally, and that the agency investigates any complaints of mistreatment. "Employees are expected to conduct themselves in a way that upholds the values of integrity, respect and professionalism at all times," wrote spokesperson Karine Martel. "Treating people with respect, dignity and fairness is fundamental to our border services officers' relationship with the public and a key part of this is serving all travellers in a non-discriminatory way." Hoekstra said travel to the U.S. is up to individuals. "If you decide that you're not going to come down or whatever, that's your decision and you're missing an opportunity. There are great things to see in America," Hoekstra said. He also noted the case of CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, who recently said she prepared to visit the U.S. last month as if she was "going to North Korea" — with a "burner phone" that didn't carry any personal information — only to experience a warm welcome. "It's like, [let's] get past the rhetoric and let's look at the real experiences that people are having here," Hoekstra said. Airlines have been cutting flights between Canada and the U.S. due to a slump in demand, and Flight Centre Travel Group Canada reported a nearly 40 per cent drop in flights between the two countries year-over-year in February. A survey in early May conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies found 52 per cent of respondents feel that "it is no longer safe for all Canadians travelling to the United States," with 29 per cent disagreeing and 19 per cent saying they were unsure. Roughly the same proportion said they personally feel unwelcome in the U.S. 2SLGBTQ+ groups have opted against attending World Pride events in Washington and United Nations events in New York, citing scrutiny at the border as the Trump administration scales back protections for transgender and non-binary people.


Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Company that worked on ArriveCan app banned from government contracts for 7 years
Ottawa says it has banned the largest contractor that worked on the ArriveCan app from entering into contracts or real property agreements with the government for seven years. Public Services and Procurement Canada has announced that GC Strategies Inc. has been deemed 'ineligible' after an assessment of the supplier's conduct. Last year, the department suspended the security status of GC Strategies, which the auditor general says was awarded more than $19 million for the project. That move followed an earlier decision to suspend the company from procurement processes within the department. The government also barred two other companies that contributed to the ArriveCan project, Dalian Enterprises and Coradix Technology Consulting, from participating in procurement opportunities. The federal government launched the app in April, 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to digitize customs and immigration declarations. A report by Canada's Auditor General Karen Hogan found the government's record-keeping was poor and its reliance on outside contractors allowed the cost of the project to balloon to $60 million. The first ArriveCan contract was initially valued at just $2.35 million. On Tuesday, Hogan is set to deliver an audit focusing on whether the contracts awarded and the payments made to GC Strategies and other incorporated companies were 'in accordance with applicable policy instruments' and were good value for money. Public Services and Procurement Canada says the government continues to take action to 'strengthen the integrity of the procurement process.' The Canadian Press has reached out to GC Strategies and to Public Services and Procurement Canada for comment. GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth was ordered to appear before the bar of the House of Commons last year after refusing to answer questions at a committee hearing. Firth was grilled by MPs for two hours, though Liberals opted out of questioning after a doctor's note provided to the clerk of the House recommended that he not appear because of mental-health issues. GC Strategies did not develop or manage the ArriveCan app, but it was tasked by the federal government to assemble a team to complete some parts of the project.


National Post
4 hours ago
- National Post
Bank of Canada head Tiff Macklem says mandate should evolve in a 'shock-prone' world
OTTAWA — Tiff Macklem is wearing an Edmonton Oilers pin as he reflects on coming very close to beating big odds. Article content It's a significant day for the governor of the Bank of Canada. He's just laid out his reasons to the entire country and a global audience for keeping the central bank's benchmark interest rate steady for a second straight time. Article content Article content That night is also Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. Macklem ends his press conference with a hearty 'Go Oilers!' Article content Article content It's a rematch from last year's heartbreak, when the Oilers came oh-so-close to mounting a seemingly impossible four-game comeback against the Florida Panthers, only to fall short by a single goal in Game 7. Article content Article content 'We got inflation down. We didn't cause a recession,' Macklem said in an interview with The Canadian Press after the rate announcement Wednesday. Article content 'And, to be frank, until President (Donald) Trump started threatening the economy with new tariffs, we were actually seeing growth pick up.' Article content Fresh out of one crisis, the central bank now must contend with another in U.S. tariffs. Article content Five years into his tenure as head of the Bank of Canada, Macklem said he sees the central bank's role in stickhandling the economy — as well as Canada's role on the world stage — evolving. Article content Article content Many Canadians have become more familiar with the Bank of Canada in recent years. After the COVID-19 pandemic recovery ignited inflation, the central bank's rapid tightening cycle and subsequent rate cuts were top-line news for anxious Canadians stressed about rising prices and borrowing costs. Article content Article content That was all in pursuit of meeting the central bank's inflation target of two per cent, part of a mandate from the federal government that's up for review next year. Article content Macklem said the past few years have led the Bank of Canada to scrutinize some of its metrics, like core inflation and how it responds to supply shocks in the economy.