Articles for category: Economy

November 12, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

China tightens precursor exports to North America

China moved today to restrict exports of fentanyl precursors to North America, adding a fresh layer of licensing for shipments bound for Canada, the United States and Mexico. The Commerce Ministry said it will adjust its catalogue of drug‑related precursor chemicals and require export licences for certain substances to the region, a change framed as part of ongoing regulatory efforts. State media previously reported new licence requirements on 13 substances, including piperidine derivatives used to synthesize fentanyl. The step follows a trade truce disclosed on November 1, 2025, when Beijing pledged to curb flows of fentanyl‑related chemicals as part of

November 11, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

Stronger October Jobs Tilt Odds For BoC Hold

Canada’s labour market delivered another upside surprise in October, adding 67,000 jobs and nudging the unemployment rate down to 6.9 percent. “Employment increased by 67,000 in October,” Statistics Canada reported on Nov. 7, noting the second straight monthly gain. The increase was driven by part‑time work and concentrated in the private sector, while the employment rate rose to 60.8 percent. The print lands between policy meetings and will shape expectations into Dec. 10, when the Bank of Canada next sets the overnight rate, the central bank’s policy interest rate. The backdrop is a 25 basis point cut on Oct. 29

November 10, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

Ontario trims deficit in fall fiscal update

Ontario tabled its fall economic statement on November 6, cutting the current‑year deficit outlook and sketching new tariff relief, and it drew immediate fire from a major public‑sector union. The fiscal update, formally the Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, sets the stage for a cautious winter as trade friction weighs on growth and job prospects. For markets, the headline is smaller red ink, steady reserves, and a clearer borrowing path. The politics will run hotter. Queen’s Park now pegs the deficit at C$13.5 billion in 2025 to 2026, an improvement from the spring budget’s C$14.6 billion track. The update

November 10, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

Albertans back domestic control of resources, poll says

A solid majority of Albertans want companies that develop oil, gas, minerals and forests to stay in Canadian hands, according to a new Ipsos survey conducted Oct. 25-27 for Global News. Nationally, 64 percent of the 1,000 respondents said Ottawa should block foreign buyers from taking over such firms, but support climbs to 73 percent in Alberta and 77 percent in British Columbia. Older Canadians are more protective than younger ones, mirroring long-running “buy local” attitudes that have migrated from grocery aisles to the resource patch. The online poll is considered accurate to within ±3.8 percentage points, 19 times out

November 7, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

CN sets October grain record at 3.4 million tonnes

Canadian National moved over 3.4 million metric tonnes of grain from Western Canada in October, marking an all-time monthly record. The volume surpassed the prior monthly high by 110,000 tonnes and represents CN’s best individual month for grain shipments on record, according to the railway’s statement dated November 5, 2025. Back to back shipping records The October mark follows a September performance where CN moved more than 2.91 million metric tonnes from the Prairies, a record for that month and a set up for a strong start to the crop year. CN has guided to moving 27.0 to 29.5 million

November 6, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

Carney Budget Skips Rebates, Sticks To Investment Plan

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget centres on a multi‑year pivot to capital spending and productivity, while leaving several consumer‑facing programs on ice. Ottawa set fiscal anchors to balance day‑to‑day operations by 2028 to 2029 and to keep the deficit‑to‑GDP ratio trending lower, and mapped out roughly C$280 billion of five‑year capital outlays meant to catalyse more than C$1 trillion in total investment. Alongside C$60 billion in savings and revenues over five years. The tilt is clear, spend less on operations, invest more in projects. Markets will parse how quickly those projects move from promise to shovels. Pharmacare Funding Left

November 5, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

Spending shift puts capital first in 2025

Ottawa’s fall budget, the first under Prime Minister Mark Carney, points almost every fiscal arrow at one target: capital formation. The package lifts the 2025-26 deficit to about C$78 billion while mapping C$280 billion in five-year investments for infrastructure, productivity and clean industry. It does so under a new Capital Budgeting Framework that treats those outlays as assets, not program costs. Capital lens steers program dollars Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne calls the framework “a stronger financial foundation” that will let Parliament see which dollars build productive capacity and which cover day-to-day operations. For corporate Canada, the distinction matters. Projects that

November 5, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

Glencore Closure Heightens Stakes in Anglo-Teck Review

Glencore’s plan to wind down the 97-year-old Horne smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, leaves Canada on the brink of losing its largest source of refined copper metal just as Ottawa tries to brand the country a critical-minerals hub. The London-listed miner told Reuters it is “not currently considering the closure of the Horne smelter or CCR,” yet two sources say shutdown preparations are under way as modernization costs could top C$270 million per a Glencore spokesperson. If the taps do turn off, domestic output would fall by roughly 17 percent, according to federal trade data, and buyers south of the border

November 4, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

Households Anxious As Mid-Sized Bank Risks Rise

Fresh polling and new credit analysis point to a financial picture that still feels tight for Canadian households, even after the recent Bank of Canada rate cut of 2.25 percent. Anxiety is showing up in day‑to‑day budgets, with a national survey by United Way Centraide finding that 55 percent feel anxious about their personal finances and 42 percent could cover less than one month of expenses if their main income disappeared. Markets will read that as pressure on discretionary spending and on credit performance at the margin. The question now is how quickly rate relief flows through to monthly payments

November 4, 2025

Bay St Signal Editors

OECD Urges Canada To Ease Supply Management

The OECD’s 2025 agricultural scorecard urges Ottawa to soften long‑standing support for dairy, poultry, and eggs. In the Canada chapter, the organisation says producer support in these supply‑managed sectors still distorts trade and keeps domestic prices elevated relative to market signals. The suggested pathway is not a shock therapy. It is gradual and paired with productivity aims. The timing lands as grocery inflation cools but remains a political issue. What Reform Could Mean For Prices Supply management, which balances supply and demand through quotas, price setting, and import controls, is designed to stabilise farm income and ensure steady supply for