Michael Power

3 days ago | supplypro.ca | Michael Power

Some economists are putting an increasingly optimistic slant on Canada’s tariff dispute with the United States, arguing the economy should be able to avoid “worst-case” scenarios from the trade war. That doesn’t mean the Canadian economy gets off scot-free — a new forecast published by Deloitte Canada on June 24 calls for a modest recession to hit in the second and third quarters of the year as uncertainty and weakness caused by tariffs start to bite.

3 days ago | supplypro.ca | Michael Power

May inflation figures showed marginal improvements in some of the Bank of Canada’s closely watched price figures — a step in the right direction, some economists say, but likely not enough to convince the central bank to cut interest rates. The annual pace of inflation held steady at 1.7 per cent last month as cooling shelter costs helped tame price pressures, Statistics Canada said June 23. Shelter costs rose three per cent in May, StatCan said, marking a slowdown from 3.4 per cent in April.

4 days ago | supplypro.ca | Michael Power

The annual pace of inflation held steady at 1.7 per cent in May as cooling shelter costs helped tame price pressures, Statistics Canada said June 24. Shelter costs rose three per cent in May, StatCan said, marking a slowdown from 3.4 per cent in April. The agency singled out Ontario as the major source of rent relief in the country. Slowing population growth and a jump in new supply helped dampen rent hikes in May.

4 days ago | supplypro.ca | Michael Power

Work on climate change has largely focused on preventing it from getting worse, but as a new RBC report points out, businesses are also starting to think more about potential spending on adaptation and preparation as the costs of disasters pile up. The report says that extreme weather and natural disaster costs already totalled US$368 billion last year, 14 per cent above the long-term average since 2000, and that this year could match or exceed the total.

5 days ago | supplypro.ca | Michael Power

Unifor sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and cabinet ministers this week decrying a request from package company DHL to intervene in a strike. That request was made by DHL in a letter last week that was shared on the union’s website. The letter said the change that takes effect on June 20 to federal labour law banning replacement workers during strikes threatens to “severely undermine” DHL’s operational capabilities.