April Fools’ is bringing more than just practical jokes to British Columbians — the province will be hit with new taxes and fare hikes starting on Saturday.
One of next month’s changes will leave many commuters debating on walking or taking public transit due to the federal government’s increased carbon prices.
The bump will see carbon pricing go from $50 a tonne to $65, which the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says will account for a spike of over three cents per litre of gas.
Alcohol sales are also expected to climb, although a recent announcement could temper it.
The federal government initially planned to implement a 6.3 per cent increase, but decided to scrap it after receiving backlash from alcohol operators and breweries nationwide. So instead, the spike will be capped at two per cent for a year.
The duties are imposed at the manufacturing level and adjusted annually based on inflation.
National increase aside, BC Hydro says the residential electricity rate will increase by two per cent, or about $2 per month on average, following interim approval by the BC Utilities Commission.
“Last year, we reduced residential rates by 1.4 per cent, and in 2024, we expect to increase rates by 2.7 per cent. Over the three-year period, it works out to an average rate increase of 1.1 per cent per year. This is below forecast inflation in B.C. over this period,” said BC Hydro in an email.
The increases in British Columbia will also be seen at the ferry terminals.
BC Ferries is expected to raise its prices by over two per cent, which is curranty capped until next year.
They projected this increase could have been more than three times larger due to inflation.
“It was clear BC Ferries users could face fare increases of 10.4 per cent a year for the four-year period of 2024 to 2028,” wrote the province.
The province announced in late February that a $500-million investment in BC Ferries was intended to keep fare increases below three per cent.
Other additional expenses coming into effect in April will be Stanley Park parking fees.
For the next six months, parking will be an additional dollar per hour or $14.25 per day. For fall and winter parking, it is set at $2.75 per hour and $7.75 per day.
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
