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Canada's inflation rate cools to just 0.1% annual pace in July – CBC.ca

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Canada’s inflation rate has slowed, increasing by just 0.1 per cent in the year up to July, as lower prices for gasoline and air travel continue to drag the number lower.

Statistics Canada said Wednesday that gasoline prices plummeted compared to a year earlier for the fifth month in a row in July, down 14.9 per cent from where they were in July 2019.

The data agency says that if gasoline were stripped out of its calculations, the annual inflation rate would have been 0.7 per cent in July. That’s the same as June’s level. Canada’s inflation rate turned negative for the first time in almost a decade in April and May, as COVID-19 walloped Canada’s economy.

Those figures are all well below the range that the Bank of Canada likes to see when setting its benchmark interest rate. The bank targets inflation between one and three per cent. When inflation is below that, the bank tends to cut rates to stimulate the economy. When it’s above, it tends to raise rates to slow things down.

Other soft spots

Gasoline was the biggest factor in the slowdown but not the only one.

Tickets for seats on airplanes were down 8.6 per cent in July compared to a year earlier, as COVID-19 wreaked havoc on travel demand. That’s the first decline in air travel seen since the price of oil plunged in late 2015, and it wasn’t the only part of travel that got cheaper.

The price of accommodation such as hotels fell by 27 per cent, Statistics Canada said.

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End of Manitoba legislature session includes replacement-worker ban, machete rules

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WINNIPEG – Manitoba politicians are expected to pass several bills into law before the likely end of legislature session this evening.

The NDP government, with a solid majority of seats, is getting its omnibus budget bill through.

It enacts tax changes outlined in the spring budget, but also includes unrelated items, such as a ban on replacement workers during labour disputes.

The bill would also make it easier for workers to unionize, and would boost rebates for political campaign expenses.

Another bill expected to pass this evening would place new restrictions on the sale of machetes, in an attempt to crack down on crime.

Among the bills that are not expected to pass this session is one making it harder for landlords to raise rents above the inflation rate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Father charged with second-degree murder in infant’s death: police

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A Richmond Hill, Ont., man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his seven-week-old infant earlier this year.

York Regional Police say they were contacted by the York Children’s Aid Society about a child who had been taken to a hospital in Toronto on Jan. 15.

They say the baby had “significant injuries” that could not be explained by the parents.

The infant died three days later.

Police say the baby’s father, 30, was charged with second-degree murder on Oct. 23.

Anyone with more information on the case is urged to contact investigators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Ontario fast-tracking several bills with little or no debate

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TORONTO – Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, which the government house leader says is due to a short legislative sitting.

The government has significantly reduced debate and committee time on the proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.

It also passed the fall economic statement that contains legislation to send out $200 cheques to taxpayers with reduced debating time.

The province tabled a bill Wednesday afternoon that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.

That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.

Government House Leader Steve Clark did not answer a question about whether the province is speeding up passage of the bills in order to have an election in the spring, which Premier Doug Ford has not ruled out.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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