Author: Sherry Cooper

Canada’s economy continue to generate job growth in March, extending an employment rally that is the strongest in years, but with increasingly sluggish wage increases. Canadian employment grew by 19,400 in March–exceeding economists’ expectation for the fourth consecutive month–while the unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 6.7% as more people searched for work. This…

From Business News Network (BNN): Sherry Cooper, chief economist, Dominion Lending Centres talks to BNN about why the federal budget’s wait-and-see approach is prudent in light of uncertainty over Canada’s trade relationship with the U.S.

Budget 2017 continues the government’s commitment to support the middle class by enhancing Canada’s long-term growth potential. Investments to foster innovation, skills and the ability to attract top talent from around the world are included. An important and growing competitive advantage is Canada’s openness to trade and immigration, having a broader range of free trade…

January’s payroll gain was a huge 48,300 Statistics Canada said on Friday in Ottawa, well above economists’ forecast of a loss of 10,000 jobs. This follows a gain of a whopping 46,100 in December. The unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 6.8%. Employment growth has been strong since August. Canada posted the best…

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) reiterated in their press release today that the labor market is strengthening and the economy continues to expand at a moderate pace. The consumer is doing most of the heavy lifting as business investment remains soft, but both business and consumer confidence is rising. Inflation has ticked up, but…

It is no surprise that the Bank of Canada maintained its target overnight rate at 1/2 percent today, reaffirming its view that the Canadian economy is still operating with considerable slack despite strong employment growth and inflation remains below the 2 percent target. The policy statement highlighted that that “uncertainty about the global outlook is…

This morning, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) released its December national real estate statistics showing home sales rose 2.2% month-over-month in the final month of last year. This rebound retraced less than half of the decline in November, when it posted the largest monthly decline in more than four years in response to the…

December’s jobs report was unambiguously strong showing employment gains of 53,700 (0.3%), the result of gains in full-time work. Finally, for the first time this year, full-time jobs outpaced part-time. The unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 6.9% as more people entered the labour force. This is evidence that the economy may be absorbing…

In a move to help BC citizens and residents buy their first home, the BC government announced today that it is launching a new program to augment down payments for first-time buyers. The B.C. Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership program contributes to the amount first-time homebuyers have already saved for their down payment, providing…

This morning, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) released its national real estate statistics for November showing the largest monthly decline in activity since August 2012. The number of home resales now stands at its lowest level since September 2015. Activity was down on a month-over-month basis in about two-thirds of all local markets, including…