ETA Canada News

Although the Canadian construction industry returned to growth in the second quarter, it is projected to remain unstable until 2027 due to rising material costs, slowing housing demand, and trade uncertainty.

According to the latest report by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), the construction industry’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter increased by 1%, driven by growth in the engineering construction and residential building sectors.

This marks a rebound following two consecutive quarters of decline, and overall construction activity has recovered to the level of about a year ago.

However, it is uncertain whether this recovery trend will continue. Rising input costs, such as raw materials and supplies, are cited as a major burden for the construction industry. According to Statistics Korea, non-residential construction costs rose 3.5% year-on-year in the second quarter, while residential construction costs also increased by 2.3%.

In particular, the construction sector, which has a high proportion of steel usage, saw the largest increase, with costs rising by more than 8% compared to the same period last year. Rising fuel prices, tariffs on steel and aluminum products, and additional tariffs imposed on imported wooden cabinets and washbasins are also increasing the price burden across the entire construction supply chain.

The report also pointed out the impact of ongoing trade uncertainty on the industry. Approximately 40% of the inputs used by the Canadian construction industry are imported, and 25% of these are from the United States.

Exposure to trade risks has been found to be significant, particularly in the engineering construction sector. Approximately 40% of the inputs used in telecommunications and oil and gas-related engineering construction are sourced from the United States. Residential construction also relies on U.S. imports for about 21% of its inputs.

The outlook for new business in the residential construction sector was also assessed as sluggish in some major cities. Construction companies are facing difficulties in the case of high-rise residential buildings as the volume of existing projects has not increased.

This coincides with a situation where new condo projects have decreased compared to previous years, even in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton regions—the largest housing markets—amidst the stagnation of Canada’s population growth.

Nicole Emmett, Vice President of Communications, Marketing, and Member Services at the Canadian Construction Association, stated in a press release that while the construction industry is maintaining its resilience, the gap between emerging opportunities and current challenges is widening.

Canada Post has started weekend parcel delivery in Ottawa and Montreal.

We plan to expand to Toronto in late November and to other cities such as Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary next year. The goal is to provide Saturday and Sunday delivery to 7 million households by the end of 2027.

The financially struggling postal corporation recorded a pre-tax loss of $482 million in the first half of 2026 and predicted that it would continue to need federal loan support to maintain operations.

The federal government has already provided more than $2 billion in support. However, signs of recovery were also observed, such as parcel sales in the second quarter of 2026 increasing by 20.7% year-on-year and operating expenses decreasing by $119 million.

The Postal Service signed a new collective bargaining agreement with the Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) last June and agreed to maintain it until 2030. This agreement brought an end to two years of labor-management conflict, including nationwide strikes.

The postal service plans to expand the installation of community mailboxes, convert mailboxes at 700,000 addresses by the end of next year, and abolish all home mail delivery by 2031.

The Ontario government is implementing the phased introduction of digital IDs, starting with the Ontario photo ID issued to residents without driver’s licenses.

Ontario’s Department of Public and Business Services and Procurement announced in a press release on the 23rd that this measure is intended to strengthen digital security and provide residents with more options and conveniences, while also increasing cost efficiency.

The state government expects that digital IDs will help further enhance security by reducing the risk of loss, theft, or identity theft, and help provide more seamless and integrated customer services.

The provincial government plans to introduce the Digital Ontario Photo ID as a first pilot project after beginning to solicit opinions on the development of a digital ID by the end of 2026. This ID will serve as an official means of identity verification and can be used for basic transactions, such as opening bank accounts or utilizing various services that require an ID.

Based on the results of the first phase of operations, there are plans to introduce digital driver’s licenses and digital health cards. These identification cards can be stored on mobile devices such as mobile phones and can be used when accessing services both online and in person.

Along with the introduction of digital IDs, the state government plans to prepare relevant legislation in 2027 to protect residents’ right to obtain and use only physical IDs. The use of digital IDs will remain optional, not mandatory.

Ontario is expected to become the next province to introduce digital IDs, following Alberta, Quebec, and British Columbia (BC), which already offer digital IDs.

A Canadian consumer credit company has over 44,000 loans on its books, totalling about 229 million Canadian dollars. But when the court-appointed takeover visited the company last month, they found only 256 cases, totalling less than 900,000 yuan. Meanwhile, claims held by creditors may exceed 613 million. Cash Today Inc., based in Edmonton, Alberta, reported at the end of last year that there were over 44,000 outstanding loans, totalling about CAD 229 million. Photo: David Bloom

The accounts don’t match

The company is called Cash Today and is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. At the end of last year, it reported more than 44,000 outstanding loans. But according to documents submitted to the Alberta King’s Court this Tuesday, the receiver MNP found only 256 records of valid loans. The receiver confirmed about 270 creditors and bondholders. MNP warned that the claim amount of 613 million may be at least 190 million overstated, and stated that the full picture of the company’s assets and debts is still unclear. Note: MNP is a Canadian accounting firm officially named MNP LLP, founded in 1958 and headquartered in Calgary. It has over 120 branches nationwide and is the fifth largest accounting firm in Canada, mainly engaged in auditing, tax, and corporate consulting. The report features its subsidiary, MNP Ltd., which specializes in bankruptcy liquidation and has the largest number of branches among licensed bankruptcy trustees in Canada. This time, the court appointed it as the receiver of Cash Today, responsible for auditing accounts, recovering assets, and giving creditors an explanation. Where did the investors’ money go?

The investigation also focused on how investors’ money was used. Some debt agreements require that the raised funds be placed in a segregated bank account until they are used to purchase the loan portfolio. However, records provided by multiple investors show that the money was transferred into the account of an affiliated company. Cash Today told the receiver that the company had no bank accounts under its name, and bank records confirmed this. MNP said it cannot confirm whether investors’ money is being used as required by the agreement. The boss suddenly passed away, and no one took care of the company anymore

Cash Today was founded in 2005 and offers high-interest consumer loans in Edmonton and Red Deer. The company is controlled by companies associated with Grant Patterson and Cameron Schiffner, who also serve on the boards of several other lending companies. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The receiver learned from the company’s former lawyer that Patterson had died the week of September 21. Schiffner resigned from his board position on October 1. The receiver described the company’s operations as being ignored. The receiver also said the investigation was met with obstacles everywhere. The company’s management refused to meet or video conferences, only agreeing to a written response through the lawyer, who subsequently withdrew from the case.

On Wednesday, at a campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, U.S. President Trump stated that Canada “will eventually become the 51st state,” and once again expressed several longstanding dissatisfaction with Canada. Trump claimed that Canada was “very bad for us” and said, “Now things are completely different.” He accused Canada of “blackmailing” the U.S. through milk tariffs, mentioned automakers relocating factories to the U.S., and renamed Lake Ontario to “American Lake.” He also said that relations can only work if Canada becomes the 51st state, stating, “We don’t need them, but they need us.” Trump also questioned why the U.S. would lose billions of dollars “to support a country that doesn’t belong to us,” and said Canada “would be like Greenland,” making “our plate bigger and bigger.”

According to Richmond News on October 7, the BC Supreme Court may rule next week on a case involving a former ballet school art director accused of sexually assaulting a teenage student. Defendant David Chaplin Beales denies multiple charges between 2019 and 2022, including sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, and providing explicit material to minors. Among these, sexual interference refers to sexual contact with minors under 16 years old, while sexual exploitation refers to the defendant having sexual contact with 16- or 17-year-old youths based on trust or authoritative relationships such as teachers and students. After closing arguments last week, the court is expected to continue hearing next Wednesday. The details of the incident

At the time of the incident, Beales was serving as the artistic director of the Maple Leaf School of Russian Ballet in Vic West, and the case involved a 15-year-old female student at the time. Defence attorney Jordan Watt pointed out that when Beales had sex with the student, the other party was already 16 years old, the legal age of consent, and the two were no longer teacher-student or had a power relationship. The identity of the dancer involved is protected by a ban. She testified that in December 2019, she had her first sexual encounter with Beales at age 15, who was in her thirties at the time. She also stated that on the morning of December 19, 2019, she went to a dance studio to pick up items she had dropped, and Beales actively guided her hands to touch her erect genitals, which then led to oral sex. Beales denied having any sexual activity that morning. According to Watt, Beales testified that the dancer came to express his love for him that day; the two were just talking before the woman left for school. Watt emphasized that the two only developed a sexual relationship after the woman turned 16.

In his closing statement, Watt also noted that Beales’ recollections showed that before officially becoming a couple, they had romantic experiences such as going for drives at Beacon Hill Park and watching movies at Beales’ home, until they officially started dating in April 2020 and only had sex two months later. Watt stated that the court was indeed hearing a case involving a dance teacher and a student, but he believed the teacher-student relationship ended when the two began to develop an intimate relationship. Beales denied having sex with the student at the dance studio, stating that his mother was also living in the classroom during the incident. Watt also said that at the beginning of the incident, Beales, a father of three, had just separated from his wife, and the school had already been transferred to his parents. Beales had publicly dated another dancer

Shortly after their separation, Beales publicly dated another dancer, Clare Gillesse. Gillesse is currently the Artistic Director of the Maple Leaf School of Russian Ballet. Lawyer Watt hinted that after Beales started a new relationship with Gillesse, the dancer involved developed jealousy. During cross-examination, he told the woman: “You want Mr. Beales to end his relationship with Clare, you want to be a unique partner with Mr. Beales.” ” The woman denied it and asked, “Are you asking me, as a 15-year-old student, if I want to be alone with my teacher, Mr. Beales?” ” She also said she “doesn’t have any special feelings” about Beales’ relationship with Gillesse. The dancer said that when Gillesse taught at Maple Leaf in the evenings, he would come to Beales’ house to have sex with him. Watt believes that between December 2019 and February 2020, Beales was extremely weak due to lung disease and did not participate in dance school affairs, so it was impossible for him to have sex privately with students.

He also pointed out that the woman’s claim of oral sex on December 16, 2019, was “baseless,” only because Beales praised her for a recent performance and suddenly recalled the memory. Watt said, “She just suddenly appeared and then remembered giving him oral sex.” ” He added that the correspondence between Beales and the dancer matched Beales’s statement, indicating that the woman had feelings for him and proactively expressed a desire to have a heart-to-heart talk. The woman told the court that they had exclusive nicknames and had mentioned that she had even made a list of names for their future child. She said she was pregnant at age 16 but had a miscarriage. Watt emphasized that one should not conclude that Beales has always been in a position of power simply because she was her teacher. He stated that although dancers are attracted by Beales’s professionalism, Beales does not have the power to enforce obedience or enforce consequences.

Watt said Beales stopped teaching dancers after June 2019, while Beales continued dancing and teaching assistants at school until the school clos ed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their relationship ended in November 2020. Watt considers claims that the two still had sex after November 2020 “completely uncredible,” as Beales was away from Victoria most of the time at the time, and even when he occasionally returned to town, he lived with his mother and cared for their three children. However, the woman said that on weekends when Beales returned to Victoria, the two would have sex in her bedroom at home, usually before the children were dropped off. Watt said that by mid-2021, when they reconciled, the dancer was 17 years old, ready to drop out and leave Victoria to live independently and attend dance school. He believed that at this point, there was no longer any power relationship between the two. At the same time, their communications at this stage also showed they were in a long-distance relationship. Inspector: Beales’s testimony contradicts itself multiple times

Prosecutor Rebecca Watmough stated that Beales’s testimony contradicted itself multiple times during direct testimony and cross-examination, and the court should deny it. She pointed out that some of Beales’ responses were evasive, some of which were unreasonable, and clearly contradicted the Signal app chat records Beales himself admitted. In his closing argument, Watmough spent about half an hour listing the inconsistent testimonies Beales gave during cross-examinations. She also questioned Beales’ claim that the conversation with the dancers on December 16, 2019, lasted only 5 to 10 minutes, calling it “illogical.” Watmough pointed out that when Beales insisted they only had sex in his bedroom and living room, and when chat records mentioned “intimate acts in hidden locations,” Beales responded that all of this happened at home.

During cross-examination, Beales also admitted that he was unsure of the exact time he had sex with the dancer. Watmough stated that the court should focus on the conversation in March 2023 where the woman confronted Beales via the Signal app. The woman wrote: “You slept with me when I was 15!” ” “Actually, you had sex with me when I was 15. You made me fall in love with you when I was 14, and I was feeling down and on the verge of breaking down…… “You know, I didn’t want to recall our relationship before because I was ashamed of letting this happen. But now I am no longer ashamed. I was really angry, and that anger actually made me feel a huge sense of relief. ” Watmough believes that Beales’ response, “Sorry, I believe you say age doesn’t matter,” and “Sorry, I thought I was everything you wanted” should be considered guilty statements.

A case involving a former student at Cornell University in the United States, accused of being sexually assaulted by seven men at a fraternity party in 2024, has drawn widespread attention, prompting several Canadian survivors to come forward and share their personal experiences. One Canadian woman interviewed in Brantford, Ontario, shared her experience at Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia. Melissa Stark wrote on Instagram: “The latest news about the Cornell 7 case has resurfaced some unresolved anger inside me. While attending St. Mary’s University, I was sexually assaulted. She said the incident happened when she was a junior in college. The other person was someone she met through mutual friends, later became friends, and one day visited her off-campus apartment. “That’s where the story began.” Stark said it took her several weeks to muster the courage to report to the university’s sexual violence coordinator. Although she initially received a positive response, as the situation escalated, the school refused to expel her accusers.

She said, “I hope he is expelled, not just for myself, but also to protect other students.” The school said they could only provide tutoring, arrange for him to complete some online courses, and asked if I wanted a written apology, but I refused. ” Afterwards, the accused continued his studies and achieved excellent results, graduating with honour; Stark’s grades declined, and his mental health was seriously affected. He even considered dropping out and skipping some classes because his friend was in the same class. She said, “I remember at one moment I thought, I want to drop out.” ” Candice Shaw, Executive Director of the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada, stated that 11% of female university students and 4% of male university students have experienced sexual assault in higher education settings, and called on Canadian universities to ensure clear community support channels for survivors. Stark eventually graduated successfully and is now pursuing a master’s degree in criminology at another university in Ontario. She said, “I want them to know they are not alone; there is someone ready to listen and offer help.” St. Mary’s University has not responded to any related inquiries at this time.

The Italian luxury brand Armani is preparing to open an Armani/Caffè in Vancouver, and this store also has a special identity—the first Armani café in Canada. Armani is not just opening a café this time. Oakridge Park will also feature an independent Armani clothing store, meaning the brand will bring both fashion and dining to Vancouver. Currently, the official sources have not released many details, only that the café is in preparation and is expected to open this fall. Although when people mention Armani, their first thought is usually high-end fashion, this Italian brand has actually been in the restaurant business for quite some time. Currently, there are 26 Armani restaurants and cafes worldwide.

However, in North America, the numbers are still not large. Currently, there are only two: one in New York, the Armani restaurant; Another is in Costa Mesa, California, between Laguna Beach and Anaheim, in Armani/Caffè. Once the Vancouver branch opens, it will become the brand’s first restaurant in Canada. As for what the store will actually sell, there is currently no complete menu. Armani has also kept a low profile. A brand spokesperson told Vancouver Is Awesome that more information will only be announced when the opening is closer. So if you want to know “what this Vancouver family really looks like,” you’ll have to wait a bit longer.

If you want to get a preview of the Armani/Caffè route, you can check out Costa Mesa. The menu over there mainly features various coffees, but there are also other drinks. The food wasn’t particularly complicated, mainly desserts and pastries. Of course, it has not yet been confirmed whether the Vancouver store will ultimately adopt the same menu. But there’s one detail that’s already quite interesting. According to Vancouver’s business license, Oakridge offers alcoholic beverage services at Armani/Caffè. Currently, the job posting also lists the bartender position, which requires experience in making cocktails.

So in the future, this shop might not just be just drinking coffee during the day. As for whether it will become a drinking spot at night, we’ll have to wait until it opens. Recruitment has already begun, and it is expected to open this fall Armani/Caffè Vancouver has now begun recruiting staff. Online job postings show that the bar is looking for supervisors, service staff, and other positions, and is also hiring bartenders with cocktail-making experience. One of the job postings mentioned that the store is expected to open in autumn 2026. The exact date has not yet been announced. For Oakridge Park, this marks another addition of a new high-end brand. Besides Armani clothing stores, Vancouver locals can also sit here in the future to enjoy a cup of Armani coffee and some dessert. As for what the first Armani/Caffè brand in Canada will ultimately look like, the brand has not revealed much yet.

Vancouver investment and hospitality group Synvest Group of Companies announced it will acquire the family businesses behind Accent Inns and Hotel Zed, with the transaction expected to be completed by the end of November 2026. The acquisition amount has not been disclosed. The transaction covers five Accent Inns located at Richmond’s Vancouver International Airport, Burnaby, the City of Victoria, Kelowna, and Kamloops; Other options include Hotel Zed, located in Victoria, Kelowna, and Tofino, as well as the ROAR restaurant inside Hotel Zed. The eight hotel assets together have about 800 rooms, with the largest being Richmond’s Accent Inns, which has over 200 rooms.

Mandy Farmer, founding family member and CEO of the hotel, said when announcing the transaction, “Today is an exciting day for me personally and our team. I am incredibly proud of the company and corporate culture we have built together and finding a new owner who truly understands what makes the company unique is crucial to me.” Farmer stated that during the transaction, both parties shared common ideas on how to treat employees and care for guests, so they believed Synvest was suitable as the next owner. New owner: Retain the original team and customer service Synvest is an investment and hospitality company that currently operates about 12 hotels in Western Canada through its management company, Roadside Hospitality, and states that its investment strategy focuses on long-term holding and development of enterprises. Azim Virani, founder and principal of Synvest, stated that the hotel industry is ultimately a “business of people.” Over the years, Farmer and his family have built a unique corporate culture at Accent Inns and Hotel Zed, truly valuing employees and guests.

Virani stated that Synvest plans to collaborate with the existing management and staff to continue the Farmer family’s established hotel management model, rather than starting from scratch. Before and after the transaction is completed, the eight hotels and ROAR will continue to operate as usual, and all existing bookings will be acknowledged, so travellers will not need to rearrange their accommodation due to the change of ownership. For British Columbia’s hotel industry, this transaction is not just about eight hotel asset transfers, but also marks a turning point for local family-owned hotel brands to shift from founding families to professional investors; Whether the new owner can expand its asset base while maintaining the corporate culture these two brands have built over the years is worth watching.

According to the Financial Post, U.S. President Trump has instructed federal agencies to stop using Canadian goods in government procurement contracts and to carry out his previous threats. The US-Canada trade dispute escalated further. In a presidential memorandum, the White House criticized Canada’s implementation of the “Buy Canadian goods” policy, which poses obstacles to U.S. companies entering the Canadian government procurement market.

This is Trump’s latest escalation in the trade war between the two countries. On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada an “associate member” in a speech. Trump criticized the proposal as potentially “hostile,” threatening to impose more tariffs on European goods and even halt multiple trade deals with Europe. Earlier this month, Trump stated on social media that unless Canada resumes comprehensive, fair reciprocity for American farmers and businesses, Canadian goods will be excluded from government procurement. At the time, he stated that Canadian goods and services sold through the so-called “Multiple Award Schedule” were valued at over $50 billion annually. However, a senior government official later clarified that the White House calculated the total size of the U.S. government procurement market, and Canadian companies do not always hold the full share.