March Outlook on Business
The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association has just released their March survey. Each month they survey over 700 companies on business conditions. The results for the month of March? Canadian manufacturers are more optimistic about the coming quarter than they had been about the previous portion of this year. According to the CME group, exactly […]
Ontario Provincial 2009 Budget
The proposed 2009 Ontario provincial budget, released March 26th, 2009, puts forward new tax measures intended to build on the government’s “5 point” economic plan. Understandably there is much controversy about the spending plans, and many Ontarians are expressing concern over the Sales Tax Harmonization, and how it will affect the individual. On a positive […]
EI and Bankruptcy Filings Dramatically Increasing
The number of Canadians filing for bankruptcy and unemployment benefits rose significantly in January, according to new numbers released Tuesday by The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada. More than 117,000 Canadians filed for bankruptcy over the period of twelve months ending January 2009. This denotes an increase of 15.8 % from the previous […]
Chrysler Threatens Shutdown of Canadian Operations
Last week’s threat by Chrysler to close Canadian plants if it doesn’t win big concessions from the CAW is possibly one the most troubling announcements since the beginning of the auto industry meltdown. Tom LaSorda, Chrysler president, said the company needs to lower its labour costs by about 25%, reducing wages from the current estimated […]
SR&ED – Essential To Canadian Manufacturers
The current economic recession has proven to hit even harder than many economists anticipated. An estimated 129,000 Canadians lost their jobs in January alone, of which Statistics Canada reports that Ontario workers lost a staggering 71,000. Alberta, once a thriving, profitable province, is even feeling the blow, having recently announced another 15,000 jobs lost. Forecasters […]
Helping the Canadian Economy through Increased Literacy
A short while back, Heather Reisman (President and CEO of Indigo books) was interviewed on The Hour, and brought up a couple of points that piqued my interest. According to Reisman, 40% adult Canadians functionally illiterate That 40% of Canadian adults are the biggest drain on social services, hospitals, and are more likely to end […]
Free SR&ED Seminar – Friday, March 6, 2009
On Friday, March 6th 2009, Northbridge Consultants will be holding another free breakfast seminar, to provide a useful information sessoin on the SR&ED program. The seminar will be held at the Waterloo Inn Conference Hotel. Details can be found at https://www.northbridgeconsultants.com/sr&ed-news-events.php For more information, email info@northbridgeconsultants.com or call us at (519) 623-2486.
A Look at 2008 Holiday Season Sales
Stores opened even before the crack of dawn, but many Boxing Day shoppers were lining up as early as the night before, some admittedly even forsaking Christmas dinners to be first in line and take advantage of the savings. As the day wore on, the dangerously icy roads and miserable rain still didn’t stop shoppers […]
Economist Scales Back Dread Meter
Things may seem bleak at the present; however, the Canadian economy will eventually recover. Dungan and Steve Murphy at the Policy and Economic Analysis Program expect that the Canadian governnment will run deficits for a few years and they urge Ottawa not to repeat the mistake of raising employment insurance premiums before a recovery. Low prices for oil and […]
Inflation or Deflation- What Will be the Ultimate Outcome?
Economists really do not have a consensus as to what will happen in the next little while. At the moment, they cannot agree whether inflation or deflation is the bigger threat. Deflationists believe that the cooling economy will lead to decreased consumption. This, combined with lower gas prices, lower housing prices, and the plummeting stock […]