International Influence Archives

12Jun

Dirty money: it’s a Canadian thing

[Macleans - June 12, 2019] Canada’s housing markets are rife with shadowy buyers and greasy cash. B.C. was just the beginning. On paper, Peter Zhang and his wife, Judy Wang, were models for the type of newcomers Canada wanted to attract with its immigrant investor program. Before it was scrapped in 2014, the program’s aim was simple: lure the world’s wealthy to Canada’s shores with the promise of a passport. In return they would bring their business savvy, invest in the [...]

Canada, International Influence

13Mar

Canada’s Housing Market Is Breaking Some Alarming Records Right Now

[MSN - March 11, 2019] It's quiet out there. Maybe too quiet. Canada's residential real estate market has slowed considerably over the past year, a fact the industry chalks up to a tough new mortgage stress test and rising interest rates. This is having an impact on the broader economy. Canada's GDP growth slowed to a snail's pace of 0.4 per cent annualized in the fourth quarter of 2018, dragged down in part by falling residential investment, which has slid 7.5 per [...]

International Influence

13Mar

Who owns these multimillion-dollar properties in Vancouver? With this new registry, the public could soon find out

[Star Vancouver - March 10, 2019] VANCOUVER—Perched on the top of a glass tower in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour neighbourhood, the 6,459-square-foot condo is a glittering glass mansion in the sky, featuring two-storey-high windows with stunning views of the North Shore mountains, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a walk-in closet as big as some studio apartments. Penthouse 1, at the top of the Fairmont Pacific Rim on Cordova St., is worth $28-million, making it the third most expensive condo in Vancouver. Who [...]

International Influence

25Sep

Canadian borrowers will feel this week’s U.S. interest rate hike

[CBC News - September 24, 2018] The world's biggest central bank is expected to raise rates this week — and then keep raising them. With two eyes on the future, U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell is expected to raise interest rates this week — and then keep raising them to keep inflation under control. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters) Markets are so certain that U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell will raise rates this week that a failure to hike would likely have worse consequences for [...]

Canada, Economic Outlook, International Influence

01Sep

B.C. casinos claim revenue down because of new anti-money laundering rules

[Source: Vancouver Sun - August 30, 2018] B.C.’s new anti-money laundering rules have negatively affected revenues at the River Rock and Parq casinos. According to financial results released in August, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation saw a fall in B.C. revenues in the first six months of 2018 due in part to declines in money earned at gaming tables at the River Rock Casino in Richmond. The company said that was primarily attributable to a new requirement requiring casinos to complete disclosures [...]

British Columbia, International Influence

20Oct

B.C. the ‘bright light’ for Canada’s economy

[Source: Journal of Commerce, October 20, 2017] Economic indicators are looking good for British Columbia, Canada and the world. At a provincial level, the economy is in great shape, Central 1 deputy chief economist Bryan Yu said at the recent CanaData West conference in Vancouver. "British Columbia is doing phenomenal regarding the economy and the outlook going forward is positive," Yu said. The province's economy is showing strong job growth and consumer demand as well as positive indicators for wages, population and [...]

British Columbia, Canada, Economic Outlook, International Influence, Vancouver Real Estate

07Mar

Bank of Canada announces rate – March 1, 2017

[Source: Repmag.ca, March 1, 2017] OTTAWA - The Bank of Canada is holding its trend-setting interest rate at 0.5 per cent but it's keeping a watchful eye on "significant uncertainties'' that it warns could alter the economy's improving trajectory. The central bank's scheduled rate announcement Wednesday arrived as Canada tries to assess the direction of U.S. economic policy under President Donald Trump and the potential fallout from any changes he may bring. The bank has said some U.S. proposals, which include tax [...]

Bank of Canada announcements, Canada, Economic Outlook, International Influence

08Feb

Will Vancouver recover from ‘policy shock’?

[By: Chana Fay Charach, February 8, 2017] Vancouver is one of the most watched real estate markets in Canada and possibly internationally as well. Over the last couple of years, we have experienced extraordinarily heated conditions to say the least. Not only was there a rapid rise in values in many areas but also a significant number of sales. However, in the later part of 2016, things cooled off after numerous government policy changes were implemented. “From a real estate perspective, [...]

British Columbia, Canada, International Influence, Quarterly Economic Update, Vancouver Real Estate

08Feb

Foreign tax in B.C exempts foreigners with work permits

[Source: Hibusiness.ca, February 6, 2017] In an effort to cool down homes prices in Vancouver’s hot housing market, the British Columbia government implemented a 15% tax in August last year on foreign buyers. This tax had led numerous foreign buyers to move to other markets in search of affordable markets or markets that are not effected by the tax. However the British Columbia Premier Christy Clark is planning to make a few exceptions to the tax which includes freeing foreigners with [...]

British Columbia, International Influence, Vancouver Real Estate

18Jan

Bank of Canada announces rate- January 18, 2017

[Source: The Canadian Press, January 18, 2017] The Bank of Canada is holding its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 per cent and providing a deeper assessment of the risks associated with the big economic unknowns of a Trump presidency. The central bank is keeping its key interest rate in place with the Canadian economy showing signs of improvement but it also warns of the significant uncertainty tied to potential policy changes by the United States, its largest trading partner. This is the [...]

Bank of Canada announcements, Canada, Economic Outlook, International Influence