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lebiez piranaj

Canada must address growing income inequality: Broadbent Institute - 1 views

  • Canada is moving in the wrong direction and must address its extreme and growing income inequality, according to a new discussion paper from the Broadbent Institute
  • affordable housing, improvements to Employment Insurance, “fair” taxes and a national prescription drug program — is needed to address the problem.
  • “It’s not as if we don’t have the wealth, but it’s the distribution of the wealth that really matters.”
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  • between the mid-1990s and the late 2000s, Canada had the fourth-largest increase in income inequality out of 17 peer countries. Canada was ranked 12th out of those countries, a slip to “below the average.”
  • a commitment to equality must come from all levels of government, leadership must come from the feds,
  • There is no “single magic bullet,” to achieve greater equality
  • Most Canadians grew up with the expectations that their son or daughter could be whatever they want to be, whether it’s a hockey player or a brain surgeon … now the reality is, if you want to live the ‘American dream’, you should move to Sweden
  • The federal government has many of the key levers — especially income security programs, a progressive tax system, and transfers to the province — needed to combat inequality,
lebiez piranaj

What are some good reasons to borrow money? - The Globe and Mail - 1 views

  • 2. Buy a car
  • Some people pay cash for a car, but most of us borrow or lease. Always weigh the cost of borrowing against using your own savings.
  • 3. Save for education
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  • Student loans are one of the cheapest forms of debt. They are also a good investment
  • Another way to finance part of your child's education is through a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
  • 7. Pay off debt at a lower interest rate
  • A consolidation loan is a loan at a low rate, which you use to pay off several older loans that have higher interest rates
  • Others pay off their loans and credit cards by increasing their mortgage, which may have a low interest rate.
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    The article talks about strategies on how to save for things like education, on saving for a car, how to pay off your debt at lower rates as well. 
faseehthemoonman

High unemployment to persist in Canada: analysts | CTV News - 1 views

  • unemployment rate bobbing within a narrow band 0.1 percentage points above or below eight per cent.
  • unemployment rate will average 7.7 per cent next year and will still be above seven per cent in 2013, long after the economy has returned to normal.
  • rate of joblessness approaches 17 per cent
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  • Although Canada has recouped the more than 400,000 jobs that vanished during the downturn, there are still more than 300,000 officially
  • He notes that the biggest hit on jobs since the 2008 crisis has been to manufacturing, warehousing and transportation -- three related industries
  • The new full employment level is likely a rate of about seven per cent, agrees Douglas Porter of BMO Capital Markets, as opposed to six to 6.5 per cent before the recession.
  • According to his forecast, Canada's unemployment rate will reach that level by the end of 2012, when the Bank of Canada estimates the economy will be back at full capacity.
Cristina Raileanu

Bank of Canada's Tiff Macklem warns on soft economic momentum | Economy | News | Financ... - 0 views

  • “The strength and durability of the pick-up in growth through 2013 and beyond will depend critically on how successful we are in regearing our growth to exports, investment and innovation.”
  • Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Tiff Macklem said Thursday the economy is expected to pick up this year, but sounded a note of caution amid a soft housing market and weak export demand.
Cristina Raileanu

Raising Interest Rates? Canada's Impending Household Debt Crisis | Global Research - 0 views

  • If the bank feels you can pay $2,000 a month on a mortgage, then you generally qualify for the loan, if you have the right credit record and collateral.
  • It is worth noting here that the money your bank loans for a mortgage is created out of thin air at the push of a button. They do not lend the money of their depositors for this.
  • interest charges are built into just about every product and service available. Higher interest rates means businesses would have to charge more to recover their loan costs.
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  • For an extreme example of what can happen one only has to turn back the clock to the 1980s, when 20% interest rates destroyed many businesses and individual lives;
  • it is the average consumer that is blamed for the problems created by the so-called experts.
  • one could take each aforementioned quote by the experts, reword it to mean the exact opposite, and thereby have a better understanding of the situation.
Brijesh Patel

40000 jobs added in december yet umemployment rate falls - 1 views

  • unemployment rate to its lowest in four years,
  • Statistics Canada reported last month that the economy grew just 0.1 per cent in October after a flat reading in September and a 0.1 per cent contraction in August.
  • December saw 41,200 new full-time jobs added, while the number of part-time positions fell by 1,400.
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  • Compared with a year earlier, Statistics Canada said there were 312,000 more jobs, all in full-time work.
  • The gains were made in the transportation and warehousing segment which added 22,000 jobs, while the construction industry gained 18,000 jobs.Professional, scientific and technical services lost 42,000, while public administration dropped 13,000.
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    Capital Economics, which has one of the most bearish outlooks on the Canadian economy, noted the strong jobs growth was in stark contrast to the other recent economy data. The federal agency said the national unemployment rate slipped by one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.1 per cent, its lowest level since December 2008 The recent strength of employment growth will probably convince the Bank of Canada to stick with its existing position that interest rates will eventually need to rise at this month's policy meeting
ShiyuandCristina SC

Rich-poor gap could spark financial crisis in Canada: Report | Money | Toronto Sun - 1 views

  • The gap between the rich and the poor in Canada is getting wider and could eventually lead to an economic collapse, according to a new report by a left-wing think-tank.
  • Income for middle-class Canadians has remained stagnate since the 1980s, while the income of the richest 1% has increased dramatically
  • When the rising savings of the rich are parked in the financial markets, but everyone else falls deeper into debt, a house of cards is created, producing the kind of economic instability that led to the 1929 financial sector crash and the market meltdown of 2008."
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  • As a result, Canada's income inequality has reached a level not seen since the 1920s, says Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
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    The problems created by income inequality in Canada could possibly lead to a financial crisis. 
Brijesh Patel

Watch Your Debt Level - 0 views

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    For every dollar of after-tax income Canadians bring home, they're borrowing more than $1.64. Statistics Canada said that between July and September of this year, households borrowed $27.3 billion Consumer credit levels increased by $7 billion to $474 billion.
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    For every dollar of after-tax income Canadians bring home, they're borrowing more than $1.64. Statistics Canada said that between July and September of this year, households borrowed $27.3 billion Consumer credit levels increased by $7 billion to $474 billion.
Brijesh Patel

Well Educated canadians have no future - 0 views

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    Some 6.4 per cent of Canada's total workforce-1.2 million people-now consists of part-time workers under 30 who wish they could work full time. university-educated Canadians experienced a relative increase in unemployment between 1997 and 2005 and a corresponding dip in relative wages, according to a federal government study. By contrast, those with a college, or even a high school education, managed to improve (or at least maintain) their outlook, relative to other workers. In fact, the only group that experienced a similar relative increase in unemployment during the period were those Canadians without even a high school diploma. Employers increasingly expect workers to pay for their own retirements. That's not easy when you don't have money. A survey by the Bank of Montreal found that only about 10 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 had given any thought to retirement planning. Job security is also increasingly scarce. Stung by the 2009 recession, employers in industries ranging from retail sales to information technology are preoccupied with building a flexible workforce In an effort to close the gap, the federal government is planning to bring in as many as 3,000 foreign skilled workers this year by De-emphasizing the university-educated and focusing instead on welders and electricians. Economists say the market will eventually sort itself out. Wages and benefits in the trades should become more attractive as desperate employers try to woo new workers.
Nikita Klyuev

David Rosenberg's 5 reasons Canada's household debt panic is overblown - 0 views

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    Canadian debt/income ratio isn't as bad as it looks. Because Canadians pay for their health care through their taxes, their disposable income is distorted relative to the U.S. In terms of personal income, the ratio is actually closer to 118%, rather the scary 165%. Canadian household debt relative to assets (19%) and net worth (24%) is below prior peaks of 20% and 25%, respectively. Rosenberg estimates Canada would need to see a 20% drop in the housing market to get net worth/income ratio down to the U.S. level. Canadians have more equity in their homes - 69% of the value compared with 43% in the U.S. "This equity gap is a prime reason why Canadian household net worth/income ratio (at over 500%) is some 35 percentage points above U.S. levels," Rosenberg writes. Canadians are better able to service their debts. Canadian wage growth at 4% a year is about double what it is in the U.S. - a rise that pretty much matches the average interest rate they are paying. The debt-servicing ratio in Canadian households is now just over 7% - a level it has only been below in the past 15% of the time. So even though Canadian interest rates are 75 basis points higher than in U.S, it is not hampering our ability to handle debt.
Nikita Klyuev

Calculating the optimal debt load - 0 views

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    From 84% in 1990 to 164.6% today - it's an alarming leap, a dramatic number that may actually have scared some of us into doing something about our debt load. Someone with a $300,000 mortgage and after-tax household income of $100,000, for example, really shouldn't be in a full-fledged panic because they have a debt-to-income ratio of 300%. That's a normal scenario in today's market and not cause for alarm by itself. Still more relevant to consider might be your debt servicing costs and then what they would be if interest rates went up two percentage points. On average, Canadian households pay about 7.6% of their after-tax income on interest payments. That number was 8.8% in 2000 and consumers were able to handle the load, says Mr. Tal
lebiez piranaj

Ontario Income Inequality: Canada's Largest Province Facing Growing Poverty, Cuts To So... - 4 views

  • "Ontario's budgets for the last 15 years have repeatedly prioritized tax cuts while casting concomitant cuts to social programs as necessities rather than choices,"
  • there is a growing income gap among Ontarians
  • between 1981 and 2009, Ontario had the country's second highest increase in the poverty rate
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  • the percentage of Ontarians living below the low income measure rising from 9.4 per cent in 1981
  • It blames tax cuts coupled with reductions in social programs for many of the problems it outlines."Ontario's budgets for the last 15 years have repeatedly prioritized tax cuts while casting concomitant cuts to social programs as necessities rather than choices," the report states.
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    There is a widening gap in terms of inequality in Canada and it goes on to say that its being blamed on tax cuts for such inequalities, the article goes on to state that the inequality may be the reason for the province to be facing this growing poverty. 
faseehthemoonman

Economy improving short-term, but future not so bright for Canada: Carney - thestar.com - 1 views

  • second worst export performance in the G20 group of nations
  • country’s exports of manufactured goods has been cut in half, he said, a large reason why employment in the factory sector has fallen nearly 500,000 jobs.
  • He notes that since the recession, emerging markets have accounting for two-thirds of global growth and one-half of import growth, a trend expected to continue for decades.
faseehthemoonman

Employment Growth - 1 views

  • By 2050, an estimated one-quarter of the population in industrialized countries will be over the age of 65.
  • significant pressure on its labour market
  • Most of Ireland’s employment gains then were a direct result of foreign direct investment (FDI). Ireland lowered corporate tax rates and integrated into European markets, thus becoming a choice destination for FDI.
Ms Cuttle

Are Canada's financial institutions in perfect shape? Don't bank on it - Business - Mac... - 1 views

  • Less than 24 hours after Lagarde put down her dessert fork, debt rating agency Moody’s put six of Canada’s biggest banks under review for a possible ratings downgrade, citing high consumer debt levels and a frothy housing market.
  • Household debt-to-income ratios now stand at 163 per cent, higher than in the United States before its housing crash and up from 147 per cent two years ago.
  • RBC last week revealed plans to spend $1.4 billion to buy auto lender Ally Financial while TD said it was buying retailer Target’s credit card business. The Bank of Nova Scotia also recently purchased the online bank ING Direct for $3.1 billion.
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    Should Canadians be worried about the financial stability of our banks?
Brijesh Patel

Drowning In Debt? - 2 views

  • Some basic tips: “Don’t add any more to your debt,” Mr. Schwartz said, “Put your credit cards away. Stop using your line of credit. Live on cash or debit.”
  • Canadian borrowing levels have hit record levels, with household debt-to-income ratio recently reaching a high of 164.6 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
  • But consulting a trustee, which comes with no charge, doesn’t always mean filing for bankruptcy, he explained. Trustees can help set budgets, steer consumers toward consolidation loans, mortgage refinancing or consumer proposals as a way to climb out of debt, he said.
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  • Pay down the debt with the biggest interest rate first, or select a small debt, and pay it off.
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    Pay down the debt with the biggest interest rate first
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    In 2011, 77,993 consumers filed for bankruptcy
lebiez piranaj

Canada Household Debt Much Higher Than Previously Thought; Housing Bubble Bust-Out Now ... - 2 views

  • Canadians, you’re more indebted than you think.
  • StatsCan now says household debt amounted to 163.4 per cent of household income in the second quarter, up from 161.8 per cent in the first
  • Canadians are now carrying more debt than Americans and Brits were at the peak of their housing bubble half a decade ago
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  • A recent Capital Economics report estimated a construction slowdown would cost 115,000 jobs across Canada
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    Canadians are more than ever drown in debt. When it comes to comparing with the neighbor (US) we are carrying more debt than them. Market observers argued that Canadian consumers will no longer be able to hold up rising household debt.
Brijesh Patel

Federal Buget worsens inequality / High unemployment future - 0 views

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    Since the recession began in October 2008, only 179,000 jobs have been created. (In recent months 37,000 jobs have actually disappeared) 541,000 workers who have exited Canada's work force since the recession began. Roughly 700,000 seniors would suffer reduced incomes. The number of seniors below the poverty line would increase from 50,000 to 220,000- representing a more than doubling of Canada's poverty rate. Thirdly, past cuts to Canada's Employment Insurance (EI) program mean that only 39% of the officially unemployed are eligible to receive benefits. Another 860,140 unemployed people are barred from EI benefits and have to rely on provincial welfare or their families.
Erica Yeo

Canadian Consumer Debt Poses Recession Risk, Moody's Analytics Report Says - 0 views

  • With Canadians so deep in debt, it would be extremely difficult for domestic spending to pick up slack in the economy if things started to go downhill. That could result in a serious downward spiral in employment levels, household spending and the quantity and quality of credit outstanding, the report says.
  • "Households are spending money they assumed would be coming, then they realize they've run over the cliff because income from exports from these trading partners is not materializing and that's translating to weaker jobs.
  • domestic consumption is usually the more steady contributor to economic growth compared to exports and investment. But this time, household debt is out of control.
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  • Slowing income growth, coupled with a coming rise in interest rates
  • debt service costs will start to eat up a bigger portion of their take home pay, the report says.
S C

10 Things You Need To Do While You're Unemployed - Forbes - 0 views

  • Start your own business.
  • If you have the means to do it, it’s a great résumé booster and a wonderful marketing tool.
  • you can
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  • work part-time or full-time depending on whether or not you are able to land a job working for someone else
  • You are also going to learn skills that are transferrable if you do end up working for someone else again.”
  • information technology, engineering, health care, sales, and customer service are among the top areas for hiring nationwide
  • include specific words from the job posting
  • candidates who show up at an interview with ideas demonstrate that they are passionate, knowledgeable, and excited about the opportunity.
  • t’s important to take that extra step to let the employer know you’re interested, and make sure you always send a thank you after an interview
  • set you apart from the pool of candidates
  • most employers use electronic scanning devices to screen and rank candidates
  • A résumé handed to the hiring manager directly from someone within the company is more likely to get noticed
  • tailor your résumé for each position you apply for
  • These types of activities tell the employer that the job seeker is serious about their career development and made the most of their time off
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    The key to getting hired is to make sure employers know you've been using your time and that you're serious about getting the job. It's also important to know how employers hire and build more connections to increase your chances.
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