When the Bank of Canada issued its decision this week to stand pat on interest rates, it was largely what everyone expected. The Canadian economy is having a poor first half, but no need to lower rates as they feel things will improve in the second …
Paul Martin Saskatchewan
Read beyond the headline
The headline on the story suggests farm incomes fell by 45 per cent in 2018. Technically, that’s correct if you look at what accountants call total net income. It’s the type of characterization only an accountant and tax department official can …
Housing market improving
Declaring the bottom of the housing market in Canada has been passed, the economics unit at RBC Royal Bank says we are on the road to recovery. That bit of good news is contained in the bank’s most recent review of the residential real estate …
Decentralizing Canada
One of the largely unspoken tensions that has gripped this country since the 1960s has been decentralization. That is the gradual shift of economic and ultimately political influence from the centre of the country to the regions. And while that …
Sask’s underlying strength
While most of the economic headlines in Saskatchewan tend to focus on commodity prices or the state of the housing market – two areas that have been struggling - one part of the market that quietly offers significant support to the community is the …
Consumer spending rising
Consumers in Saskatchewan opened their wallets in March and spent more than $1.6 billion that month. That was up more than two per cent, one of the better showings in the country, which also turned in a strong performance. Retail spending was up …
Movement in housing market
The topic of residential construction has been garnering more than its share of headlines in this province for months as builders fight to find new business in a sea of inventory. The Home Builders associations have been especially vocal on this …
Saskatoon land proving popular
It’s the old buy low, sell high theory in practice. A new report on the state of the industrial land sector in Saskatoon from Colliers International shows buyers are returning to the market, believing the declines are behind us. The report for …
Consumers hit hard in wallet
When Justin Trudeau came to power he made a lot of noise about looking after the middle class, particularly their financial or commercial interests. But in the years since he glibly trotted out those lines, his policies have done nothing but smack …
Sask specializes in trade
With a small population base that is extremely productive, Saskatchewan has become an extremely effective trader. After all, with our output and such a small domestic market we really have no choice but to find a home outside the province for our …
