Invest in Canada

Five signs a housing recovery is on the way

Larry MacDougal

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1) Housing starts are expected to rise
While the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts decreased to 132,000 units in July from 137,000 units in June, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says starts statistics – which mark the actual, shovel-in-the-ground beginning of construction – are expected to improve throughout 2009.
The reason?
“Over [...]

Canada has the best competitive advantage for Investment

When a country has as much to offer as Canada , it’s impossible to pinpoint a single reason to invest in one of the most dynamic economies in the world. Canada boasts multiple advantages and unparalleled potential — a place where businesses can achieve excellence on a global scale.

People Advantage: Canada is a nation of intelligent, [...]

Consumer prices decline 0.3% in June

Canada’s inflation rate for June was negative 0.3%, marking the first time since November 1994 overall prices have declined on a 12-month basis.
Statistics Canada said the decline in prices was primarily due to a 19% drop in energy prices, particularly gasoline. Excluding energy, prices were up 2.1% from a year earlier.
It marked the biggest drop [...]

Downturn in oil price has its blessings

While the oil sands business remains challenging because of low oil prices, business conditions are improving thanks to lower costs, more productive labour and hungrier service providers, developers said at an investment conference Wednesday.
“The big change we have seen as an operator is that (staff) turnover is way down,” said Christopher Slubicki, CEO of OPTI [...]

Alberta aims to revive natural gas industry

The government of Alberta, sideswiped by the recession and depressed natural gas prices, is stepping up its efforts to resuscitate drilling and compete against massive supplies of shale gas from British Columbia and the United States.
Premier Ed Stelmach’s government is expected on Thursday to extend royalty breaks on natural gas production. Observers also believe the [...]

Alberta’s oil sands show signs of life

Unlimited overtime pay was just one of the many perks John Halbauer enjoyed as a welder during Alberta’s super-sized energy boom.
That’s disappeared, along with 11 of the 25-year-old’s 13 co-workers who got laid-off in January. “I was worried. I didn’t know if I was going to have to move back home or what,” the Kimberley, [...]

Falling oil prices are hurting the major oil producers

After throwing a wrench into Canada’s oil sands growth and messing up Alberta’s budget surplus, slumping oil prices are beginning to bite into the government budgets of many OPEC members, Tristone Capital Inc. said in a report.
The Calgary-based energy investment dealer said Tuesday cartel outliers Iran and Venezuela are in the toughest spot, requiring oil [...]