• Canada hot job offers in 2023

    Are you looking for a job work in Canada? Here are the latest or new offers before the end of 2023…

     

    For people who enjoy writing, freelancing allows them to work on a variety of projects, offering their job or services on a project basis.

    Freelance writing, from blog posts to content production, allows you to demonstrate your skills while earning money and it even gives you a shot at becoming famous.

    Waitstaff/Servers

    Part-time work as a server or waitstaff in restaurants, cafes, and bars is available in Canada’s flourishing hospitality industry.

    See the full list of jobs you can do in Canada here

  • Retro: TransUnion Canada Revises 2020 Credit Forecast

    TransUnion Canada updated

    As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to bring unprecedented pressures on consumers’ ability to repay their debt obligations, TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) today released a new multi-scenario credit forecast.

    TransUnion’s current scenario projects that overall non-mortgage delinquency in Canada will peak at 6.9% at the end of Q3 2020 before gradually dropping back down to 6% at the end of Q1 2021. For context, the non-mortgage delinquency rate in Q1, which straddled pre- and post-COVID worlds, was 5.75%, and concluded Q4 2019 at 5.61%.

    “As unemployment reaches levels not seen in several years, it’s important to take a step back and reassess how COVID-19 will impact the consumer credit market in the coming quarters,” said Matt Fabian, director of financial services research and consulting at TransUnion. “Elevated unemployment and its effect on consumers’ income and ability to pay debt obligations is a primary driver of increased delinquency. The various government relief benefits, combined with deferral programs provided by lenders, can act to offset some of the COVID-related delinquency. However, each of these measures may contribute to long-term risk at a future time, as consumers will generally still be responsible for paying these deferred obligations at some point in the future.”

    The updated forecast indicates that the economic effects will likely not be evenly distributed by region. Certain provinces, such as those more dependent on industries heavily impacted by the lockdown, like tourism and travel, are likely to be more adversely affected. Additionally, the energy provinces including Alberta and Newfoundland could potentially be even harder hit with the combination of COVID restrictions and the economic impact of plummeting oil prices.

    The revised forecast, for example, estimates the non-mortgage serious delinquency rate in Alberta to reach 8.3% at the end of Q3 2020. Lenders are already preparing for these and other scenarios, building and executing against their downturn crisis playbooks with a goal of mitigating risk while still supporting consumers who may be suffering through the crisis – especially those that are only struggling due to the crisis and would otherwise be reliable customers.

    Serious Delinquency Rates Expected to Rise for All Major Credit Products

    Serious delinquency measured as 90 or more days past due

    ProductForecast serious delinquency rate at end of 2020Q1 2020* serious delinquency rateQ4 2019 serious delinquency rate
    Overall non-mortgage6.3%5.8%5.6%
    Credit Card3.8%2.9%2.8%
    Auto finance2.8%1.6%1.5%
    Personal loan5.1%4.3%4.1%
    Mortgage0.9%0.3%0.3%
     *assumes second half likely impacted by COVID-19

    The lockdown has caused businesses of all sizes to shut down, causing massive spikes in unemployment. TransUnion estimates that approximately 8% of Canadian credit-active consumers (3% of the total population) impacted by COVID-19 are vulnerable to credit shocks. This segment of consumers already has a history of missed payments and generally can only make the minimum payment due on revolving products like lines of credit and credit cards.

    “The average consumer delinquency rate for this group is approximately 17% – almost three times the overall market rate. This group will be most exposed to the economic impacts of social distancing and other economic stresses like low oil prices. The breadth and scope of impact to this group will be largely determined by the duration of the crisis and when consumers are able to safely resume their previous activities,” added Fabian.

    Canadian consumers felt the pressure of debt coming into this crisis

    Canadian credit-active consumers were already feeling the pressure of debt coming into the COVID-19 crisis. Overall non-mortgage delinquency rates in Q1 2020 were up 39 bps from the previous quarter to 5.75%, marking the highest observed since 2015. This increase was likely fueled by the impact of a higher cost of debt combined with plummeting oil prices and a cooling economy.

    While we observed a decline in 2018 and the first-half of 2019 of 20 bps per quarter, the latter half of 2019 saw an increase in delinquencies. Since Q2 2019, the rate of increase in delinquencies had been accelerating leading into the first quarter of 2020 with an average increase of 2.4%.

    Average overall consumer non-mortgage debt balances remained relatively stable in Q1 2020, dropping 1.3% YoY to $29.6K and nearing a two-year low, as consumers may have been trying to deleverage in the face of higher interest rates on their credit balances.

    “Consumers may have been feeling the pressure of higher credit balances and increased interest rates and so were beginning to deleverage and pay down debts. However, some were unable to do this, which can explain in part the higher delinquency rates we saw for Q1. We do not anticipate non-mortgage balances remaining stable in the coming months due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Fabian.

    Canadian consumers have historically shown resilience and responsibility when it comes to managing credit debt. But the impact of a slowing economy and oil price slump has affected some consumers, and the massive impact of COVID-19 lockdowns will put even more pressure on consumers as it relates to the ability to pay down debt.

    The resiliency of Canadian consumers remains to be seen, as current circumstances make drawing historical parallels challenging. This is further highlighted in a recent financial hardship survey conducted by TransUnion, in which 60% of Canadians indicated their incomes had been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 67% of those impacted showing concerns about their ability to pay bills and loans.

    Younger credit consumers are feeling more of the impact

    The younger cohorts seem to be struggling the most. Compared to the previous quarter, serious delinquency rates (90+ days past due) for Millennials increased 52 bps to 7.9% in Q1 2020, and Gen Z consumers increased 130 bps to 7.5%. Millennials and Gen Z have seen their overall total debt grow to $595 B – a growth rate of just over 28% over the past two years.

    Generally, younger consumers have fewer relief outlets during economic downturns, and with fewer options there tends to be higher delinquency levels. As these cohorts are already at a stress point, the effects of COVID-19 and accompanying lockdowns are likely to increase the financial shock on younger generations. This is consistent with recent survey findings that showed both Millennial and Gen Z cohorts indicated that they are even more likely to be impacted by COVID-19, at 71% and 73% respectively.

    While the Q1 scenario heading into the COVID crisis was already challenging, Fabian said that he expects a drastic change over the next quarter. “It’s important to note that the constant change, and unprecedented scope and scale of this crisis can still unfold into many scenarios. Possibilities to consider include how the various relief programs will support consumers and small business, how resilient consumers will be, and how lenders will manage through the worst of this situation.”

    For more information about the updated TransUnion consumer credit forecast, please visit https://www.transunion.ca/lp/IIR.

    About the TransUnion Canada Industry Insights Report
    TransUnion’s Canada Industry Insights Report is an in-depth, credit-active population-based solution that provides statistical information every quarter from TransUnion’s national consumer credit database, aggregated across active credit files on TransUnion record. These files contain hundreds of credit variables that illustrate consumer credit usage and performance. By leveraging the Industry Insights Report, institutions across a variety of industries can analyze market dynamics over an entire business cycle, helping to understand consumer behavior over time and across different geographic locations throughout Canada. Businesses can access more details about and subscribe to the Industry Insights Report.

    About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
    TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.® TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people in more than 30 countries. Our customers in Canada comprise some of the nation’s largest banks and card issuers, and TransUnion is a major credit reporting, fraud, and analytics solutions provider across the finance, retail, telecommunications, utilities, government and insurance sectors.

  • Canada expels Indian dip. in tit for tat

    Canada expelled an Indian diplomat today, saying New Delhi may be responsible for the assassination of a Sikh leader in western Canada last June.

    This was announced by the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    “The allegations that a representative of a foreign government may have been involved in the murder of a Canadian citizen here in Canada, on Canadian soil, are not only worrying, but completely unacceptable,” said Mélanie Joly. “Therefore, today we expelled a senior Indian diplomat from Canada,” he added. Relations between the two countries have become tense in recent months following the assassination of the Sikh leader and the ensuing protests in Canada.

    Ottawa, in particular, recently suspended negotiations on a free trade agreement with India. New Delhi, for its part, accuses the Canadian government of turning a blind eye to the activities of radical Sikh nationalists who advocate the creation of an independent Sikh state in northern India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his “deep concern over the continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada” during his meeting with Justin Trudeau at the latest G20 meeting in India early of September.

    Canada is the country with the largest number of Sikhs outside of their home state of Punjab in India.
    India’s reaction was immediate and a few hours later announced that it had ordered a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country. New Delhi’s decision reflects “growing concern over the interference of Canadian diplomats in internal affairs and their involvement in anti-India activities,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

  • Is living in Canada hard? Learn how to live life

    The person who gives the following suggestions has been in Canada for quite a while. It appears he came in to the country in 1974. He said he think he’s the right person to tell the possible reasons why you might be feeling it’s hard to live in Canada and he gives some solutions.

    Coming to the “hard to stay here part”, below ones can be possible reasons

    • If you arrived as an immigrant you will be little hesitant, or have some sort of insecurity like “what to say and what not to say” or “how to behave”. You might be taking a hit because of that.
    • Don’t have people to talk to or don’t have anyone helping in getting adapted.
    • Missing your loved ones a lot.
    • The food! Yeah, food also can make you homesick.
    • Finally, in the west, people are not so social but in India, the place where I come from, even if you are introvert others around will not leave you alone in most cases. So you always have someone around to hang out. That’s a big change.

    But what can you do about it?

    • Try friendship with like-minded people and go explore places.
    • Keep yourself occupied. For example, cooking helps (Before having any friends I used to cook a lot and cooking actually helped me with depression ROFL).
    • What’s the objective of coming here? Studying? Maybe put heart and soul into that.
    • Try to join social groups but don’t change yourself by acquiring habits in order to just fit in.

    If you don’t have an objective, no purpose, not able to make friends then you should move to some other place (still inside Canada) where you feel like you belong. That takes only a little effort.

    Whatever it is, he says — “You are not in Canada to survive, you are here to live life!”

  • Why Trudeau’s self-serving prorogation of Parliament should be Canada’s last

    Stormy days ahead for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?
    THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

    Jonathan Malloy, Carleton University

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to shut down Parliament was a controversial one, since it shuttered committee inquiries into the WE Charity affair that have already embarrassed the government.

    The contentious move, which schedules the return of Parliament on Sept. 23 with a speech from the throne, will inevitably lead to calls to establish rules for prorogation. But a better question is why Canadian legislatures need prorogation at all.

    Prorogation is a longstanding feature of Canadian parliamentary government. Often called a “reset” or “reboot” of Parliament, it shuts down all parliamentary business. Bills that aren’t passed die (though they can be resumed). Committee activities collapse.

    Parliament then resumes, presumably refreshed from its hibernation. A new speech from the throne is delivered, laying out the government’s agenda, and everything starts anew.

    Most Canadian federal and provincial governments prorogue at least once between elections. Trudeau was exceptional in not proroguing at all in his first term from 2015-19.

    This time around, the prime minister has given a plausible explanation why he now wants a reset. He said that “the throne speech we delivered eight months ago made no mention of COVID-19.… We need to reset the approach of this government for a recovery to build back better.”

    Justin Trudeau seen on a screen in a meeting room
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears as a witness via videoconference during a House of Commons finance committee on July 30, 2020.
    HE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

    But there is another reason governments turn to prorogation: to escape sticky situations. And indeed, Trudeau’s prorogation shuts down the parliamentary committee inquiries into the WE affair that have ruined his summer.

    A cover up?

    The opposition Conservatives have been quick to call this a “cover up.” But the Conservatives cannot be too loud here. The most famous prorogation in Canadian history was in 2008 by their former leader Stephen Harper.

    In that minority government situation, the three opposition parties publicly agreed to defeat Harper in an upcoming vote of non-confidence. But Harper went to the governor general of the day, Michaëlle Jean, and requested a prorogation. Jean granted it, and Harper escaped destruction. A year later Harper again asked for prorogation, shutting down a committee inquiry on Afghan detainees.

    Large crowd of people marching down a street carrying signs that say, 'Yes Democracy'
    Protesters demonstrate against Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament, in Toronto on Jan. 23, 2010.
    THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

    But using prorogation to escape inconveniences is not just a Conservative thing. In 2003, Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien suddenly prorogued Parliament as his government sank deep into the sponsorship scandal.

    A self-serving move

    Prorogation is also manipulated in Canada as a pre-election tactic. Provincial governments have prorogued the legislature shortly before an election. They then return with a throne speech that serves as the election platform, as happened in Ontario in 2018.

    Compared to the above cases, Trudeau’s move is not particularly egregious. But we should not leave him off the hook. This is clearly a self-serving move, by someone whose 2015 platform pledged to not “use prorogation to avoid difficult political circumstances.” And it reminds us that prorogation is a tool regularly abused by Canadian governments.

    The 2008 showdown led to much discussion about prorogation and proposals for reform, such as requiring a majority of MPs to give consent for prorogation. But nothing took hold.

    A better question is whether we need prorogation in Canada at all. Other similar parliaments do not. New Zealand hasn’t bothered with prorogation since 1991. Australia has seen it once since 1977, in 2016 as a pre-election move, to much kerfuffle.




    Read more:
    The UK Supreme Court ruling on suspending parliament is a warning for Australian politicians


    In the United Kingdom, prorogation is typically an annual and predictable event. Last September, the British Supreme Court blocked a request by Boris Johnson for a sudden prorogation amid the Brexit mess, ruling it “unlawful.” But while outrageous by British norms, Johnson’s plan was not unfamiliar in Canada.

    Furthermore, prorogation in Canada exclusively serves government interests. In contrast, as political scientist Paul Thomas has pointed out, in Britain prorogation works for the opposition too, allowing it to bargain with the government to save legislation. British prorogations are also short — an average of eight days. In Canada they typically last a month or more, leaving Parliament frozen.

    In need of a reset

    So does Canada need prorogation at all? There is no compelling reason why Parliament needs a full “reset.”

    Even when it’s not abused, prorogation wreaks havoc with bills and committee inquiries. And its rampant self-serving use puts governors general in an awkward position, drawing them into the political rescue of governments with requests that they cannot constitutionally refuse without an even greater blowup.

    The new speech from the throne does help consolidate and drive the government’s agenda. But other options are available, such as the annual prime minister’s statement in New Zealand.

    Most of all, unlike a wonky computer, the reboot often makes things worse, because the prorogation itself may be controversial.

    Like the blowup of 2008, Trudeau’s controversial use of prorogation will again focus attention on how to regulate this familiar feature of Canadian legislative business. But an easier solution might be to discontinue its use entirely.The Conversation

    Jonathan Malloy, Professor of Political Science, Carleton University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

  • Global Warming: Canada’s last intact ice shelf collapses

    Canada’s 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf on the northwestern edge of Ellesmere Island had been the country’s last intact ice shelf until the end of July when ice analyst Adrienne White of the Canadian Ice Service noticed that satellite photos showed that about 43 per cent of it had broken off.

    Canada, Canada ice shelf collapses, global warming ,hot summer, Milne Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, Russian Arctic,northern Greenland, latest news on global warming

    Temperatures from May to early August in the region have been 9 degrees (5 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 1980 to 2010 average, University of Ottawa glaciology professor Luke Copland said. (AP photo)

    Much of Canada’s remaining intact ice shelf has broken apart into hulking iceberg islands thanks to a hot summer and global warming, scientists said. Canada’s 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf on the northwestern edge of Ellesmere Island had been the country’s last intact ice shelf until the end of July when ice analyst Adrienne White of the Canadian Ice Service noticed that satellite photos showed that about 43 per cent of it had broken off. She said it happened around July 30 or 31.

    Two giant icebergs formed along with lots of smaller ones, and they have already started drifting away, White said. The biggest is nearly the size of Manhattan 21 square miles (55 square kilometers) and 7 miles long (11.5 kilometers). They are 230 to 260 feet (70 to 80 meters) thick.

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