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The Mortgage Renewal Wave Just Peaked — Here's What the Data Actually Shows

Published August 30, 2026 For three years, "the mortgage renewal wall" has been the scariest phrase in Canadian personal finance — the idea that a flood of ultra-cheap, pandemic-era mortgages would come due at much higher rates and trigger a wave of forced sales. That wall is now mostly behind us. Two new 2026 surveys, one from Royal LePage and one from Rates.ca, show what actually happened when it hit. The short version: it hurt, budgets tightened hard for a lot of people, but the mass default many feared simply didn't show up. The last big group is renewing right now Royal LePage's 2026 Mortgage Renewal Survey, released August 19 and based on a Leger poll of 1,127 Canadians renewing this year, pins down where things stand: about 12% of all outstanding Canadian mortgages are five-year, fixed-payment loans taken out during the 2020–2022 ultra-low-rate window, and this is their last major renewal wave. The Bank of Canada's overnight rate sat at just 0.25% through m...

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Israel Accused of Using White Phosphorus on Residential Buildings in Lebanon

 

A global human rights group has accused Israel of using white phosphorus incendiary shells on residential buildings in at least five towns and villages in conflict-hit southern Lebanon. The report, published by Human Rights Watch (HRW), raises concerns about potential harm to civilians and violations of international law.

White phosphorus is a controversial substance that can set buildings on fire and burn human flesh down to the bone. Survivors face risks of infections and organ or respiratory failure, even from small burns. While Israel maintains that it uses white phosphorus only as a smokescreen and not to target civilians, the evidence suggests otherwise.

The HRW report includes interviews with residents in conflict-hit southern Lebanon and verifies images showing white phosphorus shells landing on residential buildings. The Lebanese Health Ministry reports that at least 173 people have required medical care after exposure to white phosphorus.

This recent use of white phosphorus in Lebanon should prompt other countries to take action. HRW calls on the Lebanese government to allow the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute “grave international crimes” within Lebanon since October 2023.


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