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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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UN Halts Aid Shipments Through Gaza’s Main Crossing Over Safety Concerns

 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has announced the suspension of aid deliveries through the Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza's primary cargo route, citing severe safety concerns. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, stated that the decision was made due to the threat posed by armed gangs who have looted recent aid convoys.

The suspension comes amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, exacerbated by the cold, rainy winter and the ongoing conflict. Experts have already warned of potential famine in the northern parts of Gaza, which have been almost completely isolated by Israeli forces since early October.

Lazzarini pointed out that the route leading to Kerem Shalom has become too dangerous, with nearly 100 trucks being looted in mid-November and another smaller shipment stolen just recently. He also criticized Israeli policies, claiming they have contributed significantly to the breakdown of law and order in Gaza.

The suspension of aid shipments is expected to worsen the already dire situation in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are living in squalid tent camps and relying heavily on international food aid.



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