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Big Bank Earnings Wrap: What RBC and CIBC Reveal About Your Mortgage

  Royal Bank and CIBC reported record or near-record profits before the market opened Thursday, closing out a jam-packed bank earnings week that also included BMO, Scotiabank and National Bank. Beyond the headline numbers, though, the details tucked into these reports say a lot about where mortgage rates, lending standards and household credit stress are actually heading — and it's a more reassuring picture than a lot of the tariff-and-tension headlines this month might suggest. RBC: Record Profit, Credit Quality Barely Budged Royal Bank of Canada posted net income of $6.0 billion for the quarter ended July 31, up 11% from a year earlier and a record for the bank. Diluted earnings per share came in at $4.23, up 13% year-over-year, while return on equity climbed to 17.9%. The number worth watching for anyone with a mortgage isn't the profit line — it's the provision for credit losses (PCL), the money banks set aside for loans that might go bad. RBC's total PCL was $1.0 b...

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Controversial Turkish Import Endangers Newborns in Alberta, Documents Reveal

 

Recent documents have raised alarming concerns over Alberta’s emergency importation of children’s pain medication from Turkey. Produced by Atabay Pharmaceuticals and sold under the brand name Parol Suspension, the drug is marketed at a concentration of 24 mg/ml—significantly lower than the 32 mg/ml concentration found in the standard, Canadian-authorized formulation.

Health experts and opposition critics warn that this altered concentration poses a twofold risk. First, the discrepancy could lead to dosing errors if parents and caregivers, accustomed to the standard formulation, misjudge the correct volume needed. Second, there are fears that the lower concentration may lead to the clogging of hospital feeding tubes—a critical concern for vulnerable newborns.

Alberta Blue Cross has informed pharmacists that Parol must be dispensed with enhanced caution, requiring additional education on its proper use. Critics argue that the rushed procurement—amounting to approximately $80 million—exemplifies a misstep in prioritizing political expedience over stringent safety protocols. With traditional supplies of children’s pain medications already in short supply, many worry that this controversial alternative might jeopardize the health of Alberta’s youngest patients.

Further review and tighter regulatory oversight are now being called for, as stakeholders demand that the province safeguard the well-being of newborns and ensure that emergency measures do not compromise pediatric care.

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