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5 Things to Know Today: Job Losses, Rate-Hike Bets, Mortgage Hikes and $104 Oil (Oct. 11)

  Canadian Money Brief • Sunday, October 11, 2026 Happy Thanksgiving weekend. Canadian stock markets are closed Monday, but the money news isn't taking a break. Here are the five things that matter for your wallet before the week starts. 1. Canada lost 68,300 jobs in September Statistics Canada reported a second straight monthly drop (August was -41,700), well short of the gain economists expected. The unemployment rate edged up to 6.5% from 6.4%, and the economy has now shed a net 41,200 jobs so far in 2026, wiping out the year's earlier gains. Most of the damage was in the public sector, while the private sector held up. Wages for permanent employees rose 2.3% year over year. Markets reacted by trimming bets on a Bank of Canada rate hike at its Oct. 28 meeting to roughly 25%, down from about 40% before the report, according to LSEG data cited by The Canadian Press. What it means for you: A hike on Oct. 28 looks less likely, which is good news for variable-rate mortgage and H...

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NDP Blasts Ford for Washington Trip: Ethics Complaint Filed Over Alleged Partisan Use of Taxpayer Funds

 

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles has formally lodged an ethics complaint with the province’s Integrity Commissioner over Premier Doug Ford’s recent Washington, D.C. trip. The complaint alleges that Ford blurred the lines between official government business and partisan campaigning by leveraging taxpayer-funded travel for electioneering purposes. A campaign-style video—initially posted with the Progressive Conservative party logo—has come under fire for suggesting that the trip was used to boost his re-election campaign, even after the logo was later removed. 

Ford made the trip in his capacity both as Ontario’s premier and as chair of the Council of the Federation, meeting with U.S. lawmakers to counter potential punitive tariffs amid threats from President Donald Trump. Despite assertions that the visit was intended to serve Ontario’s economic interests, Stiles argues that such actions constitute a misuse of public funds. “His actions have repeatedly and intentionally blurred the lines between official provincial business and partisan promotion,” she stated, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability. 

Critics from both the NDP and Liberal ranks contend that the trip, especially during the middle of a snap election, undermines democratic integrity by prioritizing political gain over the public good. The complaint calls for an investigation into whether government resources were inappropriately used to produce campaign content and whether proper protocols were followed during the trip. 

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