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Oil Prices Are Spiking — Here's What It Means for Your Gas Tank and Grocery Bill

  Published July 17, 2026 Crude oil is trading near one-month highs this week, and if you've filled up your tank recently, you've probably already felt it. The culprit: an escalating conflict in the Middle East that's disrupting one of the world's most important oil shipping routes — and it's starting to show up at Canadian pumps and, eventually, on grocery store shelves. What's happening with oil prices West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the North American benchmark, has been trading around the $79–$80 per barrel range this week — up roughly 5% over the past month. Brent crude, the global benchmark that matters more for what Canadians pay at the pump, has been hovering near $85 per barrel, also near a one-month high. The spike traces back to renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and has intensified strikes, while Iran has responded with attacks on U.S. bases and threats to disrupt regional energy shipments further. ...

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Ontario Cancels $100M Starlink Deal Amid Escalating Trade Tensions

 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced the cancellation of a $100-million contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, a move aimed squarely at countering U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. The contract—signed last November as part of Ontario’s initiative to deliver high-speed internet to 15,000 remote and rural premises—will now be scrapped amid a broader decision to ban American companies from provincial contracts until the tariffs are removed. 

Ford emphatically stated on social media that Ontario “won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy,” attributing the policy shift to President Trump’s tariff actions. He warned that U.S.-based businesses could lose “tens of billions of dollars” in new revenue as a result. This decisive step is just one element of Ontario’s wider strategy to respond to the escalating trade dispute, which has already seen retaliatory tariffs imposed by both Canada and the United States. 

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