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5 Things to Know Today: BoC Hike Odds, Fixed Rates, Tariff Swap, $100 Oil & Budget Countdown (Oct. 25)

  Canadian Money Brief • Sunday, October 25, 2026 A big week for your wallet starts Wednesday. Here are the five things Canadians should know before it begins. 1 The Bank of Canada decides Wednesday, and markets lean toward a hike The Bank of Canada announces its rate decision at 9:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 28, alongside a new Monetary Policy Report. Prediction markets price roughly a 79% chance of a quarter-point hike to 2.50%, up sharply after Governor Tiff Macklem’s hawkish comments at the IMF meetings, though analysts remain split and some expect a “hawkish hold.” The U.S. Fed also decides that day. What it means for you: Variable-rate mortgage and HELOC holders feel it first. A 0.25-point hike works out to roughly $70 more per month on a $500,000 variable mortgage (25-year amortization), and prime would move from 4.45% to 4.70%. A hold means little change until the next decision on Dec. 9. 2 Fixed mortgage rates have already moved without the Bank Fixed rates follow bond ...

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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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