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Oil jumps above US$105 after Riyadh blasts, futures slip and yields near 24-year highs. TSX, Wall Street and global markets for Oct 8.

  Canadian Money Brief | Thursday, October 8, 2026 | Morning edition Oil is jumping, futures are sliding and bond yields are sitting near 24-year highs. Explosions in Riyadh, including a blast at the city's airport, sent crude sharply higher early Thursday and pushed U.S. stock futures lower. That follows a rough Wednesday for Toronto, where banks and miners dragged the TSX down. Here is where every major market stands before the open. Key takeaways Brent crude jumped about 5% to above US$105 a barrel; WTI rose about 5% to roughly US$92.75. S&P 500 futures are down about 0.6% and Dow futures about 1% after Wall Street's four-day winning streak ended Wednesday. The TSX fell about 1.7% Wednesday to near 35,040, led lower by the big banks and gold miners. The U.S. 10-year yield touched 5.36% on Wednesday, its highest since April 2002, and is hovering near 5.3% again. Markets are pricing in at least one Bank of Canada rate hike by year-end. Canada: TSX stumbles as banks and m...
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Provincial Directive Curbs AHS Authority Over Private Surgical Contract Negotiations

 


In a significant policy shift, Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange has stripped Alberta Health Services (AHS) of its authority to negotiate contracts with private surgical facilities. According to a government directive obtained by media, the change came after internal concerns—raised by the agency’s then-chief executive—over rising contract costs.

Documents, including a letter from former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos’s lawyer, allege that senior government officials—even involving Premier Danielle Smith’s former chief of staff—intervened in AHS’s procurement process to favor private companies. This interference reportedly undermined AHS’s established negotiation powers and raised serious questions about transparency in the province’s health system. 

A separate report in a Morning Update from Unpublished Newswire reiterated the move, noting that the directive is part of broader reforms aimed at reducing costs by leveraging competitive pricing in surgical services.  Meanwhile, a CityNews investigation has added context to the controversy, citing denials by private surgical providers who label the allegations of sweetheart deals as “false and baseless.” 

Critics and opposition leaders are calling for further inquiry into the decision-making process behind these changes, arguing that the shift could signal a move toward greater privatization of public health services. In contrast, government representatives insist that the directive is intended solely to improve efficiency and ensure more competitive pricing for publicly funded operations.

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