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Churchill Falls: A 15% Power Bill Rebate, $10 Billion From Ottawa — What It Means for Your Wallet

  Thursday, August 20, 2026 Last Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney stood on a pier in St. John's alongside Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette to announce what Ottawa is calling the largest clean energy investment in North American history. Buried in the headline numbers — $273 billion in nominal contract value, $10 billion in federal financing, 14,000 megawatts of new hydro capacity — is a much simpler story for ordinary Canadians: who pays what for electricity, for the next 50 years. Here's what actually changed, and what it means for your bills whether you live in St. John's, Montreal, or Ajax, Ontario. The deal it's replacing was historically lopsided To understand why this is a big deal, you need the old one. Under the original 1969 Churchill Falls contract, Quebec locked in the right to buy the vast majority of the plant's power from Newfoundland and Labrador at roughly 0.2 cents per kilowatt-hour — a price th...

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Tariff Shock Ripples: TSX Futures Plunge as Global Markets Sell Off


TSX futures joined a broader global selloff on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, set to take effect Tuesday. The measures include a 25% levy on most Canadian goods—with energy products facing a lower 10% rate—and have spurred widespread investor anxiety about the potential for a full-blown trade war.

Early trading saw March futures on the S&P/TSX index drop by about 1.3%, as markets reacted swiftly to the news. The tariffs have unsettled investors, prompting a flight to safer assets such as the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasuries, while equity positions were pared off amid fears that the tariffs could lead to higher inflation and slower economic growth. Global indices from Europe to Asia have also been pressured, with significant selloffs in major markets.

In response to Trump’s announcement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed swift retaliatory measures, unveiling plans for tariffs on roughly C$155 billion worth of U.S. goods. The escalation in trade tensions is likely to disrupt supply chains further, affecting sectors from automotive to energy, and could even pave the way for prolonged economic uncertainty.

Amid the turmoil, some corporate activity continues to move forward. For example, Brookfield Asset Management recently completed a $1.7 billion acquisition in the electric heat trace systems sector—a sign that while markets are volatile, business fundamentals continue to drive major transactions.

As investors digest the unfolding trade conflict, many caution that further tariff escalations could lead to a cascade of economic challenges, including increased consumer prices and potential recessions in affected regions.

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