Skip to main content

Featured

Big Six Banks Raise Fixed Mortgage Rates: What Your Renewal Costs Now

  Canadian Money Brief • Mortgages Updated Saturday, October 17, 2026 If your mortgage term ends this winter, the rate you saw advertised in August is probably gone. All six of Canada’s big banks have raised fixed rates since early September, and the Bank of Canada hasn’t touched its policy rate in almost a year. That disconnect catches a lot of homeowners off guard. Your fixed mortgage rate doesn’t follow the Bank of Canada. It follows the bond market. And bond yields have been climbing on oil-driven inflation worries, which means the people feeling it first right now are the ones opening a renewal letter. The numbers at a glance Up to 0.50 pt in fixed-rate increases at the big banks in about five weeks • BoC policy rate still 2.25% • Big bank prime still 4.45% • About $110 a month more on a $400,000 balance from a half-point jump How far have the big banks moved? Depending on the term, some big bank fixed rates are up by as much as half a percentage point in roughly five week...

article

Syria's Deadliest Days: Over 1,000 Killed in Clashes and Revenge Killings


In a tragic escalation of violence, over 1,000 people have lost their lives in Syria during two days of intense clashes and revenge killings. The conflict erupted between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, with sectarian violence targeting the Alawite community, a key support base of the former regime.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the death toll includes 745 civilians, 125 government security personnel, and 148 militants. The violence has left areas like Latakia without electricity and water, further deepening the humanitarian crisis.

The revenge killings, primarily carried out by Sunni Muslim gunmen, have devastated Alawite villages, with reports of targeted shootings, looting, and arson. Thousands have fled to the mountains seeking safety, while bodies remain unburied in the streets of towns like Baniyas.

This marks one of the deadliest episodes in Syria's 14-year conflict, raising fears of further instability in the region. The new government in Damascus, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has vowed to protect minorities, but the situation remains dire.


Comments