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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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Tech Relief: U.S. Exempts Electronics from Latest Tariffs

In a significant move, the U.S. government has decided to exempt smartphones, computers, and other electronics from its latest round of tariffs. This decision, announced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, provides much-needed relief to major technology firms like Apple and Dell Technologies, as well as chip manufacturers such as Nvidia.

The exemptions cover 20 product categories, including laptops, hard drives, memory chips, and flat-panel monitors. These items, primarily imported from China, will no longer be subject to the steep 125% reciprocal tariffs or the 10% baseline tariffs on imports from other countries. This move is expected to ease the financial burden on consumers and tech companies alike, especially as many of these products are not manufactured domestically.

Analysts have hailed the decision as a positive step for the tech industry, which has been grappling with uncertainties due to ongoing trade tensions. Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities analyst, described the announcement as "bullish news" for tech investors. 

The exemptions reflect an awareness of the potential impact of tariffs on inflation-weary consumers and the broader economy. While the trade war between the U.S. and China continues, this decision offers a temporary reprieve for the tech sector. 



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