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BoC Opens the Door to Rate Hikes: What It Means for Your Mortgage

  Published September 4, 2026 The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 2.25% on September 2 — the seventh straight hold — but Governor Tiff Macklem didn't sound like a central banker done for the year. He told reporters the Bank is "prepared to raise interest rates, and if it takes more than one increase, we're prepared to do that," if inflation stays too high. That's a real shift in tone, and it lands right as a wave of Canadians hit their mortgage renewal date. Here's what changed, who's forecasting what, and what it actually means for your payment. Why the Bank Suddenly Sounds Hawkish Canada's annual inflation rate has climbed to around 3% — a full point above the Bank's 2% target — and the Bank is pointing squarely at energy prices. Oil has stayed elevated because of the Iran conflict and disruption near the Strait of Hormuz, pushing gas prices up and dragging headline CPI with it. Core inflation, which strips out food and energy, is still s...

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UK Government Warns Hotel Ban Could Fuel Wider Unrest Over Asylum Housing

Media reports outside The Bell Hotel, following a High Court ruling in London that granted a temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers from being housed at the site in Epping

The British government is appealing a High Court injunction that temporarily blocks asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. Officials argue the ruling could set a precedent, prompting other councils to seek similar bans and potentially sparking further — and possibly disorderly — protests outside migrant accommodation sites.

The Bell Hotel has been at the centre of heated demonstrations by both anti- and pro-immigration groups after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault offences, which he denies. Epping Council secured the injunction on planning grounds, but ministers say the decision fails to consider the national impact on the already stretched asylum housing system, which currently accommodates around 30,000 people in over 200 hotels.

Government lawyers claim closing such facilities without a coordinated plan risks creating chaos, while critics argue that housing asylum seekers in hotels fuels community tensions. Pro-migrant groups, however, accuse far-right activists and political opportunists of exploiting the situation for their own agendas.

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