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Monday’s CPI Could Decide Your Next Mortgage Payment

  Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September. Inflation is sitting at 3%. The Bank of Canada has to decide on October 28 which of those facts matters more, and on Monday morning one more number lands to help it choose. If you carry a variable-rate mortgage, a HELOC or a renewal this winter, that number has a price tag. Two reports pulling in opposite directions The jobs data came first. Statistics Canada reported on October 9 that employment fell by 68,000 in September, pushing the unemployment rate to 6.5% from 6.4%. It followed a drop of about 42,000 in August, which means more than half of the 181,000 jobs gained between April and July have now been wiped out. Ontario shed 20,000 positions on its own. Markets reacted within hours: the odds of a quarter-point Bank of Canada hike on October 28 dropped to roughly 25% from about 40%, according to LSEG data reported by Reuters. Inflation is telling the opposite story. The consumer price index rose 3.0% year over year in August, matching Ju...

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Winter Blackouts Deepen Crisis in Southern Ukraine

 

Rescuers work at the site of apartment buildings hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sloviansk, Ukraine December 3, 2025. 


Russian overnight strikes have left tens of thousands of households in southern Ukraine without electricity and heating, intensifying the humanitarian crisis as winter sets in.

The Situation

  • Targeted regions: The frontline city of Kherson and Ukraine’s largest seaport, Odesa, were hit by drone and missile attacks.
  • Impact: Ukrainian energy company DTEK reported that 51,800 households in Odesa lost power after an energy facility was struck. In Kherson, operations at a heat and power plant were disrupted, cutting heating supplies to thousands.
  • Timing: The attacks occurred on the night of December 4, 2025, part of a broader escalation against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Broader Context

  • Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s utilities sector as temperatures drop, aiming to plunge cities into darkness and cold.
  • Energy experts warn that repeated attacks on power plants and grids could lead to long-term blackouts and heating shortages across the country.
  • Ukrainian authorities are working to restore services, but damage to critical infrastructure makes repairs slow and difficult.

Humanitarian Impact

  • Families in Kherson and Odesa are now facing freezing conditions without heat or electricity, raising concerns about health risks, especially for the elderly and children.
  • Local officials have urged residents to conserve resources and prepare for rolling outages as repair crews struggle to keep pace with the destruction.

Conclusion

The strikes highlight Russia’s ongoing strategy of targeting civilian infrastructure to weaken Ukraine’s resilience. As winter advances, the battle for energy security has become as critical as the fighting on the frontlines.


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