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Minister Pardy Introduces Legislation to Reduce Gas Tax to Zero
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-29 18:55:16.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Taxation, Finance, Affordability, Energy]On October 29, 2026, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Finance Craig Pardy introduced legislation to reduce the provincial tax on gasoline and diesel to 0 cents per litre, down from 7.5 cents and 9.5 cents respectively. Factoring in the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), drivers will save 8.625 cents per litre on gasoline and 10.925 cents per litre on diesel amidst record high fuel prices. The legislative amendments also establish a protective mechanism to keep provincial fuel taxes at zero for as long as oil prices remain above a specified threshold. This measure is part of the Provincial Government's broader Budget 2026 initiative, which has invested over $275 million in cost-of-living relief.
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Minister Pardy Introduces Legislation to Reduce Gas Tax to Zero
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-29 18:55:16.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Taxation, Affordability, Finance, Energy]The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through Minister of Finance Craig Pardy, introduced legislation to reduce the provincial tax on gasoline and diesel to 0 cents per litre. This policy removes the existing provincial taxes of 7.5 cents per litre for gasoline and 9.5 cents per litre for diesel, resulting in total savings at the pump—including Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)—of 8.625 cents per litre for gasoline vehicles and 10.925 cents per litre for diesel vehicles. Furthermore, the legislative amendments establish a safeguard mechanism to maintain the provincial fuel tax at zero as long as oil prices stay above a specified threshold, forming part of the provincial government's broader $275 million cost-of-living relief initiative.
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Canada Dental Care Plan working but costing more than expected: auditor general
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-29 14:50:35.0
Tags: [National, Healthcare, Affordability, Finance, Social Services]A report by Auditor General Karen Hogan found that Health Canada's Canadian Dental Care Plan exceeded its initial budget commitments by $1.1 billion during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 fiscal years, with an anticipated further shortfall of $2.4 billion by 2032 due to higher-than-anticipated claim payments per member. While the program successfully reduced average household out-of-pocket dental expenses from $536 in 2023 to $264 for users, the audit revealed persistent public confusion, with 560,000 members (16 per cent of those accessing services in 2025) receiving full coverage, while dental providers spent roughly an hour a day addressing coverage ambiguities and call centres struggled to meet quality metrics. In response, Health Canada engaged the Office of the Chief Actuary to provide quarterly actuarial forecasts to improve claim payment projections and financial planning.
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Bank of Canada raises key interest rate to 2.5% in its first hike since 2023
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-28 12:33:56.0
Tags: [National, Economy, Finance, Trade, Affordability]The Bank of Canada, led by Governor Tiff Macklem, raised its benchmark overnight interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 per cent, marking its first rate hike since 2023. The central bank stated that the increase is necessary to curb persistent inflation—projected to remain above 3 per cent through much of 2027—which is driven largely by surging energy prices from the Middle East conflict and rising trade tensions with the United States. Policymakers warned that further rate hikes could occur depending on future economic uncertainties and cost pressures.
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Provincial Government Cutting Gas Tax on Gasoline and Diesel to Zero Beginning December 1
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-26 14:15:53.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Taxation, Affordability, Energy, Finance]The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through Minister of Finance Craig Pardy, announced that the provincial gas tax on gasoline and diesel will be reduced to zero cents per litre from December 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027. The Provincial Government will introduce legislative amendments in the House of Assembly to enact these changes and establish a permanent mechanism to keep the provincial fuel tax at zero whenever fuel prices exceed a specified threshold. This measure represents $25 million in affordability relief, contributing to a broader $79 million cost-of-living package that also includes the accelerated Churchill Falls Electricity Rebate and a doubled Home Heating Supplement.
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Ontario and Canada Making Homes More Affordable in Sudbury
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Date: 2026-10-23 19:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Municipal, Housing, Affordability, Infrastructure, Finance]The governments of Ontario and Canada announced that the City of Greater Sudbury will receive up to $45.3 million through the Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP). In exchange, the City of Greater Sudbury has committed to eliminating development charges for all housing types from March 30, 2026, to March 31, 2029, a policy expected to reduce homebuilding costs by up to $22,162 per home and unlock 3,320 new homes. The federal funding flows through the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF) under a 10-year, $8.8 billion cost-matched infrastructure agreement. The DCRP funding will directly support improvements to local water and wastewater infrastructure, specifically transitioning the Garson East Drinking Water System and upgrading watermains and sanitary sewers in the Maley Drive growth corridor.
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Ontario and Canada Making Homes More Affordable in Essex County
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Date: 2026-10-23 18:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Municipal, Housing, Affordability, Infrastructure, Finance]The governments of Ontario and Canada announced up to $105.8 million in infrastructure funding through the Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP) for regional and local municipalities in the County of Essex, including up to $51.2 million for Essex County, $77.6 million for the City of Windsor, $25.4 million for the Town of LaSalle, $11.8 million for the Municipality of Lakeshore, $8.4 million for the Town of Kingsville, $8.8 million for the Town of Essex, and $6.8 million for the Town of Tecumseh. In exchange, these municipalities have committed to reducing or eliminating development charges for all housing types between March 30, 2026, and December 31, 2030. Combined with a two-government agreement to provide relief on the full HST on eligible new homes from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, the initiatives are estimated to save homebuyers up to $170,862 per home and unlock 36,372 new homes across Essex County.
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Ontario and Canada Making Homes More Affordable in Windsor and Tecumseh
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Date: 2026-10-23 15:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Municipal, Housing, Affordability, Infrastructure, Finance]The governments of Ontario and Canada are providing up to $84.4 million through the Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP) to the City of Windsor and the Town of Tecumseh in exchange for reducing development charges for all housing types from March 30, 2026, to March 31, 2029. Windsor will receive up to $77.6 million to reduce development charges by 70 percent, funding stormwater management and roadway infrastructure projects while saving homebuyers up to $49,452 per home. The Town of Tecumseh will receive up to $6.8 million to reduce development charges by 50 percent, supporting new trunk sanitary sewer infrastructure and saving homebuyers up to $18,078 per home. Combined with a federal-provincial agreement providing full HST relief on eligible new homes, these initiatives aim to unlock 19,263 new homes across the region.
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Premier Wakeham Announces $54 Million in Additional Affordability Relief
Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-22 12:50:01.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Affordability, Energy, Taxation, Finance]Premier Tony Wakeham and Minister of Finance Craig Pardy announced a $54 million affordability package to assist residents of Newfoundland and Labrador with winter energy costs. The initiative accelerates the implementation of the Churchill Falls Electricity Rebate starting in January 2027, providing residential customers of Newfoundland Power and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro a 15 per cent reduction (up to 2,000 kilowatt-hours per month) estimated at $351 annually, costing $45 million for the remainder of the 2026-27 fiscal year. Additionally, the maximum Home Heating Supplement for households relying on furnace or stove oil is doubled from $500 to $1,000 for the 2026 program, providing roughly $9 million in relief to approximately 9,000 current applicants.
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N.W.T. finance minister says no emergency relief from fuel price shock, but pushes Ottawa for support
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-21 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Finance, Energy, Taxation, Affordability]Northwest Territories Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek rejected calls from MLAs to slash the territorial gas and diesel tax—which generates an estimated $15 million annually—or provide immediate emergency heating fuel subsidies ahead of winter. Testifying before the federal standing committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Wawzonek criticized federal funding programs like the $2-billion heat pump initiative as unsuitable for northern climates and pressed Ottawa for customized support to address energy and affordability challenges where transport and heating costs are double the national average. She noted the territorial government already provides over $18 million in direct annual energy subsidies and warned that low water levels threatening the hydro system will force the territory to rely more heavily on costly diesel generation.
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Ontario and Canada Making Homes More Affordable in Guelph
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Date: 2026-10-16 15:20:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Municipal, Housing, Affordability, Infrastructure, Finance]The governments of Ontario and Canada announced up to $48.3 million for the City of Guelph through the Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP) to support vital water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades, including the Biosolids Facility, Verney Booster Pumping Station, and Clythe Water Treatment Plant. In exchange, the City of Guelph has committed to reducing development charges by 30 per cent for all housing types from March 30, 2026, to March 31, 2029. This reduction is estimated to lower new home building costs by up to $21,623 per home, which, when combined with expanded HST relief on eligible new homes, could save families up to $151,623 and unlock an estimated 27,675 new homes.
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Ontario and Canada Making Homes More Affordable in Orillia
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Date: 2026-10-16 14:15:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Municipal, Housing, Affordability, Infrastructure, Finance]The governments of Ontario and Canada are providing up to $11.3 million to the City of Orillia through the Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP) in exchange for the municipality reducing development charges by 50 percent for all housing types from March 30, 2026, to March 31, 2029. The federal funding flows through the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF). The reduction is estimated to lower homebuilding costs by up to $15,791 per unit, and when combined with expanded Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) relief, could save families up to $145,791. The municipal initiative and infrastructure investment—specifically supporting the expansion and modernization of the City's Wastewater Treatment Centre—are projected to unlock 2,025 new homes.
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Ontario and Canada Making Homes More Affordable in St. Thomas
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Date: 2026-10-15 18:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Municipal, Housing, Infrastructure, Affordability, Finance]The governments of Ontario and Canada are providing up to $19.6 million to the City of St. Thomas through the Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP) and the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF) to support the design and construction of a new wastewater treatment facility. In exchange, the City of St. Thomas has committed to reducing development charges by 30 per cent for single-detached and multi-unit housing, and 50 per cent for remaining unit types from March 30, 2026, to March 31, 2029. This initiative is estimated to reduce building costs by up to $5,961 per home, save families up to $135,961 when combined with expanded HST relief, and unlock 6,196 new homes.
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How does P.E.I. decide which drugs to cover? It’s more complicated than you might think
Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-10 09:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, National, Healthcare, Affordability, Finance]The federal government has renewed the Improving Affordable Access to Prescription Drugs program (IAAPD) for Prince Edward Island with $32 million in funding over three years. The program, which launched as a pilot in 2021, has helped add more than 100 medications to P.E.I.'s public formulary and lowered patient co-payments to $5 for many eligible drugs. In addition to the IAAPD, P.E.I. participates in the federal pharmacare program covering specific diabetes medications, supplies, and contraceptives. The multi-step drug coverage process involves Health Canada authorization, price reviews by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, cost-effectiveness evaluations by Canada's Drug Agency, collective price bargaining by the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, and final provincial formulary decisions.
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Power bills in Nova Scotia may spike as utility looks to refinance $1B in assets
Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-10-09 15:30:07.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, Energy, Finance, Affordability]Nova Scotia Power Inc. is applying for regulatory permission to refinance nearly $1 billion worth of assets, including coal plants scheduled for closure by 2030, through a financial scheme known as securitization. The utility states that the mechanism could impose a 2.9 per cent surcharge on residential power bills next year, contributing to a total projected rate increase of 6.8 per cent in 2027 when combined with previously approved hikes. While Nova Scotia Power maintains that lower interest rates from securitization will save customers $265 million over 30 years, Premier Tim Houston has expressed doubts regarding whether the accounting change will yield actual savings for ratepayers.
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Ottawa considering ‘options’ as foreign home buyer ban nears end: minister
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-10-07 20:34:15.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Economy, Finance]Federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced that the Liberal government is considering options regarding the future of the ban on foreign ownership of Canadian residential property. The restriction, originally enacted in 2022 to cool housing markets for Canadian buyers and previously extended in 2024, is scheduled to sunset in January 2027. The government's decision on whether to extend, modify, or allow the ban to expire will be evaluated based on housing stock availability and market evolution ahead of the upcoming federal budget.
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Ontario Clarifies Longstanding Out-of-Country Drug Funding Process
Source: Ontario - Ministry of Health
Date: 2026-10-06 21:00:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, Healthcare, Affordability, Governance, Finance]The Government of Ontario has amended Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act to align with its longstanding out-of-country drug funding policy, restricting out-of-country funding to treatments where the drug and administration are publicly funded in Ontario, temporarily unavailable locally, and necessary to prevent death or irreversible tissue damage. According to the Ministry of Health led by Minister Sylvia Jones, the regulatory clarification aims to prevent global pharmaceutical companies from bypassing direct price negotiations with the province and avoids potential health-care system cost increases of up to $5.2 billion annually alongside $170 million in out-of-country treatment requests. This follows a recent Ontario Divisional Court decision concerning out-of-country drug funding, which the government is evaluating alongside options such as an appeal or a negotiated resolution with the applicant.
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With city's next four-year plan less than a month away, Edmonton's budget deliberation process unveiled
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-06 20:29:58.0
Tags: [Municipal, Alberta, Finance, Taxation, Governance, Affordability]The City of Edmonton unveiled its upcoming four-year budget deliberation process, which will encompass five distinct budgets: the capital, operating, utility services operating and capital, office of the city auditor, and climate budgets. Draft budgets are scheduled for publication on November 2, followed by a public hearing beginning on November 23 that will remain open for up to 10 days until December 18 or budget approval. In an 8-5 vote, City Council approved raising the city's franchise fee to 19.4 per cent to match Calgary's rate, aiming to offset property tax pressures on residents and businesses while the city works to rebuild its financial stabilization reserve back to the $150-million baseline.
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Yukon premier touts 'improved fiscal picture' in territory with budget update
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-05 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Finance, Economy, Infrastructure, Mining, Affordability]Yukon Premier and Finance Minister Currie Dixon tabled the Yukon Legislative Assembly's fall economic update and a partial capital plan for 2027, projecting a revised budget deficit of $53.7 million—down from the previously predicted $82 million. Forecasted revenues increased by $23.8 million due to higher federal transfers, taxes, and resource royalties, while projected expenditures dropped by $4.2 million, and net debt is now expected to reach $776.2 million by year-end. The 2027 capital spending plan allocates $138.8 million for the upcoming construction season, targeting projects such as the North Klondike Highway, the Shakwak corridor, the Whitehorse hospital expansion, and housing in Burwash Landing, Mayo, and Teslin. Simultaneously, the territory's economic update projects slower real GDP growth driven by lower production at the Keno Hill mine and placer gold operations, alongside elevated local inflation expected to average 4.6 per cent in 2026 due to higher shelter costs, electricity prices, and a greater reliance on heating oil.
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Narrowed rebate eligibility leaves some Nova Scotians worried about heating costs
Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-10-01 21:16:24.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, Affordability, Energy, Social Services, Finance]The Government of Nova Scotia has narrowed the eligibility criteria and lowered net income thresholds for the Heating Assistance Rebate Program (HARP), reducing individual caps from $55,000 to $30,000 and family caps from $70,000 to $45,000. Minister of Service Nova Scotia Jill Balser defended the changes, citing a $1.4 billion provincial deficit and a $33 million budget allocation for the program, which provides eligible households with up to $400. Advocacy groups, including the Ecology Action Centre, ACORN, and the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank, raised concerns over rising heating oil costs and high energy poverty rates, noting a 25 per cent increase in demand for emergency heating supports.
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