• Canada's next budget to be unveiled this week amid U.S. trade war, economic uncertainty

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-11-02 09:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Economy, Taxation, Finance, Trade, Infrastructure, Defence, Housing, Culture]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney's upcoming federal budget, set to be unveiled by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne under the title "Masters of Our Destiny" ("Maîtres Chez Nous"), will focus on affordability measures, business tax incentives, and strategic investments in infrastructure, defence, and culture. The fiscal plan addresses ongoing economic uncertainty and a U.S. trade war while factoring in a Parliamentary Budget Office projection that public debt charges will reach $83 billion by 2030-31. Stakeholders such as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Council of Canadian Innovators are pressing for targeted tax relief, including reductions to small business corporate tax rates and technology sector capital gains incentives. Meanwhile, economists note that housing delivery under the Build Canada Homes initiative remains behind targets, with only about 2,000 of 19,000 committed affordable units currently under construction.

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• Whitehorse city council grants short-term rental operators licence grace period

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-29 20:33:06.0
  Tags: [National, Housing, Municipal, Taxation, Governance]

  The Whitehorse City Council unanimously voted to approve an overarching licensing bylaw for short-term rentals while granting operators a six-month grace period, moving the mandatory licensing deadline from October 1 to April 1. The delay responds to concerns from industry representatives, such as Neighbourly North president Ben Pereira, regarding tight implementation timelines and potential Canada Revenue Agency tax penalties that deny expense deductions for unlicensed short-term rentals. City planning officials noted that the regulatory framework is designed to address local housing pressures while giving operators time to comply.

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• Only 150 first-time homebuyer GST rebates approved as of June

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-24 21:28:16.0
  Tags: [National, Housing, Taxation, Finance, Affordability]

  Federal data reveals that as of June, only 150 first-time homebuyer GST rebate applications out of 7,500 received have been approved by the federal government under its program eliminating the GST on newly built or substantially renovated homes worth up to $1 million. The data indicates that 620 applications were denied, 6,700 remain pending with an average processing time of 50 days, and a total of $3,577,000 has been paid out at an average of about $24,000 per rebate. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne acknowledged the slow rollout, while Department of Finance officials attributed the initial delays to uncertainty surrounding the passage of Bill C-4, which received royal assent in March 2026.

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• Whitehorse city council backs away from vote on licensing bylaw for short-term rentals

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-15 23:30:00.0
  Tags: [National, Municipal, Housing, Taxation, Governance]

  The Whitehorse city council delayed a final vote on a new municipal licensing bylaw for short-term rentals to allow city administration two weeks to review implementation timelines, transition periods, and potential Canada Revenue Agency tax implications. During the same meeting, the council voted to pass an amended bylaw reducing the single-unit licence surcharge to $176 for each additional unit on the same property where the operator resides. Previously, city zoning rules banned new standalone short-term rentals while grandfathering in existing ones indefinitely.

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