W ith all the negative comments in the media about the state of the Canadian economy, you might think we were in trouble however, that is not what the actual numbers are telling us. As most fear the impacts President Donald Trump’s “make America great again” will have on the Canadian economy, Canadian exports hit new highs. Despite fear of a collapse in construction jobs and business anxiety over rising minimum wages, Canada’s unemployment rate continues to stick at 40-year lows. A poll of those economists by the financial news service Bloomberg shows they expect to see unemployment stayed at that low level of 5.8 per cent while the economy cranked out another 22,000 jobs.
T he federal competition watchdog says he wants to “shine a light” on Canada’s broadband internet provid- ers with the public’s comments on a market that is pre- dominantly served by traditional phone and cable companies. “There are few products more vital to Canada’s economic future than broadband. We want to shine a light on poten- tial competitive issues in a sector at the heart of our daily lives,” Commissioner of Competition John Pecman said in a recent statement. More than 550 companies offer alternatives to traditional telephone and cable companies however, 2016 data showed that only 13 per cent of Canada’s retail internet subscriptions were with the alternatives. So, the bureau says it’s explor- ing ways to make the broadband internet sector more com- petitive, including a change to regulations, easier switches between providers and more informed consumer choice. Representatives of two Canadian consumer advocacy groups said they hoped that the bureau’s study will lead to lower prices.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2018
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