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Ontario Halts U.S. Electricity Surcharge Amid Trade Tensions

  Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced the suspension of a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to three U.S. states—Michigan, New York, and Minnesota—following a diplomatic overture from the White House. The surcharge, introduced just a day earlier, was Ontario's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%. The decision to pause the surcharge came after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick extended an "olive branch" by inviting Ford and Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc to Washington for discussions on trade. The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, aims to address the escalating trade tensions and explore a renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Ford emphasized the importance of diplomacy, stating, "When someone's putting out an olive branch, we sit back, we accept it—graciously, by the way—and let's start moving." While the U.S. has yet to retract its ta...
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Canadian Retail Sales Rebound in December, Boosting Consumer Confidence

 

Canadian consumers went on a holiday shopping spree at the end of last year, after reining in their spending just a month earlier. Receipts for retailers jumped 0.8% in December, the biggest increase since April. This followed a 0.2% decrease in November, which missed the median estimate of a flat reading in a Bloomberg survey. In volume terms, retail sales also edged down 0.2% that month. The early estimate for December suggests sales increased 0.8% that month, but warned the figure is subject to revision.

The rebound in retail sales in December is a positive sign for the Canadian economy. The holiday season is a crucial period for retailers, and the increase in sales indicates that consumer confidence is on the rise. The report also highlights that the pullback in November still highlights some spending weakness for consumers, who are facing higher interest rates and many of whom are due to renew their mortgages this year.


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