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BoC Decision Day: What a Hold at 2.25% Means for Your Mortgage

  Published September 2, 2026 Tomorrow's date has been sitting at the bottom of every Canadian Money Brief for weeks, and it's finally here. The Bank of Canada announces its overnight rate decision on Wednesday, September 2 at 9:45 a.m. ET, with Governor Tiff Macklem holding a press conference at 10:30. Every economist polled by Reuters — all 35 of them — expects the same outcome: a hold at 2.25%, the eighth straight meeting without a move. That's the headline. The more useful question for your wallet is what a "boring" hold actually does — and doesn't do — to your mortgage, and why two of the Big Six banks think the boring streak is about to end. Why a hold is the almost-certain call The Bank has a genuinely awkward setup heading into this meeting. On one side, the economy just posted its best quarter in years: GDP grew at a 3.3% annualized pace in the second quarter, well ahead of the Bank's own 2.5% forecast, and July's jobs report added a blowout ...
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Hamas Releases Video of Two Israeli Captives Held in Gaza

 

Hamas, the militant group in Gaza, has published a video showing the first proof of life of two hostages being held: Keith Siegel, a 64-year-old American-Israeli citizen, and Omri Miran. In the undated footage, Mr. Miran states that he has been held captive for 202 days, while Mr. Siegel mentions the Passover holiday, suggesting the clips were filmed recently.

Mr. Siegel was kidnapped along with his wife Aviva on October 7. Aviva was freed in November during a brief truce, but at that time, she did not know if Keith was still alive. The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters confirmed that the Siegel and Miran families are aware of the latest video. This proof of life is the clearest evidence that the Israeli government must do everything to approve a deal for the return of all the hostages.

The video comes after another proof-of-life video released earlier in the week, showing Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who lost his lower left arm during Hamas’s attack on southern Israel in October.

In the video, both Mr. Siegel and Mr. Miran urge the Israeli government to agree to a deal with Hamas for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. However, weeks of indirect negotiations have failed to produce an agreement. Hamas has previously insisted that any deal should include a permanent end to the war, full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and unrestricted return of displaced people to their homes. Meanwhile, Israel maintains its stance that it must destroy Hamas in Gaza and free the hostages.

Despite warnings of potential humanitarian consequences, Israel appears to be moving ahead with plans for an offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza, where 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.



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