Canada

Canadian credit card holders carried over C$4,300 ($3,200) in balances on average in the second quarter, according to Equifax Canada, marking the highest level since the agency began collecting the data in 2007, Bloomberg News reported. A high interest-rate environment and rising unemployment are straining borrowers, especially younger Canadians, the credit bureau warned in a report released Tuesday. Consumer debt levels topped C$2.5 trillion last quarter, jumping 4.2% from a year earlier.

Staff at The Guardian and Journal Pioneer say they have been assured the newspapers will continue to publish as usual under their new owner, CBC.ca reported. The Guardian, based in Charlottetown, currently publishes on Tuesday through Friday, with a weekend edition on Saturdays. The Summerside-based Journal Pioneer operates as a weekly print publication. Postmedia reported Monday it had successfully closed the $1-million deal to acquire the P.E.I. newspapers, as well as several others in the Atlantic region, from SaltWire. SaltWire, which also owned The Halifax Herald Ltd.

China on Tuesday accused Canada of protectionism after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government imposed a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching U.S. duties on Chinese EVs, the Associated Press reported. The Chinese Commerce Ministry said the tariffs would disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains, severely impact China-Canada economic and trade ties and damage the interests of enterprises in both countries. “China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposes this,” it said in a statement.

The Canadian arbitrator appointed to resolve a messy railroad labor dispute to protect the North American economy has ordered employees at the country’s two major railroads back to work so both can resume operating, the Associated Press reported. Saturday's order means Canadian National will be able to continue operating the trains it restarted on Friday morning just over a day after it locked out workers. But Canadian Pacific Kansas City likely won't be able to restart its operations before 12:01 a.m. Monday, when workers were ordered to return.

A union filed a strike notice against Canadian National Railway Co. just hours after trains began rolling again on Friday, creating a new obstacle in a labor dispute that has upended North American supply chains, Bloomberg News reported. The Teamsters union told the Montreal-based railway that it plans to withdraw the services of its roughly 6,500 members at 10 a.m. Toronto time on Monday if there’s no agreement on a new contract. Thousands of workers at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd.

Canada's retail sales dropped in June, data showed on Friday, as consumers continued to feel the impact of high interest rates and cut back on discretionary purchases, Reuters reported. Retail sales, which comprise local sales of vehicles, clothing, furniture, food and beverages among other items, dropped 0.3% on a monthly basis, less than last month's 0.8% decline. The sales were pulled down primarily as fewer customers bought vehicles and automotive parts, but also by lower purchases of personal care products and sporting goods, Statistics Canada said.

Canada’s two biggest railways shut down early Thursday after talks with union leaders failed, immediately blocking arteries of North American supply chains that carry about C$1 billion ($740 million) per day in trade, Bloomberg News reported. More than 9,000 employees at Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. were locked out after a deadline passed without an agreement on a new contract. Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference had voted to strike over a number of issues, including scheduling and worker fatigue.

More than 6,400 Fisker Ocean SUVs had been delivered as of April, but if – as seems increasingly likely – Fisker goes out of business and its assets are liquidated to pay off creditors, all those vehicles and their owners could essentially be left out in the cold, the Globe and Mail reported. Fisker began delivering the Ocean SUV to Canadian customers at the end of 2023. The company hasn’t disclosed how many were sold here, but they’re a rare sight on the roads. There were issues related to customer service and vehicle reliability.

Inflation in Canada decelerated to the slowest pace in more than three years, keeping the central bank on track to cut rates for a third straight meeting next month, Bloomberg News reported. The consumer price index rose 2.5% in July from a year ago, following a deceleration to a 2.7% pace a month earlier, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday in Ottawa. That matched the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.