Canadian consumer insolvencies surged by nearly 23 per cent month-over-month in March, according to data released by the Office of Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB) yesterday, BNN Bloomberg reported. That increase marked the largest one-month jump in new filing activity in more than a decade as some consumers simply hit a wall when it came to staving off a bankruptcy. Several factors led to the month-over-month increase, including consumers running out of income supports, the return-to-work trend, resumption of wage garnishments, and the courts gradually returning to more normal activities.
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Bridging Finance Inc. received a $126-million emergency cash infusion last year that gave new institutional backers better rights and more seniority than existing retail investors – but decided not to ask existing investors if they approved, according to documents reviewed by The Globe and Mail. Detailed terms of the emergency money also were not disclosed upfront to existing investors, despite the potential impact on their standing with other creditors should Bridging get into financial trouble. Some details were later outlined in Bridging’s audited year-end financial statements.
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A day before Michigan's deadline to close down a key crude oil pipeline, Canada on Tuesday issued its strongest remarks so far about the move, warning that it could undermine relations with the United States, its closest ally and trading partner, Reuters reported. Canadian company Enbridge Inc. is preparing for a legal battle with Michigan and courting protests from environmental groups, betting it can ignore the state's Wednesday deadline to shut down Line 5, which runs under the Straits of Mackinac. The Canadian government, intervening in the case to back Enbridge, said in a U.S.
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Canadian pension fund Alberta Investment Management Corp (AIMCo) has begun a strategic review of Spanish renewable energy firm Eolia, which could lead to a possible sale, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. AIMCo has hired advisers to decide on strategic options for the business that operates around 860 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy generation capacity in Spain.
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An Ontario court has placed Canadian lender Bridging Finance Inc. in receivership and the provincial securities regulator ordered that all trading cease in securities in its funds for 15 days, Reuters reported. The actions followed an investigation by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) that found the Toronto-based company and Chief Executive David Sharpe mismanaged and misappropriated investment funds. The OSC also suspended Sharpe’s registration as the company’s Ultimate Designated Person, responsible for its conduct and supervision, according to a statement issued late on Friday.
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Last September, deep in debt and with rising losses, Mountain Equipment Co-op filed for creditor protection and announced its sale to U.S.-based private investment firm Kingswood Capital Management, the Canadian Press reported. The B.C.-based retailer had been struggling with an enormous debt burden, inventory problems and steep online competition for years. Then COVID-19 hit, shuttering stores and obliterating in-person sales. Still, the decision to sell came as a surprise to members of the co-operative.
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Insolvent beverage company DavidsTea Inc. says its net losses nearly doubled last year on surging losses in the fourth quarter, the Canadian Press reported. The Montreal-based company says it lost $55.9 million or $2.14 per diluted share for the year, compared with a loss of $31.2 million or $1.20 per share in 2019. Deeper losses came as the company's sales plunged 38 per cent to $121.7 million from $196.5 million as it felt the effects of lockdowns and it exited its entire retail network except 18 Canadian stores. In the three months ended Jan.
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Insolvent Laurentian has cleared a critical obstacle to move forward with its plan to become financially stable, after a judge on Sunday agreed to allow the Sudbury, Ont., university to continue to operate while protected from creditors until Aug. 31, CBC News reported. Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of Ontario Superior Court has also given the university the go-ahead to cut ties with three federated universities, which will qualify Laurentian for a $10-million loan. Morawetz's decisions following hearings last week come at the expense of the University of Sudbury, Thorneloe and Huntington.
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The Calgary-based GYMVMT fitness chain will close multiple locations as part of a restructuring effort aimed at saving the business in the face of COVID-19 restrictions, the Calgary Herald reported. International Fitness Holdings Inc. — which operates 21 fitness centers in Calgary and Edmonton under the names GYMVMT, HER GYMVMT, Bankers Hall Club and ClubFit — filed a notice of intention last week to file a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
If it makes you feel better to say Canada’s housing market is a bubble, go ahead and say it. Everyone else has, The Globe and Mail reported. Ten years ago, The Economist magazine concluded Canadian real estate was grossly overvalued. Nine years ago, Merrill Lynch declared Canadian housing was afflicted by “overvaluation, speculation and oversupply.” Seven years ago, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund began sounding sirens about the dysfunctional state of Canadian housing.