Cost of Living

This week, we answer some of your burning questions about the economy. Like, why does Canada import stuff that we produce here? Should you pay in CAD when travelling abroad? And, how expensive is the #rvlife?Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input! 

The post-WWII rules-based order has been good to Canada. International trade agreements and cooperation have brought peace and prosperity. But with Trump now tearing up the playbook, will we have to follow suit? Or can we find new partners who still want to play the old game the old way? Also, why more North Americans are willing to splurge on business class flights and why long waitlists are pushing Canadians to shop for new hips abroad.We value your input. Fill out our listener questionnaire here!

More than two decades ago, Ireland radically cut corporate taxes and produced an "economic miracle." Now some say Canada should look to the Emerald Isle and perform a miracle of its own. We find out why some people are learning to love Canadian Gamays and Pinot Noirs. And could a proposed takeover of Teck, one of our last mining giants, be a test of the country's newfound economic nationalism?

Only a handful of companies have gone public on the TSX in the last few years. Paul Haavardsrud explores why that’s bad for investors and the economy at large. Also, we explore why so many adults are now getting mid-life braces. But, first up, is our love of big SUVs making traffic congestion worse?

About one in three marriages end in divorce in Canada. But the high cost of housing has some people doing the unthinkable — continuing to live with their ex.

This week, we dug through the vaults to find the best of your questions! Like, why does a deli roast chicken cost less than cooking one yourself? What's the deal with reverse mortgages? And do charities really make money from those giant clothing donation bins?

Canadians have hit the breaks on buying electric vehicles. But to meet the federal mandate, 10 years from now, every new vehicle sold in this country will have to be zero emission. So how are we going to get there?

Back in the spring, Trump's tariff threats had Canadians ducking for cover. We were bracing for massive job losses, inflation, even a full-blown recession. But for the most part, the economy is chugging along better than expected. So what gives?

It's not as far-fetched as it sounds. Canada needs new economic allies, and we meet a lot of the criteria for membership. So could we? Should we? Montreal political scientist, Frederic Menard, outlines the pros and cons of joining the EU. 

The world of money has changed a lot since the 90s, and Rob Carrick has seen it all. From the 2008 financial crisis to the recent rise in housing prices, Rob looks back at a career as the personal finance columnist for the Globe and Mail.

Social insurance numbers are like snowflakes. No two are alike. That's what makes them so valuable to the wrong kind of people. So if SINs are so important to hold close, why are we asked to share them so often?

Some of us might forget $20 in a coat pocket, but what about thousands of dollars in pension payments? It happens more often than you might think. We'll explain why Canadians lose track of their own retirement savings and how to reclaim them. 

A world powered by solar energy has been on the horizon for years. But with costs dropping at a rapid pace, the renewable may be about to have its moment in the sun. So what could we achieve with all that cheap, unlimited energy?

Massive population growth in the last few years put pressure on housing and healthcare. But all those people have also been pouring money into the economy and, by some accounts, keeping us out of a recession. So does a plan for negative population growth risk steering us into the economic ditch?

Trump's tariffs have caused a lot of aggro between Canada and the U.S. But on a personal level, many of us still have friends down south. NPR host Darian Woods with the economics podcast, The Indicator, joins us to talk about covering Trump, how average Americans feel about the tariffs and the state of our cross-border relationship.