Bank of Canada Warns U.S. Tariffs Could Slash Fourth-Quarter Growth - CPAC

Voters across the United States will go to polls in the midterm elections on Nov. 3, but Florida voters will also cast their ballots on a question that affects Canadian snowbirds – whether to significantly cut property taxes. The question is a part of a proposal from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to amend the state’s constitution, called Amendment 3. Currently, Florida tax law gives residents or “homesteaders” something called a homestead tax exemption. This cuts up to US$51,411 of taxable value from the assessed value of your home. If the vote passes with a 60 per cent supermajority on Nov. 3, this homestead exemption would be raised to US$150,000 in 2027 and US$250,000 in 2028. Starting in 2029, the value of a Florida resident’s home shielded from tax exemptions will rise automatically every year, with the limit being indexed to inflation. Story continues below advertisement

On Monday, Albertans vote on whether to stay in Canada or hold another binding referendum on quitting Canada. If the vote goes as polls suggest, a majority of Albertans will mark an X to stay in Confederation, and Premier Danielle Smith has said if that’s so, she expects everyone to accept it and move on. Leaders of the independence movement contest that. And political watchers are divided about whether separation — previously a fringe sentiment — will now be a prominent, permanent feature of Alberta’s political landscape, as in Quebec. Julian Castro-Rea, a political-science professor at the University of Alberta who studies the separation debates in Quebec and Alberta, believes as long as Alberta feels alienated from the Canadian capital — feeling that Ottawa benefits from Alberta’s resource economy without giving back — the movement will have fuel. “Even if the referendum is lost, the westernization will still be around, because it’s kind of a way which, traditionally, Albertans have related to the rest of Canada,” says Castro-Rea, who believes western alienation may remain indefinitely. Story continues below advertisement

It’s no secret the long-held Canadian consensus on immigration has fractured — pulled apart by a rapid increase in new arrivals post-pandemic and growing affordability challenges. Now, that fracture is starting to show up at the ballot box. The Parti Québécois won a minority mandate in Quebec on a platform that included promises of tighter immigration controls, which the party linked to protecting French culture and easing pressure on public services and housing. And when Albertans head to the polls Monday to vote on whether to hold a future referendum on separation from Canada, they’ll also be answering five separate questions on immigration being pushed by the government of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Those questions include:— Should the province should have more say over economic immigration?— Should provincially funded services should be restricted to citizens, permanent residents and those with “Alberta-approved” immigration status? Story continues below advertisement