Mortgage insurance is mandatory in Canada when homebuyers make down payments worth less than 20 percent of the asking price. Insurance is provided by the CMHC, Genworth Canada, or Canada Guaranty, protects lenders against mortgage defaults, and allows buyers to make down payments that are as low as 5 percent of the value of the home.

Thousands of Canadians will spread throughout malls today in attempts to find Black Friday discounted merchandise for the holidays. The cost to drive to these malls is more affordable than expected for the average driver. Average gas prices in the GTA fell to approximately $1.10/litre for the Black Friday weekend, and are expected to continue to drop over the coming weeks.

The Interac Association dominated the Canadian debit industry ever since Interac was founded in 1984. Visa began to challenge Interac with the launch of Visa Debit cards in Canada, which were launched as duel network, cobranded cards supported by four of the country’s largest banks.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday originated in the US, but Canada has assimilated the two days into its own culture. The coming weekend marks the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season, and by the end of December, many Canadians will be swimming through significant holiday debt.

The numbers fueling the growing car loan industry in Canada are stunning to say the least. The amount of car loans issued by Canadian banks averaged around $15 billion in 2005, and exceeded $63 billion in 2013. Meanwhile the number of car sales shifted back to pre recession levels at the close of 2012.

Southern Ontario is bracing for a topsy-turvy 12 hours of intense weather today. A warm front is blowing west across the region throughout the day, bringing along heavy rain and powerful wind gusts. By the overnight hours, the temperature is expected to drop back to freezing, raising the potential for snow squalls and thick ice.

The cost of a daily cup of coffee or a morning breakfast sandwich will be more expensive for most Canadians. The country’s most popular coffee shop, Tim Hortons confirmed that prices for two of its most popular items will rise due to “significantly higher operating costs.”

A legal battle is brewing between the Canadian taxi industry and the new Uber mobile app based car service. Uber wants to expand operations into the country’s largest cities, but is being obstructed by taxi drivers, consumer rights groups, and even some municipal politicians.

Home insurers are supposed to provide coverage to Canadian homeowners in the event of flooded basements. But one Nova Scotia woman has paid $40,000 of her own money to repair damages in her own basement after her insurer cancelled her policy.

In the spring of 2013, the then minority Liberal government agreed to an NDP proposal to lower car insurance rates across Ontario by an average of 15 percent by 2015. The two parties agreed to that commitment to pass the provincial budget at the time, which kept the minority government in power for another year.