What changed lately in Halifax, Toronto and Calgary, from official and trusted sources.
A Rentals.ca and Urbanation report found average asking rents in Canada fell 4.2 per cent year over year in September, the 24th straight monthly drop. In Ontario, average rents were down 4.8 per cent. Toronto rents recently hit a five-year low but have edged up over the past six months.
The deadline for the one-time $100 Alberta Energy Rebate has moved to October 31, 2026. Applicants must be Alberta residents aged 18 or older as of July 1, 2026, have filed a 2025 tax return, and have a household income of $225,000 or less.
Applications for Nova Scotia's Heating Assistance Rebate opened on October 1, 2026 and close on March 31. The rebate is $400 for 2026-27. Renters and homeowners who pay for their own heat can apply if their household net income is up to $45,000, or up to $30,000 for a single person.
Since May 2026, Nova Scotia has had the highest average asking rent of any province, $2,356 in August, according to Rentals.ca and Urbanation data. The province's 5 per cent rent cap protects existing tenants but does not apply when a unit is rented to a new tenant, and the cap is set to expire at the end of 2027.
Nova Scotia expects a $1.4-billion deficit for 2026-27 and ended 2025-26 with a $1.4-billion deficit. The province says spending, mainly on health care and seniors' care, grew faster than revenue. The update does not announce any tax or benefit changes for residents.
Alberta's 13-cent-per-litre provincial fuel tax on gasoline and diesel is suspended from October 1 to the end of 2026, under the province's oil-price-linked fuel tax rules. Anyone buying fuel in Alberta pays less while it lasts.
CMHC says Calgary is one of the few large Canadian cities where the gap to get back to pre-pandemic housing affordability is shrinking, after several years of record construction. Housing starts are slowing, from about 27,000 last year to a pace of about 19,000 this year.
For July 2026 to June 2027, the Canada Child Benefit rose to a maximum of $8,157 per child under 6 and $6,883 per child aged 6 to 17. Amounts depend on family income and the children's ages. More than 1.4 million Ontario families receive the benefit.
Summaries are written by MoreLife. Always check the original source before making decisions.
