Crosscountry CANADA AT A GLANCE PERSONAL FINANCE
Hating that hike MORE THAN A QUARTER of Canadian mortgage holders are “in over their heads” in debt and are looking with alarm at the interest rate hikes that are underway, according to an Ipsos poll cited in the Calgary Herald. The rate increases initiated by the Bank of Canada are cranking up the financial stress of households whose total debt in relation to income is already at a record high. Just before the first increase in July, more than 70% rated their ability to manage a 1% rate increase as “less than optimal.” “Many are borrowing against their homes and using [the money] to finance lifestyles they simply can’t afford.... Canadians should be bracing themselves for some major financial changes,” says Grant Bazian, president of bankruptcy service MNP, which commissioned the Ipsos poll. — YB
PHOTOGRAPHY
Telefocusing in BC MOBILE DEVICES take surprisingly good photos, but they have a major drawback: users can’t change the focus to pinpoint a distant subject. Two Vancouver-based companies, NexOptic and Spectrum Optix, are poised to change that with a new telephoto lens system that would allow mobile devices to shoot long-range, high-definition photos, reports Business in Vancouver. Paul McKenzie, NexOptic CEO and
cofounder, told BIV that “the discovery changes something that hasn’t been changed in basically four [hundred] to five hundred years, which is the conventional lens stack.” Essentially, the companies will
shrink the lens stack, dramatically reducing the size of optical devices. For now, the main target is the $80-billion-a-year lens market. — YB
EDIBLES
Canada’s very own olive oil CANADA NOW PLAYS HOST to an increasing number of unexpected delicacies. The latest: pure 100% Canadian olive oil. According to the Calgary Herald, it all started in 1999, when a trip to
Spain inspired retirees George and Sheri Braun to start growing olive trees on Saltspring Island, BC. In late 2016, they produced their first vintage: 162 200-millilitre bottles of organic, extra-virgin oil, which retail for $75 each. The Brauns’ initial grove of 1,000 trees has now grown to more than 2,500. Health aficionados will be interested to know that the polyphenol count is “off the charts” and foodies will be thrilled with the Instagram comment from Rob Gentile, executive chef of Toronto restaurant Buca: “Probably the most unique olive oil I have ever tasted. Incredible depth with ocean-like seaweed notes and a strong peppery finish.” — Yan Barcelo
PURSUITS Occupation: gamer
HE STARTED OUT AS A PHARMACIST, but Montrealer Julien Perrault now makes a living as a gamer in interna- tional competitions, reports Le De- voir. His playground: Hearthstone, a fantasy-like game in the Warcraſt franchise. His alias: Cydonia. Perrault’s rapid rise seems to surprise many, but he still doesn’t consider
himself a professional player; he puts in five to six hours a day. His first big win was at the US section of the Hearthstone World Championship, where he took home US$25,000. In 2016, his total take was $80,000. Now, ranked among the 16 top players in the world, he’s attending the finale this October in California. If he wins, he’ll come back with US$1 million. — YB
SEPTEMBER 2017 | CPA MAGAZINE | 7
Cinda Chavich
Guillaume Levasseur/Le Devoir
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
