TORONTO — Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:
Postal strike
Canada Post was hit by a strike Friday after failing to reach a new contract with about 55,000 workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. All eyes will be on the labour dispute this week and how long it will continue ahead of the busy holiday season. The federal government recently moved to end labour disputes at ports in B.C. and Montreal by sending them to binding arbitration.
Housing starts
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release its report on housing starts for October on Monday. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 223,808 units in September, up from 213,012 in August.
Rail strike vote
Unifor says members at Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 working at Canadian National Railway Co. will hold strike votes across Canada starting on Monday. The union says it represents about 3,500 workers at the railway, including rail car technicians, mechanics, crane operators, machinists and electricians, as well as clerical and administration, customer support and fleet mechanics.
Inflation
Statistics Canada will release its October reading for inflation on Tuesday when it publishes its consumer price index for the month. The year-over-year inflation rate fell to 1.6 per cent in September, the slowest pace since February 2021 and below the Bank of Canada's target of two per cent.
Metro results
Metro Inc., the parent company of Metro grocery stores and Jean Coutu drugstores, will report its fourth-quarter results on Wednesday morning. The company expanded its Moi Rewards program into Ontario in October after rolling it out in Quebec and New Brunswick last year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:MRU, TSX:CNR)
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