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CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
Cape Breton trades workers on strike as they call for ‘equitable working conditions'
Trades workers are seen on strike outside the Cape Breton University campus on July 8, 2025. (Ryan MacDonald/CTV Atlantic) For the first time in more than three decades, trades professionals on Cape Breton Island are on strike as they call for 'more fair and equitable working conditions.' Construction of the new medical sciences building at Cape Breton University is among the projects currently on pause due to the strike. Workers were picketing outside the campus Tuesday morning. The university says it's too soon to say whether the job action will affect the timeline of the project, which is scheduled to be completed at the end of October. 'It is important to note that this is not a CBU related strike, and there is no impact on program start dates, which means the inaugural class will begin in late August as planned,' said Lenore Parsley, director of strategic communications with Cape Breton University in an email to CTV News. 'We continue to monitor the situation and will update the community when we know more.' Strike comes after 'challenging negotiations' The Cape Breton Island Building and Construction Trades Council says the job action comes after 'months of challenging negotiations to achieve new multi-trade collective bargaining agreements' for the 10 construction unions affiliated with the council. 'At this time, the unions are seeking wages and conditions that respect the dignity, work, and skill of its members,' said Ernie Dalton, president of the Cape Breton Island Building and Construction Trades Council, in a news release. The council says the current agreement, which was negotiated more than five years ago, includes substantial wage concessions that were promised to be remediated in future negotiations. It says the concessions were made to support a smoother negotiation process and expediate some much-needed projects. 'These promises are not being honoured and current negotiations are once more asking our members to accept lower wages,' said the council. Negotiations were supposed to begin in January, but didn't begin until March, which the council says has resulted in lost wages for its members. The council is calling on all parties to return to the bargaining table, noting 95 per cent of infrastructure and community projects in Cape Breton are done by its members. 'With critical projects across the Island relying on timely construction, a swift and fair resolution is crucial,' said Dalton. 'The Cape Breton Building Trades remains open to any constructive dialogue and is committed to achieving a fair outcome.' The Cape Breton Island Building and Construction Trades Council says it represents a total of 14 affiliated unions with more than 4,000 trades professionals in multiple disciplines across the island. It partners with more than 100 unionized contractors to build infrastructure such as water and sewer, commercial buildings, schools, and hospitals. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
Rents easing across most major markets but many tenants not feeling relief: CMHC
Canada's housing agency says advertised rents in major cities are easing due to factors such as increased supply and slower immigration, but renters are still not feeling relief relative to their income levels. Kyle Jerry, right, helps De-Ren Jhou carry a mattress into an apartment building on Quebec's unofficial moving day in Montreal, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes Canada's housing agency says advertised rents in some major cities are easing due to factors such as increased supply and slower immigration, but renters are still not feeling relief. In its mid-year rental market update released Tuesday, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said average asking rents for a two-bedroom purpose-built apartment were down year-over-year in four of seven markets. Vancouver led the way with a 4.9 per cent decrease in the first quarter of 2025, followed by drops of 4.2 per cent in Halifax, 3.7 per cent in Toronto and 3.5 per cent in Calgary. Average asking rents grew 3.9 per cent in Edmonton, 2.1 per cent in Ottawa and two per cent in Montreal, compared with the first quarter of 2024. Landlords reported that vacant units are taking longer to lease, CMHC said, especially for new purpose-built rental units in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, where they face competition from well-supplied secondary rentals such as condominium units and single-family homes. 'Purpose-built rental operators are responding to market conditions by offering incentives to new tenants such as one month of free rent, moving allowances and signing bonuses,' the report said, adding some landlords anticipate they may need to lower rents over the next couple of years. The agency said rents for occupied units are continuing to rise but at a slower pace than a year ago. It said higher turnover rents in several major rental markets have decreased tenant mobility, leading to longer average tenancy periods and 'more substantial' rent increases when tenants do move. In 2024, the gap in rental prices between vacant and occupied two-bedroom units reached 44 per cent in Toronto, the highest among major cities, while Edmonton had the smallest gap at roughly five per cent. Vacancy rates are expected to rise in most major cities this year amid slower population growth and sluggish job markets, CMHC said. 'As demand struggles to keep pace with new supply, the market will remain in a period of adjustment. This is particularly true in Ontario due to lowered international migration targets, especially in areas near post-secondary institutions,' the report stated. 'While the market may have abundant supply in the short-term, there is still a need to maintain momentum in new rental supply to meet the needs of projected future population growth and to achieve better affordability outcomes for existing households.' Despite downward pressure on rent prices, CMHC said affordability has still worsened over time as rent-to-income ratios have steadily risen since 2020, especially in regions like Vancouver and Toronto where turnover rents are driving increases. A separate report released Tuesday outlined similar trends across the national rental market last month. The latest monthly report from and Urbanation said asking rents for all residential properties in Canada fell 2.7 per cent year-over-year in June to $2,125, marking the ninth consecutive month of annual rent decreases. Despite the drop, average asking rents remained 11.9 per cent above levels from three years ago and 4.1 per cent higher than two years ago, 'underscoring the long-term inflationary pressure in the rental market,' the report said. Purpose-built apartment asking rents fell 1.1 per cent from a year ago to an average of $2,098, while asking rents for condos dropped 4.9 per cent to $2,207. Rents within houses and town homes fell 6.6 per cent to $2,178. 'Rent decreases at the national level have been mild so far, with the biggest declines mainly seen in the largest and most expensive cities,' Urbanation president Shaun Hildebrand said in a news release. 'However, it appears that the softening in rents has begun to spread throughout most parts of the country.' B.C. and Alberta recorded the largest decreases in June, with asking rents falling 3.1 per cent year-over-year in each province to an average of $2,472 in B.C. and $1,741 in Alberta. That was followed by Ontario's 2.3 per cent decrease to $2,329, Manitoba's 1.3 per cent decrease to $1,625 and Quebec's 0.9 per cent decrease to $1,960. Nova Scotia's average asking rent ticked 0.1 per cent lower to $2,268, while Saskatchewan was the only province to record year-over-year growth, at 4.2 per cent, to an average of $1,396. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2025. Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
BRP selling Manitou pontoon boat business to the family that owns Bentley Pontoons
Signage is seen on the offices of BRP Inc. in Montreal, Monday, March 24, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi VALCOURT — BRP Inc. has signed a deal to sell its Manitou pontoon boat business to the Marcott family, owners of Bentley Pontoons, as part of its plan to focus on its powersports operations. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of the company's 2026 financial year. Until then, BRP says it will work with the Marcott family to ensure a smooth transition. The company launched a plan last year to sell its various marine businesses, excluding its Sea-Doo personal watercraft and related operations. BRP has already finalized the sale of its Alumacraft business and signed an agreement for the sale of its Telwater business that is still subject to certain closing conditions. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2025.
