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CTV News
42 minutes ago
- CTV News
Baristas show off their skills in last day of national competition
The 2025 Canadian Barista Championships wrapped up in Edmonton on July 27, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton/Connor Hogg) Coffee aromatics filled the Oliver Exchange Building 2 Sunday as the 2025 Canadian Barista Championships wrapped up its final day of a three-day competition. Eighteen competitors from across the country – including five hometown heroes – were pulling espresso shots and steaming milk in hopes of claiming the top prize. The winner of the championship will have the chance to compete in Milan, Italy for the World Barista Championship in October. Santiago Lopez, a competitor and co-owner of the Colombian Coffee Bar and Roastery, said the event helps move the industry forward. 'We get to showcase the quality of coffee that we have in the city, and its good to just showcase the city in general,' Lopez told CTV News Edmonton. 'Over the last 10 years, the industry in Edmonton has really evolved … and now we have a bunch of different, good coffee roasters and people that really appreciate coffee.' He said people are treating coffee as part of their morning ritual, rather than a commodity. Each competitor was required to complete a 15-minute 'performance,' preparing four espressos, four milk-based drinks and four unique signature beverages. Every performance was evaluated by a panel of 34 judges. But Lopez said the event wasn't just a competition. 'The intent for us all is to show other people in coffee, in the city, that we can get to higher levels, that we can push each other, that we're not in competition, that we're collaborators,' said Lopez. 'I think this tells everybody that we need to come together as a community to grow the industry in this city.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
U.S. and European Union reach trade pact that sets 15-per-cent tariff on EU goods
The United States struck a framework trade deal with the European Union Sunday that imposes a 15-per-cent U.S. import tariff on most EU goods, including autos, and leaves 50-per-cent levies on steel and aluminum shipments from the continent. The announcement came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to western Scotland for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at his golf course there. Ms. von der Leyen said the agreed-upon 15-per-cent tariff applies 'across the board' to U.S.-bound shipments from the EU. The deal, while short on details, also includes a commitment by the EU to make US$600-billion of investments in the United States, and to make significant purchases of U.S. energy and military equipment. 'It's a huge deal. It will bring stability. It will bring predictability,' she said. The Editorial Board: Trump's tariff shakedown takes shape The agreement largely mirrors a framework deal that the U.S. clinched with Japan last week, where Japanese automobiles will face a 15-per-cent U.S. tariff but U.S. steel and aluminum levies of 50 per cent remain in place. And it arrives at a critical moment in Canada's own trade negotiations with the Trump administration. Prime Minister Mark Carney faces an Aug. 1 deadline to strike a deal before the White House raises an existing tariff on Canadian goods. Mr. Carney and Mr. Trump have both signalled that a deal by the beginning of next month may not happen, with Mr. Carney saying he will accept only the best deal for Canada. On the U.S.-EU deal, Mr. Trump said: 'We are agreeing that the tariff ... for automobiles and everything else will be a straight across tariff of 15 per cent. Steel is staying the way it is – that's a worldwide thing,' the U.S. President said of his tariffs on foreign steel. Mr. Trump, who is seeking to reorder the global economy and reduce decades-old U.S. trade deficits with trading partners, has so far also signed agreements with Britain, Indonesia and Vietnam. By comparison, the trade deal the President struck with Britain in May would see British cars subject to a 10-per-cent tariff up to 100,000 vehicles and on shipments above, a 25-per-cent rate. Mr. Trump talked up the new agreement as 'the biggest of all the deals,' with total trade between the U.S. and the EU totalling US$976-billion in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Given the size of this relationship, the agreement could set a precedent for future U.S. deals, including with Canada. Opinion: Canada, we've already got Trump's best trade deal Since returning to office earlier this year, Mr. Trump has hit Canada with a string of tariffs: 50 per cent on steel and aluminum; 25 per cent on autos; and 25 per cent on any goods traded outside the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, with the exception of oil, gas and potash, at 10 per cent. He has threatened to increase the non-USMCA tariff to 35 per cent if there is no deal by Aug. 1. William Pellerin, a partner with McMillan LLP's international trade group, said the fact that Mr. Trump doesn't appear to be cutting steel and aluminum tariffs, or agreeing to lower baseline tariffs with key trading partners, is not a good sign for Canada. The details of recent deals 'show that the tariffs are stickier than we might have anticipated, even for developed economies and close U.S. allies, which is certainly a bit of a bad omen in some ways for Canada,' Mr. Pellerin said. He said the silver lining for Canada is it 'doesn't look like anyone's going to get better market access to the United States than Canada, even if we do get stuck with a baseline tariff.' Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, said Canada and Mexico are in a different position from other countries. This is both because of the White House rationale for the 25-per-cent tariff on most Canadian and Mexican goods – Mr. Trump cited illegal fentanyl smuggling as one reason – and because of the exemption for products traded in compliance with the USMCA. Campbell Clark: Mark Carney faces the politics of concession Japan and the European Union did not qualify for a USMCA-style exemption and therefore had to 'buy down' tariffs with major commitments to purchase U.S. goods or make investments in the United States, he noted. Mr. Hyder said Canada needs to preserve its special access under the USMCA, which is up for renegotiation in 2026, or possibly sooner. 'Our goal has to be keeping the exemption, and that means preserving and extending the USMCA must be our top priority.' There are some significant trade differences between Canada and the EU – and they work in Canada's favour. For one, Canada is the top destination for U.S. goods exports, according to the USTR, bringing in US$349-billion worth of American goods in 2024. Canada also has a much smaller trade surplus with the U.S. than the EU. Mr. Trump has taken particular issue with such imbalances, which he considers unfair − even when they benefit American consumers. Canada also has an intricately linked supply chain with the U.S. in multiple industries, including automobiles and energy, with many products shipped back and forth across the Canada-U.S. border many times before they are sold to end users. The two countries also have an existing trade agreement, the USMCA, which Mr. Trump negotiated during his first term. Throughout months of talks, European officials threatened reciprocal tariffs on the U.S. and prepared a retaliatory package of tariffs of up to 30 per cent against €92-billion worth of U.S. exports. In the end, however, the EU will not retaliate, despite now facing 15-per-cent tariffs across most goods. Explaining her rationale, the EU's Ms. von der Leyen told reporters that the deal will bring 'stability' and 'predictability.' Yet many key elements of the trade relationship between the U.S. and the EU remain uncertain. For now, Mr. Trump is maintaining his 50-per-cent tariff on steel. And while pharmaceuticals will initially fall under Sunday's 15-per-cent agreement, that is subject to change. More details are also needed on the purchase and investment promises. The EU agreed to purchase US$750-billion worth of American energy products and to also invest US$600-billion in the United States on top of existing expenditures, but it is not clear who will make these investments or how they will be enforced. A similar investment agreement was made by Japan when it announced its own trade deal with the U.S. last week. But within days, Japanese officials started pouring cold water on some of the terms. Mr. Trump had claimed that the U.S. would make 90 per cent of profits on Japanese investments into the U.S., but Japan later pushed back and said its understanding was that profits would be based on the contribution made, and the risk taken, by each party. Tony Keller: As Trump's tariff walls rise, Canada's negotiating leverage is shrinking While Mr. Trump remains far from his initial goal of signing 90 trade deals in 90 days, stock-market investors have been reassured that agreements with major developed countries and regions are finally coming in and that the 15-per-cent tariff rates with major economies are lower than the levels Mr. Trump had threatened during the negotiations. However, 15-per-cent tariffs are much higher than the equivalent rates at the start of the year, and it isn't clear yet who will absorb them − companies or American consumers − because so far, price increases have been muted after companies piled up inventory early in the year. There are signs, however, that some pain is coming − particularly in sectors that Mr. Trump has singled out, including automobiles and steel. Volkswagen reported earnings on Friday and said tariffs cost the company €1.3-billion over the first six months of the year, and that going forward, the German car maker is lowering its operating profit to a range of 4 per cent to 5 per cent for 2025, down from 5.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Ottawa's plan to boost deposit insurance is too timid and mired in concerns of ages past
John Turley-Ewart is a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail, a regulatory compliance consultant and a Canadian banking historian. Between 1982 and 1985, the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation paid out $3.177-billion in claims to cover depositor losses. Ten poorly managed and badly regulated trust companies were the cause. By 1993, CDIC had recovered more than two-thirds of those funds when the liquidators were finished. The final cost to CDIC was $827-million. This loss put a dent in the Department of Finance's perception of deposit insurance. It was supposed to boost competition by levelling the playing field for smaller banks and financial institutions. Instead, some smaller institutions leveraged deposit insurance to attract deposits from unwitting customers that they then used to fund high-risk ventures. This boosted instability, not just competition. But those days are long gone, and financial regulation is different today. Ottawa needs to let the past go. Investor Clinic: Understanding deposit insurance rules could help simplify your holdings The quickest way to boost competition in Canada's banking system is now on the table: Increasing the dollar value of deposits guaranteed by the CDIC in cases of failure is under consideration in Ottawa. The more coverage CDIC offers, the easier it is to move beyond the Big Six banks for deposit accounts, chequing accounts, investment deposits – such as guaranteed investment certificates – and other CDIC-covered deposit categories and products. This in turn incentivizes Canada's Big Six to offer more competitive interest rates, reduce fees and improve service standards. Yet, the federal government is squandering an easy opportunity to boost competition with a timid proposal to insure consumer deposits up to $150,000 (versus the current amount, $100,000) for each eligible deposit product at member institutions, which include chartered banks, federally regulated credit unions, and loan and trust companies. Curiously, the Department of Finance is proposing that CDIC increase coverage for business deposit accounts to $500,000. Businesses will welcome this, but it creates a politically flawed, two-tier deposit insurance system. Such an approach puts any future federal government dealing with a bank failure in the invidious position of having CDIC business payouts exceed by more than three times consumer payouts. The likely outcome would see Ottawa cough up taxpayer money to make whole consumer deposits exceeding the $150,000 ceiling, defeating the purpose of CDIC. Rob Carrick: A $250,000 deposit insurance limit for banks would suit today's world a lot better than the current $100,000 The last time Ottawa increased CDIC coverage on Canadian-dollar deposit accounts was 20 years ago. Now the federal government is playing catch-up with the annual rate of inflation (2.18 per cent) since CDIC coverage was last raised to $100,000 in 2005. In real value of money terms, CDIC coverage dropped by almost 54 per cent over the past two decades. With the expansion of savings products covered by CDIC in recent years, such as the First Home Savings Account, one might assume the effective CDIC coverage has widened. And yet, the Department of Finance's own study found that CDIC-eligible deposits fell to 36 per cent in 2024 from 58 per cent in 2005. This advantages the Big Six banks at the expense of smaller financial players. Canadians are more likely to trust uninsured personal and business deposits to larger, older institutions. Following the failure of two finance companies in 1965 and 1966 that generated heavy losses, and a run on the Montreal City and District Savings Bank (known today as Laurentian Bank) in 1967, the federal government founded CDIC to restore confidence in the financial system while 'enhancing the competitive position of … smaller banks.' Deposit insurance was the antidote to the understandable bias toward larger banks. CDIC's initial deposit insurance coverage in 1967 was $20,000, the equivalent of $181,000 in today's dollars – 20 per cent higher than what Ottawa is now proposing. Competition would be enhanced by ensuring 'the safety and soundness of those depositors who are usually not in a position to judge for themselves the financial soundness of the institution holding their deposits.' It is an approach with advocates in other parts of Canada as well as the United States. Provinces regulate their financial deposit-taking institutions and have provincial versions of CDIC. In Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, deposit insurance is unlimited. In Prince Edward Island, it is unlimited for deposits in registered and tax-free accounts. Ontario offers a mix of unlimited coverage and $250,000 in deposit insurance depending on the deposit product. In New Brunswick, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador, provincially regulated deposit-taking institutions offer $250,000 per nine common deposit product categories. In the U.S., the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation offers US$250,000 (roughly $340,000) in deposit insurance for each of 14 deposit product categories. Revised CDIC coverage aligned with provincial and U.S. norms will better encourage competition in our banking system. It could be problematic, though, if the Department of Finance has real concerns about the state of some of our smaller financial institutions. Proposing such a modest increase to $150,000 raises the question: Does it?
