Car shoppers pessimistic about Canada's zero-emissions vehicle sales target: survey
The survey from consumer insights firm J.D. Power found that 75 per cent of new-vehicle shoppers are not confident the 2035 target will be reached.
The survey also found that 28 per cent of respondents are 'very likely' or 'somewhat likely' to consider an EV for their next vehicle purchase, down from 29 per cent last year and 34 per cent in 2023.
Canadian interest in EVs is much lower than in the United States, where 59 per cent of those surveyed said they are either 'very likely' or 'somewhat likely' to purchase an electric vehicle.
The federal government paused an incentive program in January that offered Canadians rebates of up to $5,000 when buying or leasing electric vehicles.
The online survey of nearly 4,000 potential new vehicle buyers found that pause had a negative effect on 42 per cent of those who were likely to consider getting an EV.
The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Drivers vs. cyclists: a battle for the streets in Canada's largest city
Then came the backlash. Some of the most popular bike lanes were making Toronto's notorious traffic worse, according to the provincial government. So, Doug Ford, premier of Toronto's province, Ontario, signed a law to rip out 14 miles of the lanes from three major streets that serve the core of the city. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow arrived for her first day in office two years ago riding a bike. She was not pleased with the law, arguing that the city had sole discretion to decide street rules. Chow did not respond to a request to comment. But in public remarks, she has since softened her tone, suggesting it was possible to have a 'win-win solution' by relocating some bike lanes or keeping them in place while adding more driving lanes. Advertisement 'We could design them better,' Chow told reporters in April. Bike lanes are a sore point for many drivers frustrated by the constant traffic jams in the heart of Toronto. 'There's so much traffic because of bike lanes,' said Nasser Moradman, who has driven a taxi in Toronto for 30 years. The lanes aren't even used much during the long winter, he complained, adding: 'It's miserable. It's very tough to drive in the city.' Advertisement Cycling proponents and others who vehemently oppose Ford's move mounted a legal challenge, and a provincial court has temporarily barred the removal of any bike lanes until a judge decides if the new law is unconstitutional. Cities across the world, including New York and Paris, have added miles of bike lanes to make streets safer for cyclists and encourage drivers to abandon their vehicles and opt for more climate-friendly modes of travel, such as cycling and public transportation. In some places, the lanes have also set off criticism from drivers and others who say that they have made life worse for people who have to drive, including delivery workers and taxi drivers. President Trump called New York's bike lanes dangerous and claimed that cyclists were 'whacking people.' In Canada, government data show that about an average of 2 million people commute to Toronto by car on workdays. And those commuters contribute to the city's congestion, which ranks second behind Vancouver among Canadian cities, according to TomTom, a global traffic index. Toronto's chronic traffic snarls can come as an unwelcome surprise to some visitors. In February, the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team had to abandon a ride because of traffic and walk the remaining blocks to a downtown arena -- not the first time that professional athletes have had to do that. The problems have cost the Toronto region about about $33 billion in lost productivity per year, according to a report by the Canadian Center for Economic Analysis. 'Congestion has reached crisis levels,' said Giles Gherson, president of the Toronto Board of Trade, which suggested in a report that Toronto 'rebalance' its roads by cutting back street-level parking and moving bike lanes. Advertisement Many commuters also argue that driving into Toronto from the suburbs is often faster than using public transportation, with experts saying that the city lacks enough rapid transit to meet its needs. The provincial government has been criticized for long delays to transit projects. The province says only 1.2 percent of workers commute by bike. For comparison, even in New York City, which has a large system of bike lanes, about 1.4 percent of people commute by bike, according to city figures. The conflict in Toronto has resonated with people such as Sharon Danley, a retiree. She recently joined a citizens group opposing a bike lane on her street, which she said was disruptive and unfair. The lane, she said, slows down a transit bus for people with disabilities. 'Now what we're doing is clogging up lean arteries and causing a lot of harm,' Danley said. In Toronto, where the car has long been king, cyclists have been gaining ground. Toronto added 67 miles of bike lanes between 2020 and 2024 and now has 207 miles of them. The city's bike-share service had 6.9 million rides in 2024, up from 2.9 million in 2020. 'Cycling has become more pleasant,' said Chad Mohr, a food-bank volunteer who delivers groceries by bike. 'Now they're talking about ripping tons of that infrastructure out, which would be a tragedy and just a giant, ridiculous, expensive step backward.' The city spent about $20 million to install the bike lanes that Ontario now wants to eliminate. In a report, it estimates that removing them would cost $35 million. Advertisement Last year, Toronto said a half-dozen cyclists were killed in the city, the highest number in two decades. Between 2016 and 2023, 260 cyclists have been seriously injured, with most crashes on streets with no bike lanes. Removing bike lanes would 'cost people their lives,' said Geoffrey Bercarich, a bike-repair technician who installs memorials called ghost bikes in places where cyclists have been killed. Ford has made it clear that he is not opposed to cyclists or cycling. 'I'm not against bike lanes,' he told reporters in May. 'Build all the bike lanes you want, just not on main arterial roads.'' Cycling proponents argue that the province has not shown any evidence that removing bike lanes will ease traffic. 'This idea that they're somehow the cause of Toronto's traffic woes isn't based on any fact,' said Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto, an advocacy group. He was speaking by phone from a hospital, where he was recovering from a fractured leg that he said he sustained while cycling when a driver opened a door into a bike lane. The Ontario government has passed a measure that would protect it from lawsuits by cyclists injured on roads where the province tears out bike lanes. Cycling supporters say the move amounts to a tacit acknowledgment that riders will be hurt if the province is allowed to eliminate bike lanes, said David Shellnutt, a personal-injury lawyer in Toronto specializing in cycling cases. 'It is an admission that, yes, we know that what we're proposing here will result in injury and death,' Shellnutt said, 'and so we're going to insulate ourselves from accountability.' This article originally appeared in Advertisement


The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
Would a weaker dollar be a good thing for the US?
The strength of the U.S. dollar influences trade, inflation and investment, but as President Trump noted Friday, the currency's power comes with trade-offs. 'I'm a person that likes a strong dollar, but a weak dollar makes you a hell of a lot more money,' Trump told reporters Friday. The president added that a strong dollar helps keep inflation in check and feels good psychologically, but argued, 'You can't sell anything.' His mixed messaging highlights tension policymakers have long grappled with: There isn't a simple connection between the strength of a country's currency and the strength of its economy. On one hand, a strong dollar makes imported goods cheaper for American consumers, but on the other, a weaker dollar makes U.S. products more competitive abroad, benefiting exporters. What does it mean when the dollar is strong vs. weak? The dollar is considered strong when it rises in value against other currencies, as measured by the exchange rate. If a dollar can buy more of another currency than before, that means it's getting stronger relative to that currency. Tourists notice this when traveling abroad and exchanging money. Earlier this year, the U.S. dollar and the euro were nearly at parity, or worth practically the same. Today, $1 is worth about 0.85 euros, meaning Americans visiting Italy will notice they get fewer euros in exchange for their dollars than just a few months ago. In that sense, the dollar has weakened relative to the euro. But the value of the U.S. dollar — and other currencies — is constantly changing due to supply and demand, shaped by factors like monetary policy, inflation and investor sentiment. The dollar has been weakening recently, falling more than 10 percent in the first half of the year when compared to a basket of currencies from major U.S. trading partners. The last time the dollar weakened this much at the start of the year was 1973, according to The New York Times. What are the advantages of a strong dollar? American tourists get more value for their money abroad when the dollar is strong, but you don't have to leave the country to experience the upside. One of the main benefits is that it lowers the cost of imports, making foreign products cheaper for consumers. But shoppers buying Mexican tequila and Canadian maple syrup aren't the only ones who come out ahead — a strong dollar also lowers input costs for businesses that rely on imports, easing inflationary pressures. A U.S. automaker importing parts from Mexico would pay fewer dollars for the same peso-priced components when the dollar strengthens against the peso. Lower input costs for U.S. companies put pressure on foreign competitors to cut prices to stay competitive, another potential win for American consumers. More broadly, as the world's primary reserve currency, a strong dollar projects global confidence and reinforces trust in the U.S. financial system. It's often seen as a sign of economic strength. 'When we have a strong dollar, one thing happens — it sounds good,' Trump told reporters Friday. What are the disadvantages of a strong dollar? A strong dollar can hurt American exporters because it makes U.S. goods more expensive in foreign markets. Boeing, for example, exports large numbers of aircraft globally, and when the U.S. dollar strengthens, those planes become more expensive to foreign buyers paying in other currencies. American firms that don't export can also feel the pinch, as they often compete with imports. A strong dollar can make it harder for Made-in-the-USA products to hold their own against cheaper goods from abroad. 'You can't sell tractors, you can't sell trucks, you can't sell anything,' Trump said of a strong dollar on Friday. 'It is good for inflation, that's about it.' While a strong dollar tends to ease U.S. inflationary pressures, it also intensifies inflation abroad — a dynamic that, in today's interconnected global economy, can ultimately be bad for business. Another point: A strong dollar raises the cost of visiting the U.S., which can dampen tourism. In the end, the strength of the dollar is a balancing act, with trade-offs that ripple across the global economy. Whether it helps or hurts depends on where you sit and what you're trying to sell.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
EU-US Trade Agreement Now Hinges Mostly on Trump's Verdict
(Bloomberg) -- After months of intensive talks and shuttle diplomacy, a trade agreement between the European Union and the US now rests mostly on Donald Trump. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Trump Administration Sues NYC Over Sanctuary City Policy European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Scotland to meet the US president on Sunday, as the two sides aim to conclude a deal ahead of Friday's deadline, at which point 30% tariffs on the bloc's exports to the US are otherwise due to kick in. 'Intensive negotiations at technical and political have been ongoing,' said Paula Pinho, von der Leyen's spokesperson. 'Leaders will now take stock and consider the scope for a balanced outcome that provides stability and predictability for businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.' EU officials have repeatedly cautioned that a deal ultimately rests with Trump, making the final outcome difficult to predict. The US president recently negotiated with Japan and appeared to change certain final terms on the fly before a deal was eventually agreed earlier this week. The EU and US have been zeroing in on an agreement over the past week that would see the EU face 15% tariffs on most of its trade with the US. Limited exemptions are expected for aviation, some medical devices and generic medicines, several spirits, and a specific set of manufacturing equipment that the US needs, Bloomberg previously reported. Steel and aluminum imports would likely benefit from a quota under the arrangements under discussion, but above that threshold they would face a higher tariff of 50%. Alongside a universal levy, the US president has hit cars and auto parts with a 25% levy, and steel and aluminum with double that. He's also threatened to target pharmaceuticals and semiconductors with new duties as early as next month, and recently announced a 50% tariff on copper. The EU is expecting the same 15% ceiling on some sectors that could be the target of future tariffs, including pharmaceuticals, according to people familiar with the matter. But that's one of the key points where Trump's position will be crucial to a deal being sealed, the people added. 'We'll see if we make a deal,' Trump said as he arrived in Scotland on Friday. 'Ursula will be here, highly respected woman. So we look forward to that.' Trump reiterated that he believed there's 'a 50-50 chance' of a deal with the EU, saying there were sticking points on 'maybe 20 different things' that he didn't want to detail publicly. 'That would be actually the biggest deal of them all if we make it,' the president said. Trump gave similar chances of an agreement with European negotiators before leaving Washington, but also said the EU had a 'pretty good chance' of reaching an agreement. The US president announced tariffs on almost all US trading partners in April, declaring his intent to bring back domestic manufacturing, pay for a massive tax-cut extension, and stop the rest of the world from — as Trump has characterized it — taking advantage of the US. In addition to levies, any agreement would cover non-tariff barriers, cooperation on economic security matters, and strategic purchases by the EU in sectors such as energy and artificial intelligence chips, Bloomberg previously reported. The bloc has also offered to remove tariffs on many industrial goods and non-sensitive agricultural imports. The terms of any initial deal, which is likely to take the form of a short joint statement if agreed upon, would need to be approved by member states, some of the people said. The statement would be seen as a stepping stone toward more detailed talks. Because of the ongoing uncertainty, the EU has in parallel sketched out countermeasures in the event of a no-deal scenario. That would see it quickly hit American exports with up to 30% tariffs on some €100 billion ($117 billion) worth of goods — including Boeing Co. aircraft, US-made cars and bourbon whiskey — in the event of a no-deal, and if Trump carries through with his threat to impose that rate on most of the bloc's exports after Aug. 1 or in future. The package also includes some export restrictions on scrap metals. In a no-deal scenario, the bloc is also prepared to move forward with its anti-coercion instrument, a potent trade tool that would eventually allow it to target other areas such as market access, services and restrictions on public contracts, provided a majority of member states backs its use. While Trump didn't explicitly link negotiations to non-trade matters on Friday, he did suggest that he planned to raise concerns over migration flows. Trump has imposed strict anti-immigration policies since returning to office, carrying out a mass deportation effort of those in the US illegally while also narrowing pathways to legally move to the US. 'You got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe, many countries in Europe,' Trump said, adding that he believed 'this immigration is killing Europe.' --With assistance from Josh Wingrove. 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