Canada continuing to lag in the number of EV charging stations needed to meet goals
With a little more than 35,000 charging stations in service across the country, Canada is falling well short of the 100,000-plus stations it needed by this year, according to experts with the Dunsky Energy and Climate consultancy in Montreal.
Almost 90 per cent of Canada's public chargers are in B.C., Ontario and Quebec, provinces which accounted for the bulk of new EV sales in Canada in 2024.
Researchers at Dunsky say the lack of available charging stations is a barrier for people who don't have a driveway where they can charge a car at home.
They also say the increase in the number of chargers along key corridors is making it easier for Canadians to bring their EVs on longer trips.
Canada has increased the number of charging stations by 50 per cent over the last two years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025
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American Press
12 hours ago
- American Press
Louisiana spotlight: Nungesser keeping state top of mind for those ready to explore
Traveling has been significantly increasing since the decline during the COVID-19 pandemic — and Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and his team are working hard to keep Louisiana top of mind for those ready to explore. Last year, Nungesser said his office used a U.S. Commerce Department grant to increase awareness of Louisiana as a travel destination in Mumbai and New Delhi, India; Madrid, Spain; and Milan, Italy. In a few months, the team will spend a week in Canada promoting the Bayou State and its French heritage. Canada 'is about 33 percent of our international market,' Nungesser told members of the Rotary Club of Lake Charles Wednesday afternoon. 'Those Canadians love them some Louisiana.' In Paris, the Louisiana Office of Tourism also wrapped taxi cabs serving as rolling billboards to inspire travel to the state and it sponsored the London Jazz Festival last year. Nungesser said Louisiana welcomed 43 million domestic and international visitors in 2023, the most recent data available. Those visitors spent a total of $18.1 billion, an increase of 5.4 percent over 2022. International visitation showed the most significant gain, he said, increasing 16.9 percent in 2023 with spending reaching $1.7 billion. Louisiana has also been on the national stage in recent months with an alligator-themed float that crawled the streets of Pasadena, Calif., for the 136th annual Rose Parade and again as host to the Super Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans. 'Somebody asked me what do we do better than anyone else and I said Mardi Gras,' Nungesser said. 'So we found out what parades we could go to. We were in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for three years and now we're in the Rose Parade.' Though the floats are professionally designed, they are decorated by volunteers days before the parade. Every float is covered in flowers, leaves, seeds, bark and other natural materials to honor the Rose Parade's history. Nungesser said volunteers from Louisiana are flown to California and are shuttled between the warehouse where the float is being built to their accommodations. A New Orleans native who now resides in California brings her beignets-only food truck each day to feed the volunteers during their shifts and the best of Louisiana cuisine is served each night. 'It's a trip everybody should make,' he said. For more on volunteering, visit Nungesser said participation in the parade 'allows us to drive awareness about our state as a vacation destination to a broad number of attendees, as well as viewers watching from home,' Nungesser said. 'The return on investment for the Rose Parade has been incredible.' Nungesser said the Rose Parade media coverage — thanks to a plethora of morning show interviews aired across the nation as the float is being built — for the past four years reached an estimated 10.4 billion people and was worth $144.9 million. State Parks When Nungesser took office nearly a decade ago, seven state parks were under the threat of closure. 'I was told, 'You don't have the money to keep them open and they're in pretty bad shape,' ' he said. 'Thanks to our sheriffs and local volunteers we were able to do a lot of repair and get them presentable and today those seven parks are making a profit.' The Louisiana Office of State Parks operates 21 state parks, 14 historic sites and a preservation area that comprises 45,000 acres, 110 miles of roads and 1.2 million square feet of rental facilities that welcomed more than 1.75 million visitors last year. He said his new goal is creating resort conference centers within some of the state parks to attract visiting conferences. 'We have over 350 groups that meet every year all over Louisiana,' he said. 'They don't meet in New Orleans because the hotel does not cover their per diem, but they meet everywhere else. There's usually 300-500 people and it's a great opportunity for us and it would be a great for the local economies. One thing we won't do is we won't let anyone open a restaurant (within the conference centers) or anything that would compete with local businesses.' One state park thriving at the moment is Bogue Chitto — a top destination for travelers nationwide for its mountain biking trails, which are maintained by the North Shore Off-Road Bicycling Association. 'A thousand people a month from 10-15 states go to Washington Parish for this mountain bike trail,' he said. 'We also have horseback riding. We brought a gentleman's horses into the park and let him run the business out of the park and he's knocking it out of the park, no pun intended. These two private-public partnerships have put Washington Parish on the map. Before they had very little tourism. It has changed that town forever.' Prime Video just completed a documentary on the mountain bike trails and 25 percent of the proceeds will go into building additional trails. He said the park recently acquired an additional 600 acres to expand the mountain bike and horseback riding trails. Museums Nungesser's office oversees nine museums; the Secretary of State's office and some local cities operate the rest. He said he hopes to introduce a bill next year that would force all museums to be open on the weekends — every museum operated under the Secretary of State's Office are not — when people are off work and more likely to visit. His office has also bought the website and plans to video every museum in the state. 'We did a video about the ghost that's upstairs at the Beauregard Gothic Jail — I don't know if it's there but the lady has me convinced and I'm not going up to check — and we test marketed to people who like ghosts and at Halloween, 4,000 people showed up to find that ghost,' he said. 'If you have a ghost, we will promote it and they will come.' He said most are aware of the World War II Museum in New Orleans. Now promotions will tie in Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe, the Louisiana Military Museum in Abbeville and others to draw in like-minded visitors. He also wants to give all museums the freedom to hire the directors of their choice. Right now, that responsibility falls under the office that oversees the facility. Louisiana seafood Several key pieces of legislation passed during the 2024 Regular Legislative Session affected the seafood industry in the state. Act 47 mandates restaurants serving imported crawfish or shrimp must officially inform their customers on the menu; Act 148 requires restaurants and food service establishments to label on menus all imported seafood as such, not just shrimp and crawfish; and Act 756 transferred the Seafood Safety Task Force to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board to help in the regulation of imported seafood. 'We want people to ask before they eat. The goal is to prevent imported seafood — which is filled with a lot of antibiotics — to come into this country and to level the playing field for our Louisiana fishermen,' he said. 'If you eat Boudreaux's crawfish tails, they're going to be from Boudreaux's. They're not going to be from Thailand.' Keep Louisiana Beautiful Love the Boot Week is Louisiana's largest litter removal and beautification effort. During 2024, 19,441 people volunteered a total of 100,712 hours at over 760 events, removing a record 347 tons of litter in all 64 parishes. 'It has become a movement,' Nungesser said. Their efforts diverted 293 pounds of aluminum cans and 330 pounds of plastic bottles from the landfill allowing the items to be recycled. Next month, the office will be handing out buckets at marinas around the state, asking boaters and fishermen to scoop up any trash they may see on the waterways and shorelines. 'We're not going to take our foot off the gas until we have no more trash in Louisiana,' Nungesser said.
Hamilton Spectator
17 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ever wondered what financial experts read? Five books to guide you on your investment journey
When it comes to your financial future, knowledge is power. And yet, many Canadians feel out of touch when it comes to finding the right information needed to make informed decisions about their money, from financing a home to learning how to tackle debt. A 2024 poll from Edward Jones Canada found that 84 per cent of Canadians believe financial education in school would have helped them manage finances with less stress today. And 64 per cent of respondents who did not learn how to manage their money in their younger years are now looking to upgrade their knowledge. Tina Tehranchian, certified financial planner at Assante Capital Management, Jason Heath, managing director at Objective Financial Partners and Scott Plaskett, certified financial planner and CEO of Ironshield Financial Planning, share five of their favourite books that might just include the knowledge you need to kick-start your personal finance journey. Author, John C. Bogle Heath is partial to the classics. First published in 2007, 'The Little Book of Common Sense Investing' from Vanguard Group's founder takes a straightforward approach to explaining the investing world. The book draws on wisdom from financial titans like Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham and Paul Samuelson to describe the most straightforward and effective investment strategies for building wealth over the long term. 'It talks a lot about the merit of index funds, how difficult it is to beat the markets,' says Heath, and is good for anyone 'looking for a different take on investing.' Author, David Trahair Heath first picked up this book in the nineties, at the beginning of his career. 'It's about how to get through the noise of what the financial industry wants you to buy.' Heath says you likely won't find Smoke and Mirrors on a bestsellers list, but Trahair's book opened his eyes early in his career. 'Like most people, I expected that the financial industry was there to help consumers and look out for their best interests, but that's often not the case.' [part of this quote was incomplete] Author, David McWilliams In this book, Tehranchian says McWilliams masterfully blends economics, history and human psychology to tell the story of money, not as a cold financial instrument but as a human invention shaped by trust, belief and social norms. 'It challenges you to see money not just as a ledger of numbers, but as a cultural force that reflects who we are and how we live,' says Tehranchian. 'Understanding this deeper story equips readers to make more thoughtful, values-driven financial decisions.' Tehranchian also points out that the book is beginner-friendly, as McWilliams gives simple explanations about complex topics. One of Tehranchian's favourite quotes from 'Money: A Story of Humanity' is about how cryptocurrency's volatility renders it ideal for speculation: ' … Who would ever punt on a boring, stable asset? But this is the very same property that renders it dysfunctional as a means of payment and therefore as money.' Plaskett says if you're looking for a book that challenges ('Kills') most of the common financial advice ('Sacred Cows') like budgeting or deferring gratification, Gunderson's book should be next on your reading list. He points out that 'Killing Sacred Cows' helps the reader avoid the most common financial institutions' 'traps,' which primarily benefit the financial institutions more than the client. The core theme of the book, Plaskett adds, is that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' type of advice, and it helps people avoid getting caught in the web of 'one-size-fits-all' [add dashes] advice that is promoted and encouraged by the financial industry. 'This advice is mainly based on fear and scarcity rather than abundance and personal empowerment.' Plaskett explains that his second recommendation is a great followup to 'Killing Sacred Cows.' 'Because once you commit to building financial freedom by aligning your approach to money with your purpose, you end up challenging the masses and bumping up against obstacles.' 'The Obstacle Is The Way' draws on stoic philosophy to help you overcome challenges and achieve personal growth and success, explains Plaskett. 'It is a great book that places the power directly on the shoulders of the reader.' A notable quote from the book, Plaskett adds, is: 'You will come across obstacles in life — fair and unfair. And you will discover, time and time again, that what matters most is not what these obstacles are, but how you see them, how you react to them, and whether you keep your composure.'
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Is Toronto's real estate market crashing? Home prices will keep dropping, experts say — but it won't feel like any crash we've had before
For the first time in more than 30 years Canadians are facing a shocking truth: home prices don't go up forever. Toronto's real estate market is facing its sharpest decline since the 1990s, something the boomer generation might remember well, but subsequent generations not so much. The real estate market has been a key driver for Canadians to attain wealth — long seen as a smart investment tool. But that notion is crashing. Since the February 2022 peak, the average sales price in the GTA has dropped by almost 18 per cent. At least one expert says the region could see a peak-to-trough decline of 23 per cent, while other economists say it's unclear how low prices will go. While the current climate is reminiscent of the late 1980s and early 1990s recession — when home prices plunged by around 38 per cent in the GTA — economists say this slump won't feel like a housing crash in the traditional sense. That's because home prices are still well above 2019 levels, they say, so the current decline is more like a post-pandemic correction, following the unsustainable rise in home prices from 2020 to 2022. Economists say prices in Toronto will continue to drop into next year, but the decline will happen slowly and steadily as immigration declines and interest rates are unlikely to drop much further. 'A 20-per-cent decline after that type of run-up isn't something that we can call a crash,' said Philip Cross, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. 'If the market stopped declining now, you'd conclude prices are still very high and affordability hasn't been addressed.' The biggest change in the real estate market is mindset — consumers are finally understanding that real estate isn't the golden ticket to a quick buck, or the only way to ensure a comfortable retirement nest egg. 'People's expectations are being reset,' said Victor Couture, associate professor of economic analysis and policy, and the Camrost Felcorp Chair in Real Estate at the Rotman School of Management. 'What is happening is we've had this narrative that sustained rapid price growth can only go up, it's this great investment. But now we're seeing a sustained drop in prices after a large event.' 'Overall the market is in stasis,' said Tony Stillo, director of Canada Economics at Oxford Economics. Sales in Toronto's resale market have been below the 10-year average for the last three years while new listings have surged, meaning there's more supply than demand. Sellers have to adjust their prices to attract buyers, and buyers are able to negotiate better terms in the sale. 'Sales are really low, particularly in Toronto,' Stillo said, adding that affordability, the U.S. trade war and job security are making buyers wary of jumping into a massive purchase at this time. 'We're not in for a crash, but Toronto prices will continue to decline,' adding that home prices will drop 10 per cent by the fourth quarter of 2025 from the fourth quarter in 2024. Stillo noted that the total peak-to-trough price decline is forecast to be around 23 per cent. There isn't a technical definition of a housing crash. Some experts have said it's when prices drop by 30 per cent or more . Some economists said it's difficult to forecast home prices due to the current number of variables, but noted there isn't rapid population growth, low interest rates or strong economic growth to place upward pressure on prices. Because of this, Couture said it's likely home prices will continue to decline next year, but he couldn't say by how much. 'Are we going to see an improvement to these three factors next year? I doubt it,' added Cross. So far the country has bucked a recession despite Trump's tariffs and trade uncertainty, he said, but 'while the Canadian economy has performed surprisingly well, risk remains.' But economists agreed that it's highly unlikely overall prices will fall by more than 30 per cent in the GTA from current levels to completely reverse price gains that occurred during the pandemic. The average GTA price in June 2025 was $1.1 million, a 32-per-cent increase over June 2019, when the average was $833,000. During this period, just three neighbourhoods in Toronto saw average prices drop to 2019 levels , due in large part to more condos selling in those areas, dragging the average price down. Tom Storey, sales representative with Royal LePage Signature Realty, noted that small studio or one-bedroom condos in Toronto are selling for 2019-level pricing but the two- and three-bedroom condo units are still garnering substantial interest from first-time buyers because there's limited stock of this housing type. 'Detached homes are still in a very balanced market, semi-detached homes in some pockets are in a sellers' market if priced right, and condos are buyers' market territory,' he said. Because there is excessive condo supply, with record-levels of new supply entering the market this year, it will take years before market conditions balance, experts say. Nearly 60 per cent of the active listings in Toronto in June were for condos, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB). Average prices in these ritzy areas are down, but those expecting a deal on a Forest Hill mansion may be disappointed. Average prices in these ritzy areas are down, but those expecting a deal on a Forest Hill mansion may be disappointed. While homeowners are seeing the value of their properties drop, prospective buyers are still being priced out of the market. 'Prices are still well above pre-pandemic, and even though incomes have continued to rise they haven't kept pace,' said Kari Norman, economist at Desjardins. 'Prices have come down but that doesn't mean we're back to an affordable level.' Over the past quarter century, the average selling price of a home in Canada has ballooned by more than four times, while the average household disposable income has only slightly more than doubled, Norman wrote in an economic report published in May. Housing is considered affordable when households spend no more than 30 per cent of their disposable income on housing costs. In Toronto, households spend at least two-thirds of their income on housing. Cross said house prices and incomes need to reach 'a sustainable equilibrium,' but that in order for home prices to come down in a 'meaningful way' the ratio of home prices to incomes would need to reach an affordable level. To get there the economy would experience job loss and a slowing labour market, as incomes wouldn't be able to rise quickly enough. Already signs of strain are showing. Ontario's 90-plus day mortgage delinquency rate rose 71.5 per cent since the first quarter of 2024, to 0.24 per cent from 0.14 per cent. Power of sales in Ontario in 2024 also trended up, surpassing 2018 levels, according to Teranet, a real estate registry services company. But to get a significant drop in prices to reach levels of affordability, there would need to be much more pain the market, Cross said. 'At some point house price values have to be rooted in the reality of what is affordable,' Cross said. 'These overvalued house prices can't be supported forever — people's incomes just can't support it.' They key takeaway in this real estate moment is 'resetting of people's expectations,' said Couture. 'The path to wealth shouldn't be to buy property,' Couture said, 'but that's the mindset that's been fed to people for so long.' The Star compiled projects that have been cancelled, converted or put into receivership. Check our interactive map to see your neighbourhood. The Star compiled projects that have been cancelled, converted or put into receivership. Check our interactive map to see your neighbourhood. Already, the condo market , which is largely driven by investor demand , has been put on hold because investors are no longer buying units — the rent isn't enough to cover mortgage costs. And house flipping has taken a back seat because prices aren't drastically growing, so the profit when selling isn't there. 'Canadians are learning what Americans learned after the 2008 financial crisis,' Couture said. 'Houses are places for people to live.' If housing is being used as an investment tool, 'not every investment makes you money,' Stillo said. If the intense speculation of investor activity doesn't come back, there would be less volatility in the market and the supply would be dictated by what end-users want. While Cross said the speculation frenzy won't return any time soon, he doesn't think there's been a big enough drop in prices to teach 'the lesson that needs to be learned.' 'The stock market crash in the 1930s or 2008 financial crisis teaches a generation to be more prudent with money,' he said. 'That lesson would not be learned if we froze the market today.'
