Cost of Livingwith Paul Haavardsrud
Latest
'We can hardly keep them stocked': Why books by Black authors are flying off the shelves
Interest in Black literature remains high during Black History Month, nine months after the killing of George Floyd.
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Lumber and copper prices are soaring: what can they tell us about our economic recovery?
Doctor Copper says our economy is going to come roaring back, at least that's the theory behind looking at the price of copper — currently at a decade-high — as a leading economic indicator. Lumber prices, too, are through the roof. How good are these gauges anyway, when so much of our world has changed?
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First blueberries, now strawberries: why the U.S. cares about Canadian berries
The blueberry war may be over for now, but Canadian fruits and vegetables are still under scrutiny as American producers test the new NAFTA rules and lobby for increased protections. With so many imports coming from Mexico and Central America, we find out why Canadian growers getting pulled into the fray.
FULL EPISODE
What we can learn from soaring commodity prices and booming Black book sales
This week, we look at economic indicators like copper and lumber to find out what they can tell us about our economic recovery. Also, we find out what's behind U.S. trade investigations into Canadian blueberries, strawberries and bell peppers. Finally, Black book sales are booming. We look at the numbers and the movement driving consumer interest in Black literary representation.
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Demand for industrial storage space spurs boom in warehouse real estate
If you've been ordering more stuff online throughout the pandemic then you've been contributing, perhaps unwittingly, to Canada's network of warehouses. Producer Anis Heydari visits a 7,200 m. sq. [78,000 sq. ft.] warehouse in Calgary to find out how this boom in warehousing might change our cityscapes.
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Can you burnout when you are working from home?
Working from home during the pandemic provides more flexibility, sure... But it also means a lot of us are now working around the clock. It's time we talk about burnout.
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Dry-cleaning business offers unexpected economic indicator
Gauging the health of the economy by the number of dress shirts at the cleaners. Producer Elizabeth Withey takes you inside a Calgary dry cleaning plant.
FULL EPISODE
WFH burnout, warehousing boom and what dry cleaning can tell us about the economy
Working from home during the pandemic provides more flexibility, sure. But it also means working around the clock. It's time to talk about burnout. Also, we take you inside one of Canada's largest dry-cleaning chains to find out what our laundry tells us about the economy. Finally, how the warehouse boom might reshape our cities.
Why peer lending and savings groups persist — especially in a pandemic
Alternative banking is evolving, with informal groups and friends choosing to lend money to each other through peer savings groups when more traditional banking isn't working for them.
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Vintage trucks, hockey cards, collectables: why hard assets are in demand
Have you heard the story of the 1984 Chevy pick-up truck that recently sold for 100K? The weirdest things are becoming popular with collectors, prices are exploding. This is an extension of the market craziness that we've seen. Host Paul Haavardsrud examines what's going on.
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From curling or hockey to the bank — do sports bubbles help the local economy?
Curling Canada is about to inflate a sport bubble for the Tournament of Hearts, the Brier and more in Calgary. But do the insular events create jobs and economic activity like elected officials suggest?
FULL EPISODE
The bubbling price of collectibles, mid-pandemic sports bubbles, and sharing money inside your social bubble
From classic cars to hockey cards the weirdest things are becoming popular with collectors and prices are exploding. Also, we look at the economic impact of hosting a sports bubble. And we explain saving circles - a way to avoid traditional banks.
Q&A
Black railway porters and their decades-long fight for fair wages and a safe working environment
For decades, anyone travelling across Canada via the Canadian National Railway or the Canadian Pacific Railway would have seen or been served by Black porters, who fought for many of the employment rights and standards that Canadians take for granted today.
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Bubble-licious markets and what Canadians should pay attention to
Markets are going up around the world, despite the pandemic. Are we hitting a speculative bubble or is there just nowhere else for people's money to go right now?
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Mining for electric cars: how Canada's auto sector stays in the race
General Motors says it's going all-electric by 2035. This could be the tipping point for the electric vehicle revolution. So will Canada's auto industry come along for the ride?
FULL EPISODE
Market bubbles, electric cars — and remembering Black railway porters in Canada
We talk market weirdness, electric vehicles and Canada's future in the auto industry — and reveal the labour history of Black railway porters in this country.
Canada's Filipino communities sent $1B to family and friends in the Philippines last year despite COVID-19
The amount of money sent as remittances to the Philippines from Filipino-Canadians and other expats was largely unchanged in 2020, despite global numbers dropping due to the significant economic disruption of the pandemic.
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Meme stocks and WTF is going on with $GME, $AMC, $BB and /r/wallstreetbets
There are a lot of confusing — and to some, new — terms floating around investing circles right now. From stonks to stocks, from hedge funds to gamma squeezes, we look at what's happening with stocks such as GameStop.
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Jobs, jobs, jobs: how some Canadians are experiencing the damaged pandemic labour market more than others
The job market in Canada is not a great place right now, with employment still down about 640,000 jobs since the initial lockdown last March. Only about 70 per cent of the jobs lost then have been re-gained.
FULL EPISODE
Making money at home, sending money abroad — and what the heck is a stonk?
Young people are bearing the brunt of pandemic job losses. Plus we explain just what has been happening with so-called "meme stocks" over the past few days. And we follow the money when it comes to international remittances from the Filipino community.
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How pipelines went from engineering marvel to project non grata
Engineering projects once seen as monuments to human ingenuity are now lightning rods for climate change and a symbol of environmental catastrophe. So what's changed in public perception and why?
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Contact Tracing: the economic realities for four Canadians mid-pandemic
We check in across the country for our ongoing series featuring four regular Canadians living through a year of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on their families and finances.
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Facebook, Apple, Google, Amazon: market power, regulation and what governments might do
Is a regulatory hammer about to come down on the big tech giants? And if it does, what does that look like for Canada and for Canadians who use those tech services?
Full Episode
Regulating tech giants and what it could mean for Canadians — and a check-in on pandemic life
This week we look at regulating big tech, the public perception of pipelines, and we check in with the people we're following in the "Contact Tracing" series.
Nearly half of adult Canadians struggle with literacy — and that's bad for the economy
One in six adult Canadians falls short of passing the most basic set of literacy tests, making them functionally illiterate, and this could mean problems as a post-COVID-19 economic recovery ramps up.
