Don Pittis

Even as Canadians choke on orange smoke, the parliamentary budget officer says there is no way to add the benefits of fighting climate change to the national books. The World Meteorological Association says we are heading for the dreaded 1.5 degrees of warming in five years but the value of stopping it doesn’t show up in public accounts.

Canadian banks set aside new cash for bad loans, as the Bank of Canada and the CMHC warn on the risks of growing debt. Yet consumer confidence is rising. Are we just not listening?

Many Canadian borrowers find the concept of real versus nominal interest rates hard to grasp, but one of Canada’s top experts in central banking says rising real rates will make paying off a mortgage even more painful as it cuts into people’s “raw purchasing power.”

The latest data shows the Bank of Canada has inflation almost beat. So why doesn’t the central bank just back off and give borrowers a break? The trouble is, prices keep rising.

The market model for Canadian media is failing. News is essential to our political system, but it’s not cheap. Can markets be left to fix it, or should we follow the European method of regulating, taxing and spending on quality news?

From loan defaults to deflation in China, there are early clues the inflationary trend could be reaching a turning point. The Bank of Canada is wary of increasing rates too much, but immigration, a housing shortage and Canadians with deep pockets may be blunting the effects of 10 rate hikes.

New inflation and house price data out this week could be a crucial sign of whether the Bank of Canada will give borrowers a break from constantly rising interest rates. But they could also signal troubling economic weakness as the world puts on the brakes.

As China’s property market goes through another meltdown, critics warn China’s form of “despotic capitalism” could be facing its Minsky moment. But can Beijing’s leadership put the economy back on track? Or will Xi Jinping have to resort to harsher methods?

People keep predicting that each wave of new technology will mean humans can put their feet up. It hasn’t happened yet. Some economists and anthropologists who study the subject say even with the arrival of artificial intelligence, humans will remain integral to making the world go round.

The popular idea that prices should fall to previous lows gives most economists chills. Deflation is bad for everyone, they say.