Opportunity: Canadian Dollar Stabilizes, Somewhat

Things have started to turn around for the Canadian dollar in the second quarter of 2025. It hit a 22 year low in January of 2025. Investors and property owners, who have been swooning at the high burn rate in their travel plans and property maintenance abroad, may wish to consider recent more positive trends and consider some risk mitigation opportunities now that the dollar is stabilizing somewhat.  

The government continues to expand the Employment Insurance (EI) benefits available to Canadians, most recently to enable workers to take training supported with the new Canada Training Credit. But, when statistics show that EI take-up rates are on the decline*, are increases in EI premiums warranted?

Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) benefits payable were released on April 1 for the second quarter -  but unfortunately, seniors won’t be getting a raise. However, there is some good news about Canada’s public pension system, especially for low-income seniors who have employment or self-employment earnings, and for tens of thousands of seniors who haven’t been getting their CPP benefits.

Although taxpayers have been provided with tax rebates to offset the new carbon pricing system that rolled out in four Canadian provinces on April 1, small to medium-sized businesses are facing new costs, and remain in the dark about how the government intends to help them.

Is it as difficult for you to envision life after retirement as it is to save for it? According to Knowledge Bureau’s March poll results, the vast majority thinks so: 68% of respondents said yes. But this thought-provoking question helped to define what a retiree’s role really is in a future society that has more old people than young and what this means to the way retirement planning is approached.

Recently, an article in the Globe and Mail regarding The Australian Royal Commission into misconduct in the banking, superannuation and financial services industry caught my interest. It provided perspective on the Royal Commission’s findings and recommendations, as well as comments from Ian Russell, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC). On closer look at the final report, there was something new to consider in combatting misconduct.

If your clients are looking for paper copies of this year’s tax forms at the post office, they may be out of luck. Despite many locations posting advanced notice that they would be providing a limited number of paper forms this year, it is particularly concerning that some locations ran out early in the tax season. Some argue that the most vulnerable Canadians may be the most affected by these shortages.