Economists and market participants are betting that the Bank of Canada will not cut interest rates next month, given the latest inflation data. Money markets are pricing in a 65% chance that the central bank will keep rates steady during its next meeting on April 16. With February's inflation data and the potential for further increases due to tariffs, the Bank of Canada may temporarily pause its rate-cutting cycle in April. Economists at National Bank and Benjamin Reitzes, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, have expressed similar expectations. Reitzes noted that the removal of the carbon t

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami has decided to withdraw his resignation. He announced that he will resume his position as SGPC President within two to four days. Dhami made this statement after a meeting with former Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal at his residence in Hoshiarpur today. Yesterday, the interim committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had rejected Dhami's resignation. Following this, Dhami, on the advice of the entire Akali leadership, has opted to retain his post as SGPC President and will officiall

Amid the ongoing farmer protests at the Punjab-Haryana borders, the third round of talks between the Centre and farmer organisations is set to take place in Chandigarh on Wednesday. The Centre has sent letters to leaders of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha Non-Political and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, inviting them for the meeting. It is worth noting that the first meeting regarding the farmers' demands was held on February 14, followed by the second round on February 22. The third meeting is scheduled for March 19. The farmers' protest began on February 13 o

Former Shiromani Akali Dal minister, Bikram Singh Majithia, appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar at Patiala Police Lines for the second consecutive day today. The SIT is investigating the drug smuggling case filed against him three and a half years ago. Before attending the SIT session, Majithia paid his respects at Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib. Akali Dal spokesperson and advocate Arshdeep Singh Kler was also present with Majithia. Notably, Majithia was questioned by the SIT for 8 hours on the previous day.

A union representing more than 4,000 school support workers in Alberta says members have ratified collective agreements with two Fort McMurray school districts Monday, ending a two-month strike. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says workers at both the Fort McMurray Public and Fort McMurray Catholic school districts are set to return to their duties on Wednesday. The union said Saturday it had reached tentative deals with the public and Catholic school boards in Fort McMurray and with the Edmonton Public School Board, noting a ratification by the Edmonton workers would occur Monday o

Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 413 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials. The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel's actions. The Israeli military ordered peo

NASA's two stuck astronauts are finally on their way home after more than nine months in space. Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams left the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule early Tuesday, checking out with the cosmonaut and astronaut. The capsule is due to splash down in the evening off the Florida coast, weather permitting. Their return will close out a dramatic marathon mission that began with a bungled test flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule last June. They expected to be gone just a week or so when they launched and eventually had to switch to SpaceX to get back.

British Columbia's energy minister says the province is setting annual rate increases for electricity for the next two years in response to rising demand for power and economic uncertainty. Adrian Dix says the government will be submitting a "rate stability direction" to the B.C. Utilities Commission for approval of a BC Hydro rate increase of 3.75 per cent on April 1 and for the same bump next year. He says power costs in B.C.remain among the lowest in North America and each of the increases comes to about $3.75 per month for the average residential household that current pays about $100. Dix

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has made a serious accusation against Prime Minister Mark Carney, claiming that Carney has been concealing the consumer carbon tax to influence the election. Poilievre argues that the executive order Carney signed to eliminate the tax is a fake, insisting that it remains in effect and hasn't been removed anywhere. He also warned that it could be reintroduced after the election. During a visit to a steel company in L'Orignal village, Ontario, Poilievre criticized Carney’s plan to increase the carbon tax on Canadian companies, especially in the context of