Free renovation & upgrade estimate before you sell. Request yours →416-953-9545

News hub

Rates & policy

Interest rates, taxes, rules and elections: the things that move the market from outside it.

A couple cooking together in a bright kitchen

Bank of Canada rate decision (with Monetary Policy Report)

Bank of Canada schedule

The policy rate has been held at 2.25% since December 2025. The next decision is 28 October, and it comes with updated forecasts.

What it means: If you are on a variable rate or renewing soon, get a rate quote and a rate hold before the announcement.

Date and outcome unconfirmed until announced. A future date, not a news event yet.

Statistics Canada releases September inflation (CPI)

Statistics Canada

The September CPI is scheduled for Monday 19 October at 8:30 a.m. ET, nine days before the Bank of Canada’s 28 October decision. August inflation was 3.0% year over year, driven mostly by gasoline; excluding gasoline it was 2.4%. A hotter September strengthens the case for a hike; a cooler one weakens it.

What it means: This is the last big inflation number before the Bank decides. Rate-sensitive buyers should have a quote in hand before it lands.

A scheduled release, not a result yet. The 3.0% August figure is as reported by market-data sites; confirm on statcan.gc.ca.

CREA quarterly forecast update

CREA

CREA’s quarterly forecast update is listed for Friday 16 October. Last year the national September sales figures came out in mid-October alongside it, so they may arrive together.

The date of the September sales report is not confirmed. Check crea.ca. This is a scheduled release, not a result.

Could the Bank of Canada follow the Fed with a rate hike?

Les Affaires (Lefebvre) · reported in CREA “Read All About It”, 8 Oct 2026

The U.S. Federal Reserve raised its target range on 16 September, to 3.75–4.00%, its first hike since August 2023, citing inflation from high energy prices. The column asks whether Canada could follow.

Opinion column. CIBC economists argue the Canadian case for a hike is weaker than the U.S. one.

Canada weighs the future of the foreign homebuyer ban, which expires at year-end

National Post · reported in CREA “Read All About It”, 8 Oct 2026

The federal ban on foreign homebuyers is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026, and the government is reported to be considering what comes next.

Toronto releases “made-in-Toronto” fourplex and sixplex designs

Toronto Star · reported in CREA “Read All About It”, 8 Oct 2026

The city published standard designs for fourplexes and sixplexes, part of the push for “missing middle” housing.

Many Canadians switched to 3-year mortgages, which proved risky

Toronto Star · reported in CREA “Read All About It”, 8 Oct 2026

Borrowers who chose shorter 3-year terms are facing renewals sooner than they planned, in a rate environment that has not moved in their favour.

What it means: If your term ends in the next 12 months, ask your lender for a renewal quote and compare it with a broker’s.

TRREB urges candidates to oppose spreading Toronto’s municipal land transfer tax

TRREB, September 2026 release

With municipal elections coming, TRREB says candidates’ decisions on affordability, supply and costs of buying will shape demand, and calls for reducing Toronto’s municipal land transfer tax and opposing its expansion across the GTA and Simcoe County.

TRREB is an industry body advocating a position.

Five-year fixed rates: advertised best rate vs. posted rate

Nesto (best insured rate, 25 Sept 2026); TRREB (posted rates, Sept 2026)

One online lender advertised a lowest insured 5-year fixed rate of 4.39% on 25 September (stress-test rate 6.39%). TRREB’s monthly report lists the posted 5-year rate at 6.09%.

Advertised best rates are not what every borrower gets. Your rate depends on your lender and profile.

A newly built brick and timber apartment building seen from below

HST rebate timing risk for pre-construction buyers

Urbanation Q2 2026, as reported by MPA

Urbanation notes that the proposed HST relief requires construction to start before 31 March 2027 and be substantially complete by 31 December 2029. A project that starts late may not qualify.

What it means: Ask the builder, in writing, when construction starts and whether your unit is expected to qualify. Confirm with your lawyer.

Eligibility rules can change. Confirm current rules with the CRA or your lawyer.

Tools for this

Put the news to work.

Summaries are independently written; sources are credited and linked where a link exists. Not financial, mortgage, tax or legal advice. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with another brokerage. Yovan Gabric, REALTOR®, Royal LePage Pinnacle, Brokerage, independently owned and operated. E. & O.E.

A straightforward first conversation

Let’s look at the complete picture.

Tell me where you are in the process. We’ll discuss the property, the market, and the questions that matter most to you.

Book a consultation