BREAKING Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
Businesses in Canada may be eligible to claim hundreds of dollars in credit card processing fees following a multimillion-dollar class action settlement with Visa and Mastercard.
Merchants can now apply for rebates on so-called swipe fees charged on credit card transactions dating back two decades, .
The settlement comes as the pandemic quickened a shift towards digital payments as more consumers shopped online.
"During COVID, cash disappeared and everyone started paying with plastic," said Corinne Pohlmann, senior vice-president of national affairs at CFIB.
"Credit cards became much more prevalent so the amount of fees merchants are paying has also increased."
Credit cards charge merchants so-called interchange rates on purchases, a fee shared between credit-card companies, payment processors and banks.
Those fees can range from as low as around one per cent for basic cards to nearly three per cent for cards that offer rewards such as cash back or loyalty points.
"The more perks on a card, the more expensive it is for a merchant to accept," Pohlmann said. "I don't think consumers understand how big a cost it could be for a merchant."
While the settlement doesn't change the fees, it does allow businesses to apply for a refund of some of the fees paid since 2021.
The rebate ranges from $30 a year for small merchants, or up to $600, to $250 a year for larger merchants, or $5,000.
The settlement also gives merchants the power to pass credit card fees on to customers starting this fall.
While very few merchants are expected to add surcharges for accepting credit cards, Pohlmann said giving businesses the ability to recoup those fees will help them push back against future fee hikes.
Meanwhile, the federal government has repeatedly pledged to lower credit card processing fees for small businesses.
"They've promised to reduce fees for small- and medium-sized businesses to rates that are similar to what ... big businesses enjoy," said Gary Sands, senior vice-president of public policy with the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
"But there's been a deafening silence from Ottawa."
Sands said the amount being reimbursed by Visa and Mastercard represents a tiny fraction of fees paid. He also expressed concern that the settlement could be used by credit card companies as "camouflage in their battle to resist lowering their credit card fees."
"The surcharge isn't a solution," he said. "What business is going to deliberately put themselves at a competitive disadvantage by passing those fees on to customers."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2022
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
McDonald鈥檚 worked Wednesday to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
Turkiye鈥檚 air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.