News of the day: Trade surplus doubles, powerhouse merger, snowbird tax exemption, Canadian pension plans, federal budgets and more

It's Tuesday, Oct. 6. Here are the top stories we're following today.

Canada's trade surplus with U.S. nearly doubles to $11.2 billion

Canada's trade surplus with the United States grew to $11.2 billion in August from $6.1 billion in July, the largest positive monthly change since 1997, as exports surged ahead of the implementation of U.S. Section 338 levies.

Emera and Canadian Utilities to merge into $72-billion powerhouse

Emera Inc. and Canadian Utilities Ltd. have announced a merger that would form a combined company valued at $72 billion and serve six million customers across Canada, the United States and international markets.

'I don't want to give Canadians a tax cut': Florida's proposed property tax exemption expected to exclude snowbirds

Canadian snowbirds could be left out of a major property tax break being proposed in Florida, but the constitutional amendment set to go before voters next month could also give them some protection from rising property assessments.

Canadian pension plans are the healthiest ever thanks to higher interest rates, says report

Higher interest rates more than compensated for stock market losses to help lift the solvency of Canadian defined-benefit pension plans to a record level, says a new report from Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.

Don't treat your personal finances like the government is treating your tax dollars

Since the 2025 budget, the federal government has split its books into an operating budget and a capital budget and made balancing the operating budget by 2028-29 one of its key fiscal anchors. It's an old accounting trick, writes Kim Moody.

Examining Emera's record-setting, all-stock merger that will create a Halifax-based utility powerhouse

ATCO's stunning rise from a dozen utility trailers to blockbuster Emera deal