What may land in your account

• Grocery top-up: another one-time 50% boost to the Groceries and Essentials Benefit, paid in early 2027. That’s up to $339 for a single person and $679 for a couple with two kids.

• Workers benefit: the new Build Canada Workers Benefit starts at $500 of earnings instead of $3,000. That brings in about 180,000 new people, with a maximum of $1,859 for a single person and $3,143 for a family. Heads-up: advance payments are halved from July 2027 and end in 2028, so the full amount will arrive in one payment after you file.

• Caregiver credit: it becomes fully refundable, worth up to $1,260 a year even with little or no income. About 180,000 caregivers qualify for the first time.

Homes

• Bigger insured mortgages: first-time buyers and buyers of new builds who put 20% or more down can now get an insured, 30-year mortgage on a home up to $1.5 million (up from $1 million).

• Easier rate shopping: the Bank of Canada will publish the insured mortgage rates people are actually paying, and lenders can confirm your income directly with the CRA.

• Building: $45 billion to build homes faster and more cheaply, and a plan to triple non-market housing through Build Canada Homes.

• Homelessness: nearly $30 billion toward ending it within a decade, starting with a pilot in Winnipeg.

• Reality check: we’re starting about 249,000 homes a year. CMHC says we need 430,000 to 480,000.

Work and business

• Productivity Mega Deduction: businesses can write off the full cost of new equipment, software and buildings in the year they buy them, permanently. That gives Canada the lowest tax on new business investment in the G7. It matters because Canadian firms now invest 54 cents per worker for every dollar a US firm invests.

• Founders: up to $15 million in gains from selling a Canadian company can be tax-free, on shares held at least three years.

• Immigration: up to 200,000 people already here on temporary status could become permanent residents by the end of 2027.

• Airports: Ottawa plans to lease Pearson, Vancouver, Montréal-Trudeau and Calgary to private operators for 40 to 50 years.

Small lines worth knowing

• Tax day moves to May 15, starting with the returns filed in spring 2028.

• Self-employed? The threshold for quarterly instalments rises to $7,500, so about 1.1 million people can stop paying them.

• Moving for work or school? You can claim a flat $1,000 instead of saving every receipt.

• Massages from a registered massage therapist are now GST-free.

• National museums become free year-round for everyone under 25, starting in 2027. (details)

• Recreation: $750 million to fix ice rinks, plus $750 million for other recreation centres.

• Reading: a free national digital library of Canadian e-books launches in 2027.

Where the math still works

For some families, the answer to the renewal wall is a different city. More Canadians have moved to Alberta than left it for 20 straight quarters, drawn by work and by housing that costs less than in Ontario or B.C.

If you or someone in your family, is weighing a move to Alberta, the boxes are the easy part. Landing the job first is what makes it work. We built Boost for exactly that: you can browse openings at Canada’s fastest-growing companies, and run your resume through our free scan to see how it reads to employers before you apply.

Timbits 🍡 

The rate hike didn’t reach your savings. GIC rates barely moved after the October hike: the best five-year GIC is around 4.50%. If you’re holding cash, it’s worth comparing options before year-end.

Black Friday has already started. It’s not until November 27, but Best Buy, Canadian Tire and Amazon are already running weekly deals. Check prices now before you assume the 27th is cheaper.

The Giller Prize is Monday. Canada’s $100,000 fiction prize is awarded November 16 at 9 p.m. ET, live on CBC TV and CBC Gem. The shortlist makes a good holiday reading list.

Your TFSA room will grow. Every adult gets new room on January 1, and for 2027 it’s expected to be $7,500 instead of $7,000, the first increase since 2024. CRA usually confirms it in late November, so save this one for later.