Bontis on Business

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There’s a new delay for approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the U.S. The U.S. state department has extended the review period for the Transcanada Keystone XL pipeline which means no decision will be made until the end of the year. The state department did not give a time frame, but cited a recent decision by a Nebraska judge, overturning a state law allowing the pipeline’s path through the state. That’s prompted an ongoing legal battle, and the state’s supreme court isn’t expected to rule for several months. The delay will likely allow the Obama administration to avoid making a final decision until after the November mid-term elections.

Nick Bontis from the DeGroote School of Business joins us now to lend his expertise to the situation and it’s yet another delay for the XL pipeline. Can the U.S. and Canada afford these delays? What options do they have at this point?

This week, the Bank of Canada announced it’s keeping the interest rate at 1 per cent, while shaving its expectation for the economy’s performance in the first quarter and for 2014 as a whole. What does this say about our economy?

And the playoff bound Toronto Raptors doing some re-branding. They’re said to be considering a black and gold colour scheme. But it’s getting mixed reviews.