Cost of Living·EPISODE 27

Slashed interest rates, getting a piece of the electric car pie, and a happy 'Jobs Friday' to all!

How can Canada avoid shocks as vehicle manufacturing goes electric? And what can Canadian events do to plan ahead when international gatherings keep getting cancelled due to COVID-19?

Plus how do Canadian events plan ahead in the wake of COVID-19 fears?

Electric cars, fireworks on display, and a jobs board: "Cost of Living" for March 6, 2020. (Anis Heydari/CBC, Tracy Fuller/CBC, Scott Neufeld/CBC)

Will central banks cutting the overnight rate help the economy as COVID-19 leads to more uncertainty? And what happens to events in Canada – and their economic spinoffs – as concerns over the coronavirus lead to major domestic and international gatherings being cancelled? Listen here as we cover the concern.

Are the employment numbers from StatsCan really what you should be looking at each month? The Cost of Living explains why those numbers you hear every month on "Jobs Friday" might not be what you should be looking for!

Plus how can Canada avoid shocks as vehicle manufacturing goes electric? The market is small for now, but is Canada in line at to get some of the action or will the country's car-making days race past as passenger vehicles move away from internal combustion? We took a trip to the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto to find out. 


Click 'Listen' at the top of this page to hear the whole episode or download the CBC Listen app.