Private property

Earnings to watch: Ford Motor and Spotify report tomorrow, Shopify will release its results Wednesday, and Bombardier, Air Canada and Airbnb will follow with their earnings calls on Thursday. Canadian Tire will close out the week with its results on Friday.

The fight over land ownership rights in B.C. is heating up.

What happened: The Dzawada’enuxw First Nation (DFN) in B.C. has filed a legal ownership claim for nearly 650 hectares of land in the province, most of which is under private ownership. It’s the first test of a landmark legal decision last year that could undermine established property rights in B.C.

Catch-up: After the longest trial in Canadian history, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the government’s ownership of 800 acres of land in Richmond, B.C., was “defective and invalid” and affirmed Indigenous title over land that includes privately owned property.

Why it matters: The landmark ruling raised serious questions about how Indigenous land claims will impact property rights across the country. Depending on the outcome of DFN’s claim — and the many others that are expected to follow — a precedent could be set that opens the possibility of Indigenous groups across the country claiming title over privately held property.

What’s next: With a flurry of appeals already in motion, it’s all but certain that this case — and the precedent it sets — will be decided by Canada’s Supreme Court. Some say it could be at least seven years until all the appeals are heard, which is a long time in limbo for everyone involved.—LA

A Canadian fintech platform is being investigated over missing restaurant tips. Everyday Payments, which sells tip-pooling software to restaurants, is being probed by the RCMP and the Bank of Canada after dozens of restaurants reported millions of dollars worth of tips had gone missing. The fintech said in a December filing that it had a $71 million deficit and that there were serious doubts about the company’s ability to continue. (The Logic)

Takaichi wins Japan election in historic fashion. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won over two-thirds of the seats in Japan’s general election yesterday, the widest margin of victory in the country’s post-WWII era. (BBC News)

China’s top court is overturning the death sentence of a Canadian. Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian who was convicted of drug trafficking in China, will no longer face the death penalty. The sentencing had been a point of conflict between Ottawa and Beijing. (Bloomberg News) 

Ottawa is lending Canada Post $1 billion. The feds say the loan is to help the Crown postal service keep operating as it restructures its business model. (The Canadian Press) 

Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Hong Kong media tycoon was a vocal supporter of preserving democratic rights in Hong Kong and backed the 2019 protests against the political takeover of the city by the Chinese government. The Committee to Protect Journalists called it “the final nail in the coffin” for press freedom in Hong Kong. (BBC) —LA

New U.S. jobs, inflation data. Both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada will be closely watching Friday’s U.S. inflation print, which forecasters expect to show core price growth remaining above the Fed’s 2% target. On Wednesday, we’ll get U.S. jobs data, which comes amid a slowdown in hiring and growing evidence of a weakening job market.

British Prime Minister fighting for survival. This week will be a crucial one for Keir Starmer, who is facing mounting pressure to resign his leadership of the Labour Party over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson ambassador to the U.S. despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer’s top adviser resigned on the weekend, and a number of Labour MPs are calling for Starmer’s resignation.

Election in Bangladesh. 127 million Bangladeshis are eligible to vote in elections on Thursday, the first expected to be free and fair in almost 20 years. The outcome will determine who replaces Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in 2024 and governed through a string of elections that were either rigged or boycotted by opposition parties.

Catch up on the weekend:

What’s happening today:

As American automakers start to pare back their Canadian operations, Ottawa is looking for Chinese companies to step into the breach.

What happened: Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says the federal government is trying to get a Chinese automaker to partner with local auto parts makers on a Canadian manufacturing plant to build EVs for export. 

Why it matters: A Chinese automaker setting up shop in Canada would shake up the country’s auto industry and help offset dwindling production by the Big Three in Canada — a recent report found they’re making 1.1 million fewer cars in Canada than they did in 2016.

Yes, but: There’s a long road from conversations about manufacturing and actually hiring workers to build vehicles. That’s a process that, even if eventually successful, will take years, while Canada’s auto sector is already imperilled by U.S. trade policy and the possible end of CUSMA.—TS

🍝 22%. Increase in solo dinner reservations in the third quarter of last year compared to the same period in 2024. The number of solo diners at fast food restaurants has also jumped significantly. According to the owner of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, solo orders now make up 47% of visitors, up from 31% in 2021.

^{*This is sponsored content.}

Take on our daily double feature: Today’s mini crossword and sudoku. 

After you ace those, take a crack at Codebreaker.