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US steel and aluminum tariffs could stifle investment in Quebec aluminum sector

Aluminum-producing towns in Quebec are bracing for the impact of new US tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum. Quebec accounts for about 90 per cent of Canada’s aluminum production, and the tariffs will affect more than just aluminum producers. “The tariffs may not lead to layoffs at aluminum plants,” said Professor of Operations Management Saibal Ray in an interview with Global News.

Published: 21 Feb 2025

Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2025

We are proud to share our McGill Desautels MBA placed 94th globally in the prestigious 2025 Financial Times Global MBA rankings! FT has recognized our MBA in several international criteria: 1st in Canada and 1st in North America for international faculty; 1st in Canada and 1st in North America for international mobility in careers of our alumni; 1st in Canada and 2nd in North America for international course experience.

Published: 17 Feb 2025

Is Tim Hortons still Canadian?

Tim Hortons is deeply embedded in Canadian culture, but is it still truly Canadian? According to McGill professor Karl Moore, ownership plays a key role. “If you’re owned by Americans, you’re no longer Canadian in the way that you were before,” he explains. However, he argues that nationality isn’t just about where a company is headquartered—it’s about where decisions are made.

Published: 13 Feb 2025

Online news act has negative effect on small publishers

The online news act was designed with legitimate objectives: enhancing fairness, supporting press independence, and promoting a diversity of news sources. Unfortunately, it has had some unintended negative consequences, according to Maxime Cohen, the Scale AI Chair in Data Science for Retail at McGill Desautels.

Published: 13 Feb 2025

Large number of Canadians are missing out on pensions

According to a report by the National Insitute on Ageing, there are around 200,000 people in Canada with registered pension plans who are eligible to claim them, but haven’t. Often, the unclaimed funds stem from contributions made early in a person’s career that were simply forgotten about.

Published: 13 Feb 2025

President Trump’s trade antics could be a prelude to 2026 USMCA renegotiation

It is not yet clear whether US President Donald Trump will follow through on his threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all goods imported from Canada—or even what the motivation for that threat really is. Inconsistent messaging could be a deliberate tactic by the US president, Vivek Astvansh told canadianfamilyoffices.com.

Published: 13 Feb 2025

The economic trajectory of Post-Second World War Europe could yield lessons for navigating AI-driven job losses

According to a recent report, up to 800,000 people in Quebec are at risk of losing their jobs to artificial intelligence. It is a potential sea change for the economy and for the labour force, but it isn’t without precedent. “A similar scenario occurred in Europe at the end of the second world war,” says Rob Glew, Assistant Professor (teaching) of Operations Management.

Published: 11 Feb 2025

AI startup with roots at McGill Desautels raises €9M in venture capital funding

There’s a lot that AI can do—and quite a bit that it can’t. And the mix of numbers and letters on a spreadsheet is one thing that AI has struggled to make sense of. Prior Labs wants to change that by developing machine learning models optimized to understand spreadsheets, which host an enormous amount of critical information in many firms.

Published: 7 Feb 2025

US tariffs to hit natural resource-producing communities hard

US tariffs will hit the Canadian economy hard, but individual industries will experience unique effects. In the case of aluminum production, much of Canada’s 3.2 million metric tons of aluminum that Canada produces each year could be re-routed to Europe. But some communities could still be hit hard and other places that harvest natural resources won’t be able to find other buyers so easily.

Published: 6 Feb 2025

Political pressure impacts Canada's top pension funds

Canada’s Maple 8 pension funds are globally respected for strong returns and independence from government influence. However, recent political moves threaten this model. The federal government has encouraged more domestic investment, while Alberta’s government fired AIMCo’s board, raising fears of political interference.

Published: 6 Feb 2025

Financial institutions shift climate strategies amid GFANZ changes

Despite BlackRock’s exit from the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), climate action remains a key priority for financial institutions, says Sebastien Betermier, Associate Professor of Finance. He notes that asset managers are shifting their strategies to focus on helping firms transition to net zero rather than maintaining strictly net-zero portfolios.

Published: 6 Feb 2025

Professor Alain Pinsonnault receives King Charles III medal

McGill Desautels Faculty of Management congratulates Professor Alain Pinsonnault on receiving the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contributions to Canada's international scientific recognition. The medal, awarded to individuals making significant community, national, and global impacts, was presented at a ceremony on January 29, 2025, at Laval’s Centre de congrès Palace.

Published: 6 Feb 2025

Amazon to close Quebec warehouses, affecting 1,700 jobs

Amazon Canada is closing all of its Quebec warehouses, affecting nearly 2,000 employees. The company claims the move is to provide long-term savings to customers and is unrelated to recent unionization efforts. However, industry experts, including McGill University business Professor Vivek Astvansh, suggest the closures are a response to union activities.

Published: 31 Jan 2025

Union demands for higher wages leading to longer negotiations in collective bargaining

Collective agreements are taking longer to negotiate. For agreements reached in 2024, negotiations took more than 13 months on average. The year before, negotiations averaged just seven months. “Canada is still dealing with the lingering effects of the pandemic, including a return to normal inflation,” Professor John-Paul Ferguson tells The Globe and Mail.

Published: 31 Jan 2025

Got(oat) milk? Neighbourhood café can’t give it away for free, but they can be transparent about the costs

At Café Origine on Sherbrooke Street, oat milk costs extra—and there’s a reason for that. Non-dairy milk substitutes like oat milk cost more than cow’s milk does. Some large chains like Starbucks have stopped charging extra for milk substitutes, but independent cafes can struggle to absorb the costs.

Published: 31 Jan 2025

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