Dear Money Lady: I went to my RBC Bank to get approved for a mortgage on our new home purchase but was really surprised when they ended up giving me a mortgage from a completely different mortgage company. Is this some sort of scam? Jamie

I am sure it is fine Jamie. Perhaps you may not have qualified under the traditional banking model, so they outsourced it to a partner. This is a standard practice in the industry, so let’s review how this works.

There are three main levels of lending in Canada: A, B, and C lenders. The A lenders are the largest banks (like TD, RBC, BNS, BMO and CIBC) which have most of the market share across the country. They are the movers and shakers of the banking world and always tend to move in tandem when raising and lowering rates. Their stock is traded worldwide, and they are generally considered the foundational backbone of our financial system. Their lending practices are virtually the same across all channels and if you are declined by one of them, you most probably will be declined by them all.

The B lenders are the smaller banks and credit unions. They normally specialize in clients with unique lending requirements and provide products to clients who do not fit into a typical lending or credit criteria. These lenders are an alternative source for clients, and they usually partner with all the big banks for spinoff business.

For over a decade, the intersection of Highway 12 and Provincial Road 210 has been a local Ste. Anne institution. The intersection saves some residents from having to use an interchange at the north end of town, which has led to carnage and near-death experiences to drivers (via cutting-off) on PTH 12. MTI (Manitoba highways) now wants to either partially close the intersection or put in a roundabout. Both options are awful and stupid.

The reeve of the RM says he and his council want a roundabout. While roundabouts are a good thing somewhere else, they are an asinine suggestion for this intersection. They would bottleneck the 9,000 vehicles a day that use PTH 12 waiting to enter, slow them down and cause more potential accidents, similar to traffic lights. If they are considering a roundabout, they could spend that money to re-direct PR 210 to link with Dawson Road west of the interchange.

MIT also proposes to allow left turns from either side of PTH 12 and ban crossings or left turns from PR 210. While better than a roundabout, this is also a bad solution. Firstly, there is already an interchange. Second, left-turn cross-traffic will still plague PTH 12. Thirdly, it is demented to allow southbound PTH 12 traffic to turn left onto the PR 210 when they can use the interchange they passed on their way. This should be grounds for committal to Selkirk. Worst of all, because the intersection would remain intact for PTH 12 left-turns, it would still be possible for PR 210 traffic to ignore the laws and use the intersection anyway. Given their tendency for taking chances, how can we expect that cross-traffic to care about a few road signs?

Innocent people are getting killed and injured because this intersection is being left open. Especially with the existing interchange, there is zero reason for it to stay even partially open (aside from right on/right offs), and the longer it does, the more blood MTI and local politicians will have on their hands. The intersection should be fully closed or grade-separated. Nothing else is acceptable.

Every Feb. 14, couples around the world are pressured - okay, encouraged - to express their love and adoration for their spouse or significant other by exchanging Valentine’s Day gifts and cards.

It’s a day that is met with some cynicism by those who have either been burned by love, find themselves alone on Valentine’s Day, or are simply opposed to the concept of commercializing romance. Personally, despite the pressure to wine, dine and spend, I like the idea of having a day where you make a concentrated effort to show how much you care.

We generally go about our days taking the ones we love hideously for granted, so what’s wrong with an “I love you” scrawled inside a bright red card? Or a big, heart-shaped box of chocolates, even though you don’t know what the heck to do with the box once the chocolates are all gone.

It’s cheesy and regarded as outdated by some, but if we must celebrate something, why not celebrate love?

Members of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party will be selecting their new leader on April 26th. This will conclude a very long leadership process that was designed to ensure that members had time to make an informed decision on choosing a new leader and also to ensure the voting process goes well.

This is a very important decision for Manitobans. Manitoba’s NDP are already driving up the provincial debt and increasing taxes. Despite NDP promises, health care has worsened in Manitoba and violent crime continues to increase. The election of a new leader for Manitoba’s official opposition is critical for not only holding the NDP to account but also offering a strong alternative in the next election.

As a member of the PC Party of Manitoba, I have one vote. No more than any other member. But many members have asked who I am supporting. As I have publicly stated in the past, I will be supporting Fort Whyte MLA, Obby Khan. As has been my practice in political life, this is not a vote against another candidate. I appreciate every person who steps forward to run for a challenging job. My support for Obby Khan is simply about the attributes he brings to leadership.

Importantly, Mr. Khan is ready to go on day one. He already has a seat in the Manitoba Legislature which means he can directly challenge the NDP right away. And he has proven to be capable of taking on Premier Wab Kinew in public debates. Being ready to go on day one is very important. Make no mistake, it will be very difficult to win the next election. It is difficult historically in Manitoba to defeat a government after just one term. If a leader is elected who does not have a seat in the legislature, they are not the official opposition leader, cannot enter the legislature and cannot sit in legislative committees. And it may very well take until the next election for a new leader who does not have a seat to gain one. We need to be ready on April 27 to hold the NDP accountable, we cannot wait until the next election.

As the liberal legacy media continue to publish glowing articles proclaiming Mark Carney to be Canada’s prime minister, Canadians have a right to know the truth about what they are getting.

Carney holds degrees from Harvard and Oxford and spent 13 years in the private sector working for top finance firm Goldman Sachs. He served under two prime ministers (Martin and Harper) at the department of finance and then as the governor of the Bank of Canada. He later served as governor of the Bank of England. It is obvious he has a better understanding of economics than Trudeau, his cabinet, and his fellow leadership candidates put together.

However, when one begins to dig a bit deeper, some serious problems emerge.

The first thing that should be of deep concern for Canadians is the fact that Mr. Carney has been handpicked, and his campaign is being run by the same people who brought you Justin Trudeau. Trudeau’s best friend, radical activist Gerald Butts is behind Carney’s candidacy and that alone should give Trudeau-weary Canadians cause to pause. That Butts and other Trudeau handlers are so gung-ho for Mark Carney is deeply troubling. It is also worth noting the majority of Trudeau’s cabinet—most notably radical socialist and climate alarmist Stephen Guilbeault—have all thrown their support behind Carney.