Waterloo Region Record: Consumer spending down in Waterloo Region, economist warns of possible ‘bigger slowdown’

While another rate hike might not be on the horizon, businesses are still feeling the pinch of high prices “with elevated inflation expectations remaining a complicating factor,” Andrew DiCapua, senior economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

Strong consumer spending patterns across Canada and particularly in Ottawa seem promising, but the data show only part of the picture, experts agree.

Inflation and a potential recession weren’t on everyone’s mind when Marie-Claude Boisvert joined Sagard Holdings Inc., the alternative investment arm of Power Corp., in January last year with a plan to raise $400 million for a new private equity fund to buy stakes in mid-market Canadian companies.