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BCBusiness Brief | Clarifying Same-Sex Marriage Laws, Twitter in Election Laws and Dropping Mortgage Rates

Justice Minister Declares All Same-Sex Marriages Valid All same sex marriages performed in Canada are legal and the law will be changed to ensure that divorce is readily available to non-residents who were married in the country, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says.

By BCBusiness /

Gay marriage Canada | BCBusiness
According to the Canadian government earlier this week, thousands of non-resident gays and lesbians who wed in Canada are not legally married.

Justice Minister Declares All Same-Sex Marriages Valid

All same sex marriages performed in Canada are legal and the law will be changed to ensure that divorce is readily available to non-residents who were married in the country, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says.

Speaking at a Toronto luncheon Friday, Mr. Nicholson blamed the Liberal government that preceded his for not filling a “legislative gap” that has left thousands of same-sex couples in an agonizing position of being unable to divorce should they feel a need to.

Source: The Globe and Mail

 


Canada’s Election Laws Changing to Reflect Twitter Reality

The Harper government will repeal the ban on communicating election results while polls are still open, bringing the law into harmony with the realities of instantaneous communications in the 21st century.

The ban on early communication of election results was adopted in 1938, to prevent western voters knowing the results of the election in the east when they cast their ballots.

Source: The Vancouver Sun

 


Mortgage Rates Dropping Due to Cheap Bonds

A strong international demand for bonds from Canada’s biggest banks is trickling through the system and pushing mortgage rates to record lows at the consumer level.

The Bank of Montreal moved its benchmark five-year fixed mortgage rate to 2.99 per cent late Thursday — the lowest posted rate from a major bank in Canadian history.

Source: CBC

 


Apples Discovers Supplier Environmental Violations

Apple Inc released on Friday a comprehensive audit of its major suppliers, saying it discovered a number of environmental violations in plants in China.

Source: Yahoo! Finance
 


Hostess Brands Inc. Preps to File for Chapter 11

Hostess Brands Inc. is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as soon as this week, said people familiar with the matter, a move that would mark the second significant court restructuring for the Twinkies and Wonder Bread baker in the past several years.

The privately held Irving, Texas, company, which employs roughly 19,000 people and carries more than $860 million in debt, has been facing a cash squeeze amid high labor costs and rising prices for sugar, flour and other ingredients, according to people familiar with the matter.

Source: The Wall Street Journal