Why you’ll pay more for heat this winter; watch out for fake job scams:

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Brace yourself for higher heating bills this winter

A rise in natural gas prices will likely have many of us paying more for our home heating bills this winter. 

A marriage of factors in North America and Europe — from summer storms to an overseas supply crunch — have contributed to the sharp rise in the price of the fossil fuel.

Martin King, a senior analyst at RBN Energy, said the Alberta spot price for natural gas was around $4.80 a gigajoule on Thursday morning.

That might be a boon for natural gas producers, but it’s a setback for consumers, who will be facing higher gas bills at a time when they’re already paying more for housing, transportation and food. Read more

Do you think a $1,500 apartment is affordable? Ottawa does

Think you know what the definition of an affordable rental is? You may want to think again. 

As part of the federal government’s $25 billion rental construction financing initiative, many developers have been on the receiving end of favourable government loans in exchange for promises to include affordable housing in their buildings. 

But a CBC News analysis of data related to 130 low-cost government loans — some topping $300 million — has found that in more than half those cases, the average affordable rents are higher, or are projected to be higher, than what most tenants currently pay in the city or town where the project is located.

At Moncton’s Birch Meadows, for instance, the average affordable rent is $1,500. That’s far higher than the city’s average rent last year of $880.

“It’s a cruel joke,” said Aditya Rao, a lawyer and an organizer with the New Brunswick Coalition for Tenants Rights. “We know that people who are trying to rent are struggling.” Read more

WestJet and Air Canada are struggling to keep up with increased demand. Now, they’re asking for volunteers

A surge in summer travel has forced Canada’s two biggest airlines to ask staff to help volunteer at airports to overcome staffing challenges — a move that is creating pushback from unions.

In an email to all employees, WestJet described how the rapid growth in passenger numbers is causing operational problems at several airports, including its flagship airport in Calgary.

The “growing pains of recovery requires all-hands-on-deck,” read the message, which included an open call for any staff members to sign up to volunteer to help guests requiring wheelchair assistance at the Calgary International Airport.

Meanwhile, Air Canada has needed extra…