Big Headlines: Stats Canada has released the January GDP update and Canada Post is ending door-to-door service

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Stats Canada has just released the January GDP update, giving us a look at how the economy

was doing at the start of 2026.

Hi, I'm Vergeshtave.

This is Big Headlines, everything you need to know to be in the know in just five minutes.

January wasn't great for Canadian economic output, but it wasn't as bad as forecast.

Senior Business Editor Mike Eppel says the economy showed a positive performance just barely held back by steep declines in the auto sector.

The economy did show a positive performance, albeit growing just a tenth of 1%

a week as you can get without a flat reading, obviously, and it was really holding things back.

It was the auto trade because of the supply disruption heading to the United States.

Motor vehicle production for the month of January was down 23.5% year over year.

There were seasonal shutdowns that extended into the new year.

Overall trade to the states dropped dramatically.

Certain components of the economy doing okay, specifically related to mining and oil and gas extraction.

Other than that, very sluggish, we'll say to start 2026.

It's a similar flash forecast to February, and of course, in March, we don't know what the economy is doing because of the war in the Middle East.

It's day 32 of that war in Iran, and while the U.S. claims it plans to end the fighting within weeks,

the two sides seem to be ramping up strikes.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth spoke today in his first war update in two weeks,

claiming the U.S. is dominating Iran in the conflict.

Just one month in, only one month, we set the terms.

The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it.

After previously saying the U.S. wants to end the war in weeks, Hagseth now says the U.S. is prepared to make a deal,

but to also keep fighting if Iran refuses.

The meantime will negotiate with bombs.

Our job is to ensure that we compel Iran to realize that this new regime, this regime in charge, is in a better place if they make that deal.

President Trump is calling out allies, including the U.K. in a post on Truth Social, saying they can either join the fight or get their own oil and lose U.S. protection.

Tehran says it hit a fully-loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf this morning.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are planning a visit to the U.S. next month.

The trip has been rumored for quite some time, and was confirmed by Buckingham Palace today.

President Donald Trump extended the invitation to help commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence,

but the Revinzum calls in the U.K. for the royals to not make the trip due to the war in the Middle East.

Trump has criticized the British government for not helping the conflict.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he does not want to get involved.

The King will also stop in Bermuda, marking his first visit as monarch to an overseas British territory.

Also making big headlines, if you're used to the convenience of having the mail dropped off at your front door Monday to Friday,

imagine having the step outside on a bone-chillingly cold winter day to fetch it from a community mailbox down the street.

Well, that day could soon be coming. Canada Post is pushing ahead with a major overhaul that could fundamentally change how mail gets delivered across the country.

The Crown Corporation has announced it's going ahead with a plan to phase outdoor to door mail delivery right across Canada.

Supermail boxes instead will be installed and Canadians are reacting to the move.

We're less reliant on mail now. I think a lot of people still are that we don't realize, but I don't think it's as impactful, definitely on the short term.

I feel bad too for the mail carriers if they're going to lose their jobs.

The CEO of Canada Post did say late last year he was expecting 16,000 retirements and voluntary departures by the year 2030.

All of this is part of massive restructuring ordered by the federal government to cope with losses totaling $5 billion since 2018.

Prince Edward Island is the first Canadian province to lower the colorectal cancer screening age to 45.

It comes after several national groups said the disease is increasingly affecting younger people.

Dr. Aaron McCarvel is health PEI's medical advisor for cancer prevention screening and early detection.

The really stark number there for me is the age group between 50 and 55.

One third of those folks when their diagnosed have metastatic disease, which means the cancer has spread from their bowel to other parts of their body, to the rest of their belly, to their liver, to their lungs.

And that becomes a situation that can't be cured or very rarely can be cured.

Polorectal cancer Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society have called on all provinces to make the move as advocates warn too many cases are being caught too late.

If you haven't listened yet, today on the big story has Ontario lost its way with colleges.

Jessica Stain speaks with Dr. Amilda Tabaratnam, an educator at Centennial College.

When did our colleges become so dependent on international tuition?

I think there wasn't a pivotal moment.

Like there wasn't a month or a year.

It was over.

It was through decades of the shift in funding.

And one of the most important pieces of information is that Ontario is behind the rest of the country on public funding.

According to the Financial Accountability Office, operating funding for colleges was about 7,900 per domestic student in 2024 and 2025.

And the FAO office estimates that the total college spending per student is about $17,600.

So what that means is colleges face a large gap between what the province provides and what it actually costs to educate students.

You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Now you're in the know.

Thanks for listening.

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