spring housing shantae Canada’s spring housing market is typically the busiest time of the year for the real estate sector, but homebuyers have so far been reluctant to jump in. (Credit: Financial Post photo illustration/Getty Images)

It’s Tuesday, April 21. Here are the top stories we’re following today.

From where the deals are to where prices dropped most, 5 key things to know about the spring real estate market

Spring is traditionally when Canada’s housing market shifts into high gear. But this year it’s idling, despite four consecutive years of price reductions nationally.

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 The CN Tower is seen past condominiums in Toronto, Ont. The CN Tower is seen past condominiums in Toronto, Ont.

Toronto’s condo market ‘hits bottom’ with some developers looking at selling units below cost

Canada’s largest condominium market has “hit bottom” as first-quarter sales for new projects in Toronto fell 52 per cent from a year ago to a 35-year low, according to an Urbanation Inc. report, and no projects were launched for the first time in three decades in the period.

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 Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to journalists in the House of Commons foyer before Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 10. Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to journalists in the House of Commons foyer before Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 10.

Don’t expect Carney’s looming spring budget update to reflect the financial pain Canadians are feeling

There’s a scene in the 1988 comedy The Naked Gun where Leslie Nielsen’s Lt. Frank Drebin waves his arms in front of a fireworks factory that has just exploded and calmly tells the horrified crowd, “Nothing to see here, please disperse.” Kim Moody has often thought about that scene while watching Mark Carney’s government handle the federal budget process.

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 Montreal-based satellite startup NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. provides data and other services from its platform of space-based sensors. Montreal-based satellite startup NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. provides data and other services from its platform of space-based sensors.

Canadian satellite startup NorthStar on track to hit US$300-million valuation after SPAC merger

Montreal-based satellite startup NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. says it intends to go public on the New York Stock Exchange by merging with special acquisition purpose company Viking Acquisition Corp. I as investor interest in the space sector grows.

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 The Middle East conflict is having an immediate impact on airline pricing, especially for North American companies. The Middle East conflict is having an immediate impact on airline pricing, especially for North American companies.

Garry Marr: When it comes to summer vacation planning, we’re all commodities traders now

Planning a cost-effective vacation this summer increasingly feels like betting on the commodities market, as oil prices rise and fall based on global geopolitical winds. Statistics Canada reported this week that airfares rose in March for the first time in two years, as the Iran war roiled oil prices.

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