BlackBerry is making a big bet in launching a new smartphone that features the physical keyboard adored by loyal consumers. The phone is expected to be a low-cost version of the BlackBerry 10, aimed at bolstering its relevance in emerging markets. BlackBerry Q5 should help the company as it wages the fight of its life in a big, bold turnaround plan.

Here's why. The phone will be available in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa as early as July. It is an essential move because the Q5 represents BlackBerry's attempt to cater to emerging economies where they have a stronghold relative to the developed world, where rivals have swallowed its market share.

At the same time, BlackBerry announced it is opening up its popular instant messaging service to rival manufacturers, pushing the broader brand.

But the company has yet to announce pricing. Even though that infuses an element of uncertainty -- and was probably a big factor in the stock's decline following this week's

“Still using the BlackBerry, eh?”

The comment came during a break in a meeting I was having this week with the head of technology at a large customs brokerage, when he noticed the phone I’d whipped out for a quick e-mail check. The tone behind the comment was obvious. To continue using a BlackBerry (and not even a new model) amid the popularity for iPhones or Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is starting to look like either an act of patriotism or a failure to keep up with the most fashionable technology. I tried not to look embarrassed, but then he went on.

“I still support BlackBerry,” he said. “We’re still using them all over the place here.”

Of course they are. Although there were some stories last year of high-profile corporations moving to other devices en masse, the security and management behind BlackBerry’s products make them integral to many organizations. This week’s BlackBerry Live turned the focus, understandably, to all the changes at a consumer level, like the introduction of colourful

Jennifer Mah has vivid memories of a friend’s wedding from many years ago—not because she had the time of her life on the dance floor but because the event nearly drained her bank account.

Then living in Edmonton, Mah had to travel to Vancouver for the wedding. She had to take time off work from her part-time job as a waiter, which meant giving up earnings. There was the cost of a hotel room and of course the need for a wedding present. Then there was the girls’ dinner out two nights before the big event.

“I was putting myself through school and spent a fortune to be at her wedding,” Mah says. “I couldn’t believe it when I added it all up.”

As Mah knows first-hand, the bride and groom aren’t the only ones who have to fork out big bucks for the big day. According to new data from American Express, the average cost of attending a wedding this year will come to a whopping $539. That’s up nearly 60 per cent from 2012, thanks to rising costs of gas and hotels.

Guests spend, on average, $144 on

With the news that Telus is buying small cellphone carrier Mobilicity for $380 million, it’s hard to figure out who’s going to be worse off: consumers, the government or the big carriers themselves.

One less wireless company – especially one that specializes in offering rock-bottom prices – obviously means there will be less competition and choice for customers. The removal of such a particularly scrappy player will bring Canada one step closer back to the status quo of Bell, Rogers, Telus, a trio that already currently enjoy some of the highest profits and per-user revenues in the world.

At $60.79, Canada leads the world in the all-important industry measure of average monthly revenue per user, according to figures from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Wireless Matrix. That’s a third higher than the developed world average of $43.79 and 16 per cent higher than the United States, at $51.61. Canadian carriers are also fifth highest among advanced nations in profitability, with a

The number of women in middle and senior management roles has stalled over the past 20 years, and new research says men in these top positions are part of the problem.

Despite a growing business case for having more women in top jobs, male leaders don't see the advancement of women as an issue, or don't understand it, according to the report released Wednesday from the Conference Board of Canada.

“The men who appear the least concerned are those with the most power to enable change—senior executives,” states the report titled, Women in Leadership: Perceptions and Priorities for Change. ”It is simply not a major issue for many men.”

Researchers asked survey respondents to indicate their reaction to the statement, “Organizations should try to increase the number of women in their senior management ranks.” In response, 90 per cent of women in senior management ranks agreed, compared with 42 per cent of men in those roles, says the report.

Without the support and some action on the part of

Would you like your medium double-double to have subtle notes of international small business development on the tongue? A smooth mouthfeel of morality and a robust finish with strong hints of fair sourcing?

Well, Tim Hortons believes they’ve just introduced the ethically-justified java you’re looking for.

The Canadian coffee-and-donut chain is set to introduce Partnership Blend, their first coffee sourced entirely from farmers involved in their Coffee Partnership program.

The ground coffee is available in 343-gram bags, meant to be brewed at home. Each bag retails for $7.69, with one dollar from each purchase going back to the partnership program.

Developed eight years ago as demand for fair trade coffee was expanding, the program works with small-scale farmers in Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia to expand their business and ensure they’re following efficient and ethical management practices. The operation is then audited by a third-party group to ensure its effectiveness.

“The

A friend of mine wasn’t sure he was getting the proper attention from his mutual fund dealer. I asked him how often they spoke. He said “he calls every February and says ‘are you going to contribute to your RRSP or what?’”

Considering the guy was collecting fees on a good portion of the amount invested the “or what” option should be to dump him. When we looked at the portfolio it was mish-mash of over 30 high-fee mutual funds, and many of them were redundant.

If you think your fund dealer is acting in his best interest and not yours, here are steps you can follow:

Contact the company

Unlike fee-based financial advisors, mutual fund dealers draw a big portion of their income from fees tied to the mutual funds themselves. This often gives investors the mistaken impression their service is free.

The fee structure is basically the same whether the dealers sell funds from one company or several. Either way, the mutual fund company is responsible for ensuring their dealers are earning

Canada’s housing market is slowly coming out of the cold, but economists say there’s no comeback in the works.

Newly released data from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) says sales of exiting homes fell 3.1 per cent in April compared to the same month last year, with transactions down in about 60 per cent of local markets.

That compares with a 15-per-cent year-over-year decline in March, with transactions down in more than 90 per cent markets – a drop CREA attributed to the Easter holiday and an extra full weekend at the end of the month in 2013.

The average sale price of a home across Canada rose 1.3 per cent in April compared to a year ago, or to $380,588.

In the shorter term, home sales across Canada rose 0.6 per cent in April as compared with March, while the number of newly listed homes fell 0.9 per cent month-over-month.
Economists say the numbers are encouraging heading into the popular spring home-selling season.

“We are continuing to see signs of a spring thaw in the