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Canadian Energy Companies Benefiting From Global Turbulence
The world is going through a lot of chaos right now. From a war in Ukraine to a looming recession back home, people are struggling to live as normal. But through this all, the biggest Canadian energy stocks are getting stronger. Why is this and should you invest?
Before getting into the specifics of the stock market and why commodities are benefiting, it is important to go through every global event that is having a major impact.
The glut of global turbulence
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
To start with, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the most obvious factor in global turbulence at the moment. The world was not ready to deal with such an invasion. Negotiations were expected to keep Russia from choosing this approach, considering what they would have to lose. Massive sanctions would cripple Russia’s economy, and a war would not seem worth it.
However, they went ahead and global sanctions went into place. Unfortunately, these sanctions do not only affect Russia. Rather, they impact just about every other country as well. Russia bears the biggest brunt, but without the resources they provide to other
countries, the world is struggling to cope.
This is hurting developing countries more than any other, as they do not have the resources to spend on low supplies of energy in high demand. Locals are paying the price, with costs rising dramatically. However, developed nations are struggling as well, including the US and Canada. We’re seeing record high inflation that is making life difficult for everyone. We may face shortages if this war continues for much longer.
China’s COVID Lockdowns
While it has started to feel like COVID is finally over, China has been implementing new lockdowns to control another wave. This has led to a low supply of goods coming from China, impacting trade around the world at a time in which supply of almost every
commodity is low.
It’s not just the lack of production on Chinese shores that is impacting the rest of the world. The reality they are going through is causing a lot of unease. The pandemic started there, after all, and their inability to contain it led to the events of the past two and a half years. Fears that they will trigger a new wave with disastrous consequences are not unfounded.
Supply-chain issues caused by the pandemic around the world have still not returned to normal. If lockdowns go into place globally, these issues will get worse once again and it will be even more difficult to recover.
Global Recession
The threat of a global recession that rivals the Great Recession is looming over us. In the US, out-of-control inflation in spite of high interest rates, along with highly overvalued properties, are driving fears.
Whether a recession will occur and how bad it will be is impossible to determine at this point. But the potential is causing people to make decisions with huge financial consequences. This leaves us all the more at risk of chaos.
In this context, why are the biggest Canadian energy companies benefiting? What does this mean for stock traders?
Energy is in high demand
The above events have all impacted the supply of many commodities. Whether it is due to sanctions or lockdowns in China, it is becoming extremely difficult to get hold of just about any consumables. However, there is nothing in higher demand than energy.
Energy is by far Russia’s biggest export. Russia is also one of the biggest exporters of energy in the world, especially when it comes to crude oil. For this reason, sanctions are not all-encompassing. Many European countries simply cannot function without importing Russian energy.
The same is not true for the US, who have been able to cut off all energy imports from Russia. But it is still not comfortable, and all kinds of energy are in high demand.
This is particularly good for the biggest Canadian energy companies. One of the reasons the US can survive without importing Russian energy is due to the supply of energy from Canada. With such high demand, and supply that is limited to an extent, the price of
Canadian energy has risen rapidly.
The strength of the US dollar
With all of that being said, you may be wondering why Canadian energy companies are benefiting so much while US companies are not having as much luck. This has a lot to do with the strength of the US dollar.
The US dollar is considered a safe haven currency. It tends to stay strong regardless of what is happening in the world. This becomes a self-fulfilling property, as currency traders flock to buy US dollars in times of trouble, causing it to strengthen in spite of economic downturns.
China’s difficulties also boost the US currency, as traders turn to the US to import goods unavailable during China’s lockdowns.
The strength of the US dollar is, at least in the short term, great for Canadian energy companies. With demand for their energy in the US higher than ever, they are receiving US dollars that are particularly strong and have more buying power in Canada. The biggest Canadian energy companies are therefore flying higher than their US counterparts, who are earning the same dollars which, due to high inflation, have lower buying power than before.
Of course, this is a double-edged sword. Right now, the strength of the US dollar is great for Canadian energy companies. But over time it will start to impact the cost of all imports from the US, increasing the expenses these companies face and cancelling out any benefits.
Should you invest in Canadian energy stocks?
Bringing this back to the buying and selling of commodities on the stock market, is this the perfect time to invest in the biggest Canadian energy stocks? While it may seem so, the answer is a little more complicated than you might think.
The problem with the current strength of Canadian energy companies is that it is caused by factors that are supposed to be temporary. Sanctions on Russia are not meant as a punishment for their crimes. Rather, they are in place to put pressure on Russia to end the war before their economy collapses and they are bereft of necessary resources.
It is either that or the rest of the world capitulates due to an inability to cope with the rebound effects of the sanctions. Either way, Russian energy exports go back to normal and the price of Canadian energy stocks drops significantly.
The same is true when it comes to China and its COVID lockdowns. They may be driving up the price of the US dollar right now, but things will soon get back to normal. China’s approach of implementing harsh lockdowns ensures that they last the minimum amount of time. This is already happening, with China’s economy just experiencing its best month since February.
This is not to say that Canadian energy stocks are a bad investment. But, if you are to invest in these stocks, you need to be prepared to watch the market carefully. Things can change in an instant, and you can see your investment lose its value.
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Keeping Strategic Partnerships On Track with Data Rooms
Strategic partnerships move fast, then stall for familiar reasons: scattered contracts, unclear change control, misaligned KPIs, and painful renewals. A modern virtual data room solves those execution gaps by giving both parties a single, secure workspace to negotiate and govern the relationship.
Below is a practical playbook for partnership for legal and governance teams that need better oversight of the process without slowing the deal.
Why partnerships fail in execution
Alliances now account for a rising share of growth activity, yet many underperform because governance and information flows break down after the signing ceremony. McKinsey has reported sustained growth in partnership activity and the need for rigor in how companies structure and manage complex partner portfolios.
Risk compounds as third parties plug deeper into your tech stack and customer data. KPMG’s recent third-party risk work highlights regulatory pressure and real breach exposure tied to vendor access — amplifying the need for disciplined data, access, and contract controls across the partner lifecycle.
What a VDR contributes that shared drives can’t
Virtual data room services outperform generic cloud folders in four partnership jobs-to-be-done:
- A secure contract repository that centralizes master agreements, statements of work, schedules, and side letters, with version history and tamper-evident audit trails. This is foundational for obligations management and dispute resolution. Research shows that advanced contract lifecycle controls materially reduce missed obligations and improve risk visualization.
- Permissioned partner access so each party sees only what they must. Granular, role-based permissions and watermarking help you share sensitive materials with confidence during escalations or executive reviews. HBR’s long-standing guidance on alliance scorecards underscores the value of clear information rights and accountability, which VDRs operationalize day to day.
- Milestone tracking in VDR to link documents and discussions directly to the KPIs that define success — launch dates, enablement targets, marketing funds, or co-sell quotas — so status never lives in email threads.
- Renewal and compliance files managed in one place for audits, certifications, cybersecurity questionnaires, privacy addenda, and regulatory notices. With regulators sharpening expectations on third-party oversight, having these artifacts organized and provable is no longer optional.
Selecting data room providers for partnerships
In the process of selecting data room providers, you should evaluate top vendors against your partnership-specific needs, not just M&A checklists. Here’s what to pay attention to:
- Granular permissions that support external groups and expiring links.
- Tasking and approvals to shepherd redlines, consent requests, and change orders.
- API and SSO so you can sync with CRM and other tools.
- Audit-quality logs and data residency options for regulated markets.
- Structured dashboards for milestone tracking in VDR without exporting to slides.
If you’re comparing options, check out data room provider reviews at dataroom.org.uk page — a curated platform that evaluates the VDR providers. You’ll find it useful if you want your partnerships to run for years rather than weeks.
Designing the core folder architecture
Once you have a decent data room selected, you’re ready to think about folder architecture. Experienced teams use a common structure across deals so stakeholders can find the right file in seconds. A typical data room for partnerships includes:
- Governance — charters, joint steering deck, RACI, escalation paths, meeting minutes.
- Contracts — MSA, SOWs, pricing exhibits, data protection terms, change orders.
- Delivery — technical specs, APIs, integration test evidence, rollout plans.
- Commercials — business cases, rebate logic, MDF claims, sales playbooks.
- Compliance & risk — SOC/ISO reports, penetration tests, DPIAs, DPA annexes.
- Performance & KPIs — dashboards, QBR packs, remediation logs.
- Renewal & amendments — redlines, approvals, countersigned documents.
Keep naming conventions strict (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD_DocumentName_Vx), and map folders to contract clauses so audits are traceable to obligations.
Access control that matches real-world roles
Partnerships span legal, finance, security, product, marketing, and sales on both sides. Use the VDR’s permission model to mirror this:
- Internal core team: full read/write within governance, contracts, and delivery.
- Partner core team: scoped access to execution materials, not internal approvals.
- Executives and board: read-only to governance and KPI packs for QBRs.
- Specialists (security, privacy, tax): time-boxed, watermark-protected access to specific subfolders.
This permissioned access keeps collaboration fluid while containing risk if membership changes mid-stream.
From diligence to day 2: Workflows that prevent drift
VDRs shine when you operationalize a few high-leverage workflows:
- Vendor due diligence. Host questionnaires, evidence, and remediation in one trackable space. Thomson Reuters outlines the scope of effective vendor due diligence; your VDR should reflect that scope with structured folders, checklists, and deadlines.
- Security events. Keep incident notifications, joint response notes, and root-cause analyses in the compliance area with restricted access.
- Quarterly business reviews. Publish dashboards, opportunity lists, pipeline hygiene notes, and joint marketing calendars under a single Quarterly Business Review (QBR) folder — reducing prep time and increasing continuity across sponsors.
Contract intelligence that keeps money on the table
Money usually leaks in quiet ways: someone forgets to pay a rebate, prices don’t get updated, or a service promise keeps auto-renewing without anyone checking it. To stop that, you write down the most important details from each deal — like when it renews, how prices can change, what refunds are owed if something breaks, and when special rights end — and you keep those in one safe place everyone can see.
Then you set five important reminders in that same place:
- When the deal is about to renew
- When it’s time to review prices
- When you need to check rebates after each quarter
- When you need to make sure a broken promise got a credit
- When “only we’re allowed to do this” ends
Each reminder should have one person in charge, a due date, and proof saved before anyone can say it’s done.
How to launch a partner VDR in 30 days
You don’t need a massive program to see value. In four weeks, you can stand up a partner-ready data room that legal, security, and sales will actually use:
Week 1 — Foundation. Confirm the folder taxonomy, map documents to contract clauses, and assign owners. Set baseline permissions and watermark settings.
Week 2 — Migration. Move authoritative versions only; archive duplicates. Create a secure contract repository and lock naming conventions.
Week 3 — Workflows. Configure diligence and change-control checklists, SLA tracking, and QBR templates. Enable alerts for renewals and audits.
Week 4 — Operate. Run a QBR using VDR dashboards, test guest invites with permissioned partner access, and review logs. Document playbooks for handoffs if needed.
Partnership pilot programs are forgiving; scale is not. As your partnership expands, decision rights blur, metrics drift, and files scatter. Your VDR should prevent that: one place for obligations, KPIs, and audits, all tied to owners and dates.
Don’t wait for a customer review or regulator to force the issue. Stand up the folder model, set renewal and control alerts, and use QBRs from the data room — not slides.
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4 Digital Trends Local Communities Are Embracing Today
It is no secret that life has become a lot more digital in recent times, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. People now do many activities online that they once did in person, which can provide a new level of convenience and accessibility for local communities. It has been fascinating to observe how these digital trends have reshaped modern life as we know it and given people the possibility to easily stay connected and entertained from home or on the move on a mobile device.
With this in mind, this post will explore a few of the biggest digital trends that local communities are embracing today.
1. Virtual Learning
One of the most notable trends that continues to grow each year is virtual learning. These days, people do not have to attend in-person courses and classes to earn qualifications or learn new skills, as they can engage in online learning. This can change people’s lives with the ability to advance their careers, start new careers, or simply expand their horizons without having to leave the house.
2. Online Shopping
Few things have changed life so much in the 21st century as the rise of ecommerce. It is hard to remember a time before when you could not get all of your shopping delivered to your home, offering greater convenience as well as the ability to shop from sellers all around the world. Since the pandemic, local communities are buying practically all of their needs online, including groceries, fashion, furniture, homeware, technology, and much more. Additionally, second-hand marketplaces have surged in popularity in recent times, allowing people to save money and find rare items.
3. Live Casino Games
Many local communities have turned to online casino games in recent times. This can provide the same thrill and excitement of going to a land-based casino with the convenience of playing from home or on the move. In recent years, online live casino games have taken off. These are games with a real-life dealer using streaming technology, helping to create a more realistic, engaging, and social experience. This includes live blackjack, roulette, and baccarat at popular online casinos where you can interact with dealers and other players via a live chat function. Casino games are often seen as a solo activity, but this is changing with the rise of live casino games.
4. Virtual Fitness
The way in which people exercise and stay in shape is also changing. Now, virtual PT sessions and exercise classes give people the ability to exercise and socialize without having to leave the house. This is ideal for those who crave social connection as part of their exercise regime but have busy schedules and/or live in remote areas. This has also extended to wellness in recent times with guided meditation sessions and virtual yoga classes, allowing people to look after their overall well-being from home.
These are a few of the main digital trends that have emerged in recent times and changed the way in which local communities lead their daily lives. It will be fascinating to see how these trends evolve and what new trends emerge in the years to come as life becomes increasingly digital.
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