Pack your bags and get your passport ready: the U.S. will open its land border to Canadians next month after almost two years of closure. 

Refresher: The US-Canada land border has been closed since March 2020, but Canada began allowing American visitors into the border in August. 

The U.S. hasn't said whether it’ll accept people with mixed vaccine doses (1.3 million+ Canadians opted for a different second dose) or the exact date that the land border will open up. 

Why it matters: The reopening will help businesses along the land border get back on their feet and, at last, we can get our Dunkin’ Donuts fix.

Ontario-based D2L is going public on the TSX.

What’s D2L? Founded in 1999, Desire2Learn, aka D2L, makes software that hosts online learning tools, like games and tests. D2L says over 14 million people use its product, including Canadian universities and schools. 

D2L, which expects to net a US-$1 billion+ valuation in its public debut, plans to use the funds to pay back loans and fuel expansion. 

Zoom out: Online learning platforms have made a strong comeback during the pandemic. Other companies in the space like language learning platform Duolingo and Coursera have also taken advantage of the shift to online learning to go public this year.

Canada has produced some legendary alcohol brands: Molson’s, Labbat’s, Canadian Club… the list goes on (being just north of the Prohibition-era United States did have some benefits).

Now there’s a chance to be a part of building the next great Canadian spirits brands by investing in Calgary-based Burwood Distillery.

Burwood is raising money via FrontFundr to expand into the rapidly growing ready-to-drink canned cocktails market and begin selling into provinces across the country.

With 74% growth in sales over the last year and a proven record of bringing successful products to market, Burwood is well positioned to become a top player in the global spirits market.

Invest in Burwood Distillery today via FrontFundr starting with as little as $350

The U.S. is now the world's top spot for bitcoin mining, taking over China’s #1 spot.

Catch up: For years, China has had the world's largest hash rate, or bitcoin mining capacity, and accounted for around 70% of the world's bitcoin production. However, Chinese authorities have cracked down on cryptocurrency this year. 

What happened: China’s crackdown helped boost the U.S.’ hash rate up to 35.4%, while China’s hash rate dropped from 44% in May to zero in July. 

Why it matters: China's been trying to curb the crypto market's growth since at least 2013, and it looks like its efforts are finally paying off.

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Canada's second biggest pension fund, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), invested in a cryptocurrency company for the first time.

What happened: CPDQ, along with a private equity firm, invested US-$400 million in Celsius Network, a company that offers cryptocurrency lending products.

Bottom line: The decision by a relatively conservative institution like CDPQ to invest in a crypto company highlights the growing appeal of the space to investors of all types. 

...right on time for Halloween. Inflation in the U.S. was 5.3% in September, the highest it’s been since 2008. 

Inflation 101: The U.S., like Canada, aims for an inflation rate of around 2%. However, inflation rates have fluctuated throughout COVID: they fell to rock bottom at the start of the pandemic but are now picking up pace as our economic recovery gains speed. 

Why it’s happening: The faster-than-usual increase in inflation is because our supply chains — which are in a bit of disarray at the moment — can’t keep up with how fast our economy is recovering. The demand for goods, from semiconductor chips to cars to crops, is outstripping supply and driving up prices.

What about in Canada? Canada's inflation rate hit 4.1% in August, the highest level since 2003. 

What’s next: The U.S. adopted a more flexible policy around its 2% target last year, and Canada's central bank has until the end of the year to decide whether it wants to implement a similar policy.