The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, May 26, edition that homeowners in Ontario and British Columbia are increasingly missing mortgage payments due to higher interest rates. The Globe's Rachelle Younglai writes that in Ontario, the delinquency rate on mortgages rose to 0.36 per cent in the first quarter, a 52-per-cent increase from last year. In B.C., it reached 0.25 per cent, up 36 per cent. Homeowners in these provinces face a heavier debt burden, leading to steeper payment increases upon renewal. In 2021, five-year fixed mortgage rates were below 2 per cent. Homeowners who are renewing that same product today are doing so at an average interest rate above 4 per cent. In the first quarter of 2021, the average size of a new mortgage was $391,560 in Ontario and $444,215 in B.C. That was above the national average of $329,290. The mortgage delinquency has climbed at a faster pace in Toronto and some of the surrounding cities. In Toronto, the rate climbed 58 per cent to 0.38 per cent over the past year. In Brampton, the rate rose 64 per cent to 0.64 per cent over the same period. In Hamilton, it went up by 61 per cent to 0.2 per cent. In contrast, the delinquency rate has declined in Alberta and Quebec.