Money

S&P/TSX composite again creeps higher as investors digest solid November gains

TORONTO — Canada's main index crept higher again Thursday on a broad-based rally as investors continued to digest November's solid gains. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 39.81 points to 17,398.02. It reached an intraday high of 17,452.85 that's 2.9 per cent below February's record level. The market is looking for the next catalyst to determine its path forward, said Mike Archibald, vice-president and portfolio manager with AGF Investments...

2020-12-03T15:04:46Z

Hillary, Chelsea Clinton to tell unheralded heroes' stories

LOS ANGELES — Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, are forming a film production company that they say will tell the stories of people whose voices are often overlooked. Their first project of their HiddenLight company is to be a documentary series called “Gutsy Women,” which Apple TV+ said in a separate announcement Thursday it plans to air at an unspecified future date. Mother and daughter, who will host the series, say it was...

2020-12-03T20:03:13Z

Germany is buying more electric cars than California. That's good news for Tesla.

Tesla's chasing the market - but electric-vehicle adoption in the US has a few tailwinds that could prove just as beneficial for Elon Musk.

2020-12-03T21:35:09Z

B.C. couple claims they’re being evicted from their own land for not building home fast enough

But the Village of Salmo's mayor says there's more to the story.

2020-12-04T02:10:38Z

Saskatoon city councillors vote to reduce 2021 property tax increase

Saskatoon's city council voted to reduce next year's property tax increase to 2.83 per cent, with most members saying the city could cut expenditures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020-12-04T02:15:47Z

Could Alberta actually fall into have-not status? New report shows it is a possibility

"It's actually conceivable within three to five years that Alberta could be an equalization recipient province," said Ben Eisen, a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute.

2020-12-04T01:50:13Z

3M cutting another 2,900 global jobs in second restructuring within a year

LONDON, Ont. — The maker of Post-it notes and industrial coatings says an additional 2,900 jobs will be cut around the world following another restructuring, this time spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 3M says the changes will affect all of its business groups, functions and geographies, but it won't say how its Canadian operations will be impacted. 3M Canada has 1,900 employees at its manufacturing, distribution and research operations,...

2020-12-03T21:20:40Z

MPs probe officials on ability to collect GST from Netflix, other foreign companies

OTTAWA — Opposition MPs pressed officials Thursday to say how ready they'll be to begin collecting GST on cross-border sales by foreign companies starting next year, as proposed by the Liberal government's fiscal update. Foreign companies without a physical presence in Canada, such as Netflix, Airbnb and Amazon, currently aren't required to collect the federal goods and service tax that's routinely applied by domestic companies. Senior officials...

2020-12-03T21:49:20Z

Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Ulta Beauty, DocuSign, Cloudera & more

See which stocks are posting big moves after the bell.

2020-12-03T21:53:12Z

Analysis: As stocks soar, government shutdown looms amid pandemic

Analysis: As stocks soar, government shutdown looms amid pandemic

2020-12-04T06:16:15Z

Amid pandemic, orders soar for Brazil robot that feeds pigs playing classical music

Amid pandemic, orders soar for Brazil robot that feeds pigs playing classical music

2020-12-03T22:28:52Z

Trump administration adds China's SMIC and CNOOC to Defense blacklist

Trump administration adds China's SMIC and CNOOC to Defense blacklist

2020-12-03T21:55:01Z

Windsor's average property price has increased by more than $80,000 since last November

The average price people are willing to pay for real estate in Windsor-Essex continues to skyrocket even as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Average prices for property has increased by nearly 25 per cent over the last year.

2020-12-04T01:41:43Z

WSP Global shares surge with deal to buy Ontario's Golder Associates for $1.5 billion

MONTREAL — WSP Global Inc. has secured a transformation deal to take advantage of the world's green transition after agreeing to buy Ontario's employee-owned Golder Associates for about $1.5 billion. "This transforms the company and puts WSP in a different stratosphere," chief executive Alexandre L'Heureux said in an interview. "Today we become the world's most important company in environmental and earth services." The agreement announced...

2020-12-03T17:20:06Z

Supply chain delays marred Pfizer's initial vaccine rollout plans, but the company says it will still deliver on the supply it promised the US

But Pfizer and BioNtech maintain they will produce 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021, making up for this year's shortfall by ramping up production.

2020-12-03T23:50:36Z

Wind fans wildfire in California canyons, residents flee

LOS ANGELES — Powerful gusts pushed flames from a wildfire through Southern California canyons on Thursday, one of several blazes that burned near homes and forced residents to flee amid elevated fire risk for most of the region that prompted utilities to cut off power to hundreds of thousands. The biggest blaze began late Wednesday as a house fire in Orange County's Silverado Canyon, where gusts topped 70 mph (113 kph). “When crews arrived it...

2020-12-03T19:02:12Z

Two Grand Slam events added to curling bubble at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary

After a long wait, some clarity finally arrived on the curling scene this week with word that a Calgary "bubble" will be used to salvage several top events this season. Sportsnet said Thursday it planned to hold two Grand Slams in the hub, bringing the total number of competitions at the Markin MacPhail Centre to six after Curling Canada's initial announcement Tuesday. The news was generally well-received by those eager to see the Roaring Game's...

2020-12-03T17:07:51Z

Completely driverless cars are being tested in China for the first time

Alibaba-backed AutoX said this is the first time a "completely autonomous fleet" without any safety drivers or remote operators is on the streets of China.

2020-12-04T04:39:16Z

Chinese spacecraft carrying lunar rocks lifts off from moon

BEIJING — A Chinese spacecraft lifted off from the moon Thursday night with a load of lunar rocks, the first stage of its return to Earth, the government space agency reported. Chang’e 5, the third Chinese spacecraft to land on the moon and the first to take off from it again, is the latest in a series of increasingly ambitious missions for Beijing’s space program, which also has a orbiter and rover headed to Mars. The Chang’e 5 touched down...

2020-12-03T17:05:04Z

Coronavirus: Montreal unveils $60-million economic relaunch roadmap

Montreal officials say they have a $60-million plan to help relaunch the economic growth that has been stalled by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

2020-12-04T00:38:00Z

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar doesn't think he just destroyed the movie theater industry

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar refused to say if his decision to put all 17 of Warner Bros. movies on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters will go beyond next year.

2020-12-03T21:53:16Z

Evraz steel mill in Regina hit with 500 layoffs; union cites decrease in demand

REGINA — A union representing workers at a steel plant in Regina says nearly 500 of its members are being laid off. The United Steelworkers says the workers will be off the job starting Dec. 17 and their layoff notices are indefinite. The president of union Local 5890 says it's tough because people will be out of work just over a week before Christmas and in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mike Day says the union knew layoffs were coming,...

2020-12-03T23:51:03Z

Belleville, Ont., councillors clear the way for ridesharing in the city

Belleville has been in talks with Uride, a Thunder Bay ridesharing company launched in 2017.

2020-12-04T00:08:12Z

Moe hopes for holiday visits as Saskatchewan's COVID-19 cases forecast to double

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe isn't committing to a threshold suggested by his chief medical health officer for granting more people the right to gather at Christmas. Dr. Saqib Shahab said Wednesday that any decision to relax COVID-19 public-health orders would have to consider the risk of infections spiking in the new year. Shahab said his preference would be for the province to wait until there was an average of 120 new cases daily,...

2020-12-03T16:19:55Z

In seismic shift, Warner Bros. to stream all 2021 films

NEW YORK — In the most seismic shift by a Hollywood studio yet during the pandemic, Warner Bros. Pictures on Thursday announced that all of its 2021 film slate — including a new “Matrix” movie, “Godzilla vs. Kong” and the Lin-Manuel Miranda adaptation “In the Heights” — will stream on HBO Max at the same time they play in theatres. Among the myriad release plan changes wrought by the pandemic, no studio has so fully embraced streaming as a...

2020-12-03T18:47:58Z

Oil prices rise as producers agree on supply compromise

Oil prices rise as producers agree on supply compromise

2020-12-04T02:15:38Z

TD CEO pushes 'cautious optimism' after bank reported $5.14B profit in Q4

TORONTO — TD Bank Group's chief executive is ending 2020 without budging from a message he's been pushing almost every quarter this year: "cautious optimism." Bharat Masrani said Thursday that a second wave of COVID-19 has forced some areas to pause reopening measures, but every day he is seeing consumer confidence grow and more promising developments about potential vaccines to combat the virus emerge. "The outlook remains uncertain," the told...

2020-12-03T12:49:23Z

California ties new COVID-19 rules to hospital capacity

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is on the brink of a new stay-at-home order that would close businesses and curb travel in regions that could see hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new rules that take effect Saturday, designed to keep local health systems from collapsing under the weight of skyrocketing COVID-19 caseloads. Previous restrictions were based on infection rates in counties. The new order...

2020-12-04T07:22:09Z

Climate change costs taking increasing chunk off Canada's GDP growth: study

Climate change costs are already taking an increasing bite out of Canada's economic growth and the country is falling behind other nations when it comes to planning for them, says federally funded research. "Some of these impacts we've already seen are going to continue into the future and grow," said Ryan Ness of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices. "But there's going to be other kinds of impacts that we haven't even seen before." The...

2020-12-03T18:50:15Z

Why the pandemic is spurring the rise of small business lobbying efforts

Ashley Perri’s Skinprovement Medi Spa and Laser Clinic lost all its in-person business — which makes up the bulk of her income — when the COVID-19 lockdown began last March, forcing her to immediately transition her Vaughan, Ont., business to an e-commerce model. To help market the decision, the 34-year-old who has fresh-scrubbed good looks and an ebullient personality began producing the kind of lively, fun skin-care videos that are taking...

2020-12-03T21:51:38Z

Senate confirms Christopher Waller to serve on Fed's board

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed the nomination of Christopher Waller for the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, placing another of President Donald Trump's picks on the Fed's influential board after a string of high-profile rejections. The vote in favour of Waller was 48-47. Waller, research director at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, taught economics for nearly 25 years before joining the St. Louis Fed in 2009....

2020-12-03T17:35:05Z

Husky Energy to get $41.5 million in federal cash for stalled N.L. offshore project

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Husky Energy will receive $41.5 million in federal money to maintain jobs and move toward restarting its West White Rose offshore oil project in Newfoundland and Labrador, although officials admit a restart is not certain. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey made the funding announcement Thursday at Husky's offices in downtown St. John's. Furey said the investment ensures jobs for 331 people in the province for the...

2020-12-03T15:49:52Z

Alberta tops 1,800 new daily COVID cases, chief doctor warns rural rates rising

EDMONTON — As Alberta recorded another daily record of COVID-19 cases Thursday, its chief medical officer of health warned that rural areas are feeling the effects. “While infection rates in Edmonton and Calgary make up the majority of cases in the province, we’re seeing increased spread in many rural communities,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw Hinshaw said. “COVID-19 is not a Calgary problem or Edmonton problem. This is a provincial problem within the...

2020-12-04T01:36:21Z

RioCan cuts payouts as COVID-19 challenges outlook for retail real estate

TORONTO — RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it is cutting its payouts to unitholders by a third as the COVID-19 pandemic creates an uncertain future for shopping centres. RioCan, which counts Dollarama, Canadian Tire and Costco among its tenants, says that it is slashing its monthly payout to eight cents per unit, down from 12 cents. The company says the cut will save about $152 million per year, which the company will use for expanding...

2020-12-03T23:05:59Z

2 Alberta toddlers receive life-saving drug thanks to angel donor and pharmaceutical lottery

Two Alberta families are celebrating early Christmas miracles this week. Kaysen Martin and Harper Hanki both received IV gene-therapy treatments.

2020-12-03T20:19:28Z

'They don't need me now': COVID impact forcing Britons to food banks

'They don't need me now': COVID impact forcing Britons to food banks

2020-12-04T06:16:09Z

Calgary’s coronavirus New Year’s Eve to be without fireworks

While fireworks and other city-held outdoor events are cancelled, the mayor said people can still gather outdoors in small numbers.

2020-12-03T21:50:30Z

U.S. reportedly in talks with Huawei CFO on deal to send her back to China if she admits to wrongdoing

The U.S. has spoken to lawyers for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in recent weeks about a so-called "deferred prosecution agreement," the Wall Street Journal reported.

2020-12-04T04:09:10Z

Nasdaq closes at record high as Congress inches toward stimulus deal

Lawmakers warmed up to the $908 billion proposal Democratic leaders embraced on Wednesday, placing new pressure on Senate Republicans to compromise.

2020-12-03T21:35:29Z

Liberals' failure to be transparent on vaccines fuelling anxiety: O'Toole

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole blamed the Liberal government Thursday for the fact some Canadians are casting doubt on the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 24,000 Canadians have signed a petition headed for the House of Commons that raises doubts about the safety of vaccines, suggesting among other things that they are being rushed without appropriate safeguards and that the program amounts to "human experimentation." O'Toole...

2020-12-03T15:30:33Z

Top AI ethics researcher says Google fired her; company denies it

Top AI ethics researcher says Google fired her; company denies it

2020-12-04T00:54:23Z

Southwest Airlines is preparing to furlough nearly 7,000 workers for the first time in its history

Southwest has promised to exempt any workgroup that accepts the temporary pay cuts from being furloughed.

2020-12-03T22:50:43Z

Trump signs order on principles for U.S. government AI use

Trump signs order on principles for U.S. government AI use

2020-12-03T20:13:38Z

Edmonton's Zenari food family opens new restaurant

Elisa Zenari is finally able to exhale. Not only because she’s at long last thrown open the doors to her family’s latest restaurant, Dalla Tavola Zenari , , but there’s also the matter of all that extra space to exhale in. “It’s amazing,” she laughs. “I look up at these 20-foot ceilings and there’s so much air.” It’s been something of a journey for Zenari, her husband Ran Huget and brother Giancarlo, who shut down their family’s beloved lunch...

2020-12-03T17:23:32Z

Brazilian soy farmers try 5G technology with Huawei equipment

US-BRAZIL-5G:Brazilian soy farmers try 5G technology with Huawei equipment

2020-12-03T21:28:45Z

Team preparations underway for potential field hospital activation: SHA

Scott Livingstone confirmed the Saskatchewan Health Authority is not in the process of opening the field hospitals but it is preparing teams.

2020-12-04T01:13:39Z

U.S. expected to report slowest job growth in six months

U.S. expected to report slowest job growth in six months

2020-12-04T05:11:06Z

Debt-deferral cliff yet to cause major issues, bank results show

If there’s a debt-deferral cliff, Canada’s biggest banks are only seeing a small percentage of borrowers go over it so far. Canada’s Big Six lenders all reported this week that the majority of loan-payment deferrals they provided to clients amid the coronavirus pandemic expired by the end of October, and that most of those previously-deferring customers are back to paying down their debts. Toronto-Dominion Bank reported on Thursday that...

2020-12-03T23:02:33Z

Amazing Christmas decorations on a budget

Filling your home with light, sparkle and festive touches this holiday season doesn't need to cost you a fortune. Whether you’re feeling crafty or need to stick to a budget, get into the spirit with these quick and simple DIY Christmas decorating hacks.

2020-12-03T23:18:23Z

Westbank First Nation extends freeze on rental increases to July 1

WFN says the freeze was to expire on Jan. 1, but will now be extended until Canada Day.

2020-12-03T23:30:24Z