Canada’s GDP grew 0.3% in April, with rebound in some sectors

Canada’s economy grew 0.3 per cent in April, helped by strength in several industries, including wholesale trade, oil and gas extraction and manufacturing, Statistics Canada said. The data matched expectations as analysts polled by Reuters had forecast 0.3 per cent GDP growth in the month, after zero growth in March. Statistics Canada says the growth in April came as … Read more

Canadian banking regulator says real estate, mortgages pose risk to financial systems

Canada’s banking regulator says real estate secured lending and mortgages are among the top risks the country’s financial system is facing, as higher interest rates pressure borrowers. In its annual risk outlook, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions )OSFI) said as homeowners renew their mortgages, they could potentially face a payment shock due to … Read more

Body Shop Canada to lay off 200 workers after parent company took its cash, court docs show

The Body Shop Canada Ltd. is seeking creditor protection and closing a third of its stores because its parent company stripped the Canadian arm of cash and pushed it into debt, according to court documents. An affidavit published through the company’s court monitor from Jordan Searle, who heads the Canadian arm, describes how troubles befell … Read more

Why drought on the Prairies is making your steak more expensive

Ask John Wildenborg if he thinks Canadians will be paying more for steak during future barbecue seasons, and the owner of Calgary specialty butcher shop Master Meats doesn’t hesitate. “Prices are definitely going to go higher, no ifs, ands or buts about it,” he said. “It keeps me up at night, actually, thinking about coming … Read more

Car rental giant Hertz dumps EVs in U.S. in favour of gasoline engines

Rental firm Hertz Global Holdings said on Thursday it would sell about 20,000 electric vehicles, including Teslas, from its U.S. fleet due to higher expenses related to collision and damage, and will opt for gas-powered vehicles. Shares of the rental company, which also operates vehicles from Swedish EV maker Polestar among others, fell about four per cent. Tesla’s stock was down about … Read more

Federal health minister says he won’t allow Florida to ‘pillage’ the drug supply

Health Minister Mark Holland says Florida’s plan to import cheaper Canadian pharmaceuticals is a non-starter and the federal government will use its regulatory power to ensure the national drug supply does not face any shortages due to actions by a foreign state. “There is no way we will allow any jurisdiction, be it a state or another … Read more

B.C. health minister says he expects Ottawa to protect Canadians from drug shortages

British Columbia’s health minister says potential exports of Canadian drugs to U.S. states would be a devastating blow — but he doesn’t believe it will come to that. In an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, Adrian Dix said a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow Florida to import millions of dollars worth … Read more

Unemployment rate held steady last month, StatsCan says

Statistics Canada says the total number of jobs in December was virtually unchanged for the month as the unemployment rate held steady at 5.8 per cent. The agency says the economy added a total of 100 jobs for the final month of the year. The result came as the number of full-time jobs fell by 23,500 in December, offset … Read more

Is your new car on a storage compound? Inside Kia’s scheme to deliberately withhold deliveries

New Kia vehicles that have arrived from overseas are sitting on a storage lot in Wolverton, Ont., purposely locked up even though customers have been waiting months and months — some well over a year — to get their vehicles. The new cars are being withheld from Kia’s Ontario dealerships — and reportedly from many more … Read more

Canada’s economy stalled again in October but likely up 0.1% in November

Canada’s economy was essentially unchanged for the third consecutive month in October, missing growth forecasts, but gross domestic product likely edged up in November, Statistics Canada data showed on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.2 per cent month-over-month rise. September’s GDP was downwardly revised to zero growth from an initial report of … Read more