Lumber industry spirits high

Softwood lumber duties aren’t dampening the spirits of Canadian lumber producers as strong demand from rising U.S. housing starts and tight supply is expected to keep prices high throughout 2018. The number of U.S. housing starts beat expectations by surpassing 1.33 million in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, with single-family starts increasing 7.6 per […]

Rouge adding more aircraft

Air Canada is looking to cut operating costs and defend against competition from upstart low-cost competitors by adding more planes to its Rouge fleet and flying them on regional routes within Canada. Narrow-body Rouge planes that operate at lower cost could replace smaller regional aircraft operated by airline partners like Jazz on some routes. For […]

Canadian business roundup

Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: Bread battle fallout: Loblaw Co. Ltd. releases fourth-quarter and year-end results on Thursday. The grocery giant rocked the food retail industry in December when it admitted to participating in an alleged price-fixing conspiracy. Loblaw and George Weston Ltd. were granted immunity […]

Big cuts at Global News

Corus Entertainment cut nearly 80 jobs, mostly in traditional TV production, at Global News newsrooms across Canada as part of a restructuring geared toward boosting online coverage. Global News will add about 50 new positions, mostly journalists who will file for new, local versions of the company’s news website in Ottawa, Kitchener, Guelph and Barrie, […]

Should you take the buyout?

What would you do if offered a voluntary severance package: celebrate, cry or crunch the numbers? Leaving a job can be an emotional experience, but it pays to remain calm and check out the options in a systematic way before making a decision. “What’s right is going to be different for each person, depending on […]

National home sales tumble

The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales across the country fell by 14.5 per cent between December 2017 and January 2018. The sharp drop means sales have reached their lowest level in three years despite being on par with the 10-year monthly average. The decrease comes after sales climbed to a record monthly high […]

Sears staff fight for pension

Former Sears Canada workers are hoping they can recoup a $270-million pension fund shortfall with a motion they will file in court later today. The workers are asking for a litigation trustee to be appointed to examine about $3 billion in payments made to shareholders since 2005, when U.S. hedge fund ESL Investments and its […]

3,300 take Shaw buyouts

Shaw Communications says 3,300 of its employees have decided to take a voluntary buyout package — far above the company’s original estimate of about 650. The Calgary-based company says that about one-quarter of its workforce will be departing as part of a previously announced multi-year transformation of its business. Shaw originally estimated about 10 per […]

Cdn Tire buys Sher-Wood

Canadian Tire Corp. says it has acquired Sher-Wood Athletics Group Inc.’s global hockey trademarks. The retailer says that INA International Ltd., a division of the company, acquired the trademarks. It says the deal also includes Sher-Wood’s related inventory. The Sherbrooke, Que.-based company has been in operation for more than 60 years. It manufactures and distributes […]

Trump hamstrings NAFTA

The ongoing effort to rescue and revamp NAFTA has made only limited progress because U.S. officials at the table find themselves hamstrung by the demands of the Trump White House and the talks are taking place too quickly, Canada’s chief negotiator says. Tuesday’s hard-hitting and sobering update from Steve Verheul came on the same day […]