$8.4B deficit in 10 months

A preliminary analysis of the federal books says the government ran a budgetary deficit of $8.4 billion through the first 10 months of the fiscal year, compared with a shortfall of $12.8 billion for the same period last year. The Finance Department’s latest monthly fiscal monitor shows overall revenues were up $11.6 billion, or 4.9 […]

TD considers cannabis

The chief executive of TD Bank says it would consider participating in cannabis sector financings after recreational marijuana becomes legal in Canada later this year. Bharat Masrani said to reporters after their annual meeting of shareholders today that the Toronto-based bank views the federal legalization of pot for adult use as an “important data point.” […]

Netflix tax coming?

Federal officials have taken a close look at how the government can make online services like Netflix and Amazon voluntarily collect sales tax, similar to the model Quebec plans to bring in next year. Pages of briefing notes provided to Heritage Minister Melanie Joly over the course of 2017 detail how certain governments around the […]

Walmart pulls Cosmo

Walmart says it was a business decision to remove Cosmopolitan magazine from its checkout aisles, but some groups have raised concerns about the sexual content of the publication marketed to women. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation says Walmart’s decision makes it a “leader and trailblazer in corporate responsibility.” The group says Cosmo “places women’s […]

Rights for airline passengers

The Senate transport committee has introduced its own amendments to a government bill aimed at providing more protections for airline passengers. The senators amended Bill C-49 to specify that air passengers cannot be left stranded on the tarmac for more than 90 minutes without food or water, and to preserve the ability of consumer rights […]

Facebook revamps privacy

Facebook is giving its privacy tools a makeover as it reels from criticisms over its data practices and faces tighter European regulations in the coming months. The changes won’t affect Facebook’s privacy policies or the types of data it gathers on users. But the company hopes its 2.2 billion users will have an easier time […]

G7 eyes tech disruption

A group of G7 ministers handling how governments help workers caught in the churn of a rapidly changing labour market will sit down starting today to hammer out a path through the employment storm. Labour Minister Patty Hajdu says a key goal for the two-day meeting in Montreal will be to create an employment task […]

Right to ignore work apps?

There’s growing chatter in North America about adopting right-to-disconnect laws to free workers from being tethered to their phones around the clock, but some labour experts say that while the digital demands of work in the 21st century need to be openly discussed, rigid regulations and fines may not be the solution. Last week, a […]

Husky faces up to $1M fine

A provincial charge carrying a maximum $1-million fine has been laid against Husky Energy Inc. in connection with a pipeline leak that fouled the North Saskatchewan River in July 2016. Calgary-based Husky is to appear in Lloydminster, Sask., provincial court on Thursday to face one charge of unlawfully permitting the discharge of a substance that […]

Safeway workers reach deal

Unionized workers at Safeway stores in Manitoba have ratified a four-year contract that provides pay increases in the third and fourth years and preserves benefits and seniority. The union that represents about 2,200 employees in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson, Neepawa and Dauphin says 98 per cent of those who voted on Sunday supported the deal. A […]