Category Archives: Business

Doug Ford’s other fumble: taking the trades backward

As Doug Ford approaches the completion of his first three years as premier, public attention is understandably focused principally on his mismanagement on the COVID pandemic. However, there are other longer-term areas of Ford-created chaos, one of which involves labour issues. Within weeks of his election, Ford eliminated the Liberals’ announced increase of the minimum […]

Century-old rail rivalry between Canadian Pacific and Canadian National is not getting any gentler

“You could say ‘CP,’ and their ears would just twitch with red blood at the lobe,” the late Hunter Harrison told me about how his Canadian National Railway colleagues Paul Tellier and Michael Sabia would react to the mention of their western rival, Canadian Pacific. The railroading legend added that it was mutual. “They hated […]

Scarborough woman was set to reunite with her husband and young son from India. Their long-awaited meeting is now on hold

Akash Skaria was prepared to start a new life with her young family in Canada in May. She immigrated to Toronto in 2018. Her husband, Tinso, and four-year-old son, Ethan, were due to arrive at Pearson airport on May 12 after COVID-19 delayed their visas. As she was set to finally furnish her empty apartment […]

General strike at Port of Montreal set to begin on Monday, says dockworkers union

MONTREAL – A general strike at the Port of Montreal is set to begin on Monday after the union representing dockworkers issued the required 72-hour notice to the Maritime Employers Association. Barring a last-minute reprieve, the 1,150 port workers affiliated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees will be in a legal strike position as […]

Most actively traded companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange

TORONTO – Some of the most active companies traded Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (19,102.33, up 70.69 points.) Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. (TSX:TBP). Health care. Up seven cents, or 26.92 per cent, to 33 cents on 14.9 million shares. Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Down four cents, or 0.09 per cent, to $46.26 […]

Canada joins U.S. in creating Net-Zero Producers Forum to reduce GHG emissions

CALGARY – Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan says Canada will join the U.S. in establishing a platform for oil and gas producing countries to figure out how the sector can support implementing the Paris agreement on climate change and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Dubbed the Net-Zero Producers Forum, it is intended to develop emission […]

Base metals sector boosts Toronto market in early trading, U.S. stock markets mixed

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up in early trading, led by gains in the base metals sector, while U.S. stock markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 21.92 points at 19,053.56. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 40.40 points at 33,775.50. The S&P 500 index was up […]

Labour minister says pandemic highlights need to settle on right-to-disconnect rules

OTTAWA – The federal labour minister says the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to give workers the ability to avoid work emails and text messages as the lines between home and work lives blur. The idea, known as the right to disconnect, first came up as a proposed addition to the federal labour code […]

COVID-19 takes a big bite out of Highway 407 traffic, revenues and profits

TORONTO – An increase in COVID-19 infections and restrictions in the Toronto area have resulted in a dramatic reduction in traffic on the Highway 407 toll road. The company that operates the freeway, 407 International Inc., says a 44 per cent drop in traffic volumes in the first quarter of the year had a severe […]