Business

Homes are pictured in Vancouver, Tuesday, Apr 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Vancouver home sales surge 53.4 per cent, setting new record for December

Vancouver home sales surge 53.4 per cent, setting new record for December

Homes are pictured in Vancouver, Tuesday, Apr 16, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
A long row of unsold 2021 QX50 sports-utility vehicles sits at an Infiniti dealership Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. U.S. auto sales are expected to be down only about 15% for the year, with the average price hitting a record high as sales bounced back during the second half of the year. AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Late sales rebound helps US automakers avoid 2020 disaster

Late sales rebound helps US automakers avoid 2020 disaster

A long row of unsold 2021 QX50 sports-utility vehicles sits at an Infiniti dealership Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. U.S. auto sales are expected to be down only about 15% for the year, with the average price hitting a record high as sales bounced back during the second half of the year. AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. logo is shown in a handout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

TMAC Resources stock rises 40 per cent to match sales price offered by Agnico Eagle

TORONTO — The chief executive of Nunavut gold miner TMAC Resources Inc.…

The Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. logo is shown in a handout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
In this photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, traders work on the floor, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. U.S. stocks are wobbling between small gains and losses on Tuesday, a day after dropping to their worst loss in months amid the worsening pandemic and potentially market-moving Senate elections. (Colin Ziemer/New York Stock Exchange via AP)

US stocks recoup some losses after sharp slide to start 2021

U.S. stocks are closing higher Tuesday, regaining their footing a day after…

In this photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, traders work on the floor, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. U.S. stocks are wobbling between small gains and losses on Tuesday, a day after dropping to their worst loss in months amid the worsening pandemic and potentially market-moving Senate elections. (Colin Ziemer/New York Stock Exchange via AP)
In this Sept. 5, 2020, file photo, the logo for Chinese telecommunications firm China Telecom is seen on a booth at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing. The New York Stock Exchange says it no longer plans to remove shares of three Chinese state-owned phone carriers under an order by President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

NYSE withdraws plans to delist 3 Chinese phone carriers

BEIJING — The New York Stock Exchange has withdrawn plans to delist…

In this Sept. 5, 2020, file photo, the logo for Chinese telecommunications firm China Telecom is seen on a booth at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing. The New York Stock Exchange says it no longer plans to remove shares of three Chinese state-owned phone carriers under an order by President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Office towers are shown from Bay Street in Toronto’s financial district, on Wednesday, June 16, 2010. A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the average amount paid to the country’s top chief executives in 2019 was down from 2018, but was still more than 200 times the average worker compensation.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrien Veczan

Ottawa urged to ban CEO bonuses if wage subsidy paid and add top COVID tax bracket

TORONTO — The federal government is being urged to explicitly prevent Canada’s…

Office towers are shown from Bay Street in Toronto’s financial district, on Wednesday, June 16, 2010. A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the average amount paid to the country’s top chief executives in 2019 was down from 2018, but was still more than 200 times the average worker compensation.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrien Veczan
Aerial views of housing in Calgary on June, 22, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Calgary sees highest December home sales since 2007 amid 40 per cent buying surge

Calgary’s residential real estate market notched its best December since 2007 last…

Aerial views of housing in Calgary on June, 22, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Workers are seen at a check-in counter at Pearson International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Airlines say a slew of questions remain around the federal government’s decision that requires returning passengers to first show negative results on COVID-19 tests taken abroad. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Airlines, travellers slam ‘confusion’ created by new COVID-19 testing rules

OTTAWA — Airlines and travellers say a slew of questions remain about…

  • Jan 4, 2021
Workers are seen at a check-in counter at Pearson International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Airlines say a slew of questions remain around the federal government’s decision that requires returning passengers to first show negative results on COVID-19 tests taken abroad. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
A sign board in Toronto shows the closing number for the TSX on Thursday, October 29, 2020. A report by Mercer Canada says a rally on the stock market in the fourth quarter helped boost the strength of Canadian defined benefit pension plans to end the year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Mercer Canada report says rally in stocks helped strengthen pension plans to end year

A rally on the stock market in the fourth quarter helped boost…

A sign board in Toronto shows the closing number for the TSX on Thursday, October 29, 2020. A report by Mercer Canada says a rally on the stock market in the fourth quarter helped boost the strength of Canadian defined benefit pension plans to end the year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Olivia Chaffin, center, walks in the woods with her parents, Doug, left, and Kim Chaffin, as Olivia works on a Girl Scout photography merit badge in Jonesborough, Tenn., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. Olivia, who stopped selling Girl Scout cookies because they contain palm oil says, “I’m not just some little girl who can’t do anything about this. Children can make change in the world. And we’re going to.” (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Child labour in palm oil industry tied to Girl Scout cookies

In some cases, an entire family may earn less in a day than a $5 box of Girl Scout Do-si-dos

  • Jan 4, 2021
Olivia Chaffin, center, walks in the woods with her parents, Doug, left, and Kim Chaffin, as Olivia works on a Girl Scout photography merit badge in Jonesborough, Tenn., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. Olivia, who stopped selling Girl Scout cookies because they contain palm oil says, “I’m not just some little girl who can’t do anything about this. Children can make change in the world. And we’re going to.” (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A Bank of Montreal sign is shown in the financial district in Toronto on Tuesday, August 22, 2017. Canadian companies may have spent the last year laying off staff and dealing with temporary closures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, but that isn’t stopping many from rewarding workers this holiday season. Several, including the country’s top banks, say they are planning to thank their staff for a year of hard work with annual bonuses — and some are even topping up the amount. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Canadian companies paying bonuses — and even increasing them amid COVID-19

Survey shows 48 per cent planned to offer year-end bonuses this year

A Bank of Montreal sign is shown in the financial district in Toronto on Tuesday, August 22, 2017. Canadian companies may have spent the last year laying off staff and dealing with temporary closures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, but that isn’t stopping many from rewarding workers this holiday season. Several, including the country’s top banks, say they are planning to thank their staff for a year of hard work with annual bonuses — and some are even topping up the amount. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to use both his Twitter account and Tesla’s website to pump up a new computer now in production for full self-driving vehicles. (Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Tesla’s annual sales up 36% but comes short of delivery goal

NEW YORK — Tesla’s annual sales rose 36%, but the electric car…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to use both his Twitter account and Tesla’s website to pump up a new computer now in production for full self-driving vehicles. (Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
This Nov. 4, 2020, satellite photo by Maxar Technologies shows Iran's Fordo nuclear site. Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the U.S. over its atomic program, satellite photos obtained Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, by The Associated Press show. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Iran plans 20% uranium enrichment ‘as soon as possible’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran said Saturday it plans to enrich…

This Nov. 4, 2020, satellite photo by Maxar Technologies shows Iran's Fordo nuclear site. Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the U.S. over its atomic program, satellite photos obtained Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, by The Associated Press show. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
A passenger arrives at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in Montreal on December 19, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Canada’s airlines say border testing could cause confusion for airlines, passengers

Canada’s airlines say border testing could cause confusion for airlines, passengers

A passenger arrives at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in Montreal on December 19, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
An Atlantic salmon is seen during a Department of Fisheries and Oceans fish health audit at the Okisollo fish farm near Campbell River, B.C. on Oct. 31, 2018. Several Vancouver Island mayors and members of British Columbia's salmon farming industry say a federal decision to phase out fish farming has left them feeling "disposable and discarded." In a letter to Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, they say they weren't consulted before she announced a plan to phase out open-net pen fish farming in the Discovery Islands over the next 18 months. THE CANADIAN PRESS /Jonathan Hayward

Industry, local mayors say they weren’t consulted on B.C. fish farm phase out plan

Industry, local mayors say they weren’t consulted on B.C. fish farm phase out plan

An Atlantic salmon is seen during a Department of Fisheries and Oceans fish health audit at the Okisollo fish farm near Campbell River, B.C. on Oct. 31, 2018. Several Vancouver Island mayors and members of British Columbia's salmon farming industry say a federal decision to phase out fish farming has left them feeling "disposable and discarded." In a letter to Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, they say they weren't consulted before she announced a plan to phase out open-net pen fish farming in the Discovery Islands over the next 18 months. THE CANADIAN PRESS /Jonathan Hayward
FILE - In this July 9, 2020 file photo, the Fearless Girl statue stands in front of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Stocks are off to a mixed start, Thursday, Dec. 31, on Wall Street on the last day of 2020, a year that saw a breathtaking nosedive in markets in the spring as the coronavirus took hold followed by steady gains in the months that followed as hopes built for an eventual return to something like normal. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

S&P 500 ends at another record high as tumultuous 2020 ends

Wall Street closed out a tumultuous year for stocks with more record…

FILE - In this July 9, 2020 file photo, the Fearless Girl statue stands in front of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Stocks are off to a mixed start, Thursday, Dec. 31, on Wall Street on the last day of 2020, a year that saw a breathtaking nosedive in markets in the spring as the coronavirus took hold followed by steady gains in the months that followed as hopes built for an eventual return to something like normal. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland resends to a question after delivering the 2020 fiscal update in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Finance note says lifting lockdowns, restrictions no sure road to economic recovery

Finance note says lifting lockdowns, restrictions no sure road to economic recovery

Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland resends to a question after delivering the 2020 fiscal update in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
People watch the first truck, from Estonia, entering the Eurotunnel terminal Friday, Jan.1, 2021 in Coquelles, northern France. Eleven months after Britain's formal departure from the EU, Brexit becomes a fact of daily life on Friday, once a transition period ends and the U.K. fully leaves the world's most powerful trading bloc. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, Pool)

Quiet New Year gives breathing room after UK-EU Brexit spli

Quiet New Year gives breathing room after UK-EU Brexit spli

People watch the first truck, from Estonia, entering the Eurotunnel terminal Friday, Jan.1, 2021 in Coquelles, northern France. Eleven months after Britain's formal departure from the EU, Brexit becomes a fact of daily life on Friday, once a transition period ends and the U.K. fully leaves the world's most powerful trading bloc. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, Pool)
Freshly picked blueberries are see at Emma Lea Farms in Ladner, B.C., on Monday July 21, 2014. British Columbia is contributing funds in response to a probe into whether blueberry producers in the United States are being unfairly harmed by what some say is an influx in berry imports, including from Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. helps fund blueberry farmers against U.S. trade commission investigation

B.C. helps fund blueberry farmers against U.S. trade commission investigation

Freshly picked blueberries are see at Emma Lea Farms in Ladner, B.C., on Monday July 21, 2014. British Columbia is contributing funds in response to a probe into whether blueberry producers in the United States are being unfairly harmed by what some say is an influx in berry imports, including from Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Finance Minister Rod Phillips trade places at the microphone during an announcement in Ajax, Ont., on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ontario finance minister resigns after tropical vacation

Rod Phillips was on a Caribbean vacation in St. Barts

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Finance Minister Rod Phillips trade places at the microphone during an announcement in Ajax, Ont., on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young