Business

Residents of Spruce View will soon be able to do their banking without leaving the hamlet.

Alberta’s first deficit budget in 16 years will financially strain schools, while further spending increases are expected to make life easier for low-income seniors and those in the drilling sector.

Alberta, once the high-flying petro-powered express of Canada’s economy, jumped the tracks and crashed Tuesday when Finance Minister Iris Evans tabled a budget with a $4.7-billion deficit.

Book sales in Canada rose nearly seven per cent in the first quarter, even higher than during the holiday shopping season, proving the product is “a staple, not a luxury,” according to an industry organization.

A clothing store specializing in hip hop fashion is poised to open in Red Deer’s downtown.

The Conference Board of Canada laid out a grim outlook for employment for this year and next on Monday, saying the Canadian economy fell “off a cliff” in the first three months of this year.

Branding For the Small Business Owner will be the topic at Community Futures Central Alberta’s Brown Bag Luncheon this Thursday. Conducted by Lara Dare of Arrow Business Training, the video-conferenced session will show how your brand can positively or negatively represent your products and services, and attract new business.

Rebekah and Jeff McDonald knew they were onto something when their organic food co-op continued to expand despite their best efforts to discourage growth.

With economic recovery still looking shaky, the next move by the Bank of Canada may be to just start printing money.

Canadian fertilizer giant Agrium Inc. (TSX:AGU) is going directly to shareholders of CF Industries Holdings Inc. to push its hostile US$4.2-billion bid for the U.S. company.