News
Steel, aluminum tariffs impacting one third of Canadian exporters: poll
OTTAWA – More than one-third of Canadian exporters say they have been negatively impacted by steel and aluminum tariffs that are affecting Canada-U.S. trade, according to a survey by Export Development Canada. The Ottawa-based Crown corporation said Tuesday that among…
Suncor warns forced provincial oil cutbacks pose safety, operational risks
CALGARY – Forced Alberta government crude oil production cuts next year will result in “unintended consequences” that could include increased safety hazards for its employees, Suncor Energy Inc. warned Friday. Despite the curtailments that begin Jan. 1, Canada’s largest integrated…
Transportation Safety Board says lack of de icing at remote airports poses risk
SASKATOON – The Transportation Safety Board says people using remote, northern airports are at substantial and unnecessary risk because of a lack of proper equipment for de-icing planes. The board reached that conclusion during its investigation into the crash of…
Via Rail places $989 million train order with Siemens for key rail corridor
MONTREAL – Via Rail has selected Siemens over Bombardier Inc. for a $989-million contract to modernize its passenger rail service along Canada’s key rail corridor between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont. However, the German manufacturer could receive up to about…
‘They’re coming:’ Flying cars may appear in urban skies by 2023
The flying cars depicted in science fiction classics such as “Blade Runner” and “The Fifth Element” have long been seen as flights of fancy, but their arrival is closer than you think. At least a dozen companies are prototyping or…
Canadian firm says it has found largest diamond ever unearthed in North America
YELLOWKNIFE – A Canadian mining firm says it has unearthed the largest diamond ever found in North America. Dominion Diamond Mines says the 552-carat yellow diamond was found at its Diavik mine in the Northwest Territories. It says the stone…
GM working to retrain employees affected by Oshawa plant closure
OSHAWA – General Motors of Canada Co. is working to set up jobs and training programs for employees who will be put out of work when it closes the Oshawa Assembly plant next year even as Unifor promises an extended…
Royal Canadian Navy spending $21.7 million to buy radar antennae for frigates
HALIFAX – Ottawa says it will spend $21.7 million to buy additional antennas for the radar systems used aboard the Royal Canadian Navy’s frigates. The federal government says the procurement contract has been awarded to Saab Microwave Canada for 12…
Ontario auditor general’s report slams elevator companies, safety authority
TORONTO – Large elevator companies are continually thumbing their noses at Ontario’s largely impotent safety authority, the province’s auditor-general has found. In her annual report this week, Bonnie Lysyk said the Technical Standards and Safety Authority or TSSA lacks the…
Regulators, exporters talk harmonizing standards in Canada, U.S.
WASHINGTON – Life-changing technology breakthroughs could be strangled by red tape at the Canada-U.S. border unless the two countries give innovators one shared set of rules to follow, Treasury Board President Scott Brison said in Washington Tuesday. Brison joined Mick…
Bank of Canada holds interest rate at 1.75%; keeps eye on oil slump, investment
OTTAWA – The Bank of Canada is leaving its interest rate unchanged and says the timing of future hikes will depend on factors such as how long the oil-price slump lasts, how well business investment picks up its pace and…
Supremex cuts 41 jobs from Canadian envelope workforce in cost reduction measure
MONTREAL – Supremex Inc. is cutting 41 employees at its Canadian envelope manufacturing operations in a cost-saving measure as it diversifies its business to include more packaging products. The company, headquartered in the Montreal community of LaSalle, says the cuts…
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Barrick North America Leadership Changes
Barrick Gold Corporation announced management changes within its North America region. Michael Brown, President, Barrick U.S.A., will retire on December 31, 2018. He has been with Barrick since 1994, and has played a key role in the growth and development…
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New Field Service Advisor for Eastern Ontario at EMC
Steve Holmgren has been named as Field Service Advisor for Eastern Ontario at Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC), effective January 2019. Holmgren has a background in manufacturing and has been a member of EMC for many years. He is a senior human…
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Operational Excellence Takes Centre Stage
The Operational Excellence in Energy and Utilities conference and workshops took place recently at the Old Mill Inn in Toronto, Ontario. Over 150 industry professionals attended the event, including representatives from Enbridge, HydroOne, Suncor, SaskPower, Hydro-Québec, Toronto Hydro, Ontario Power…
Alberta buying its own rail cars to move oil without feds, Notley says
OTTAWA – Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says her province is buying enough new rail cars to ship another 120,000 barrels of oil a day, without the federal government’s help. The premier was in Ottawa Wednesday to deliver a speech steps…
Statistics Canada says pace of Canadian economic growth slowed in third quarter
OTTAWA – The pace of economic growth in Canada slowed in the third quarter as business investment spending fell and the growth in household spending slowed, raising questions about the future pace of interest rate hikes by the Bank of…
Nova Scotia power utility comes under fire after widespread outage
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s electric utility came under fire Thursday after widespread power outages prompted opposition leaders and online critics to call on the government to hold the privately owned company to account. The entire Atlantic region was swept by…
Iron ore production to restart next year in Labrador mining town of Wabush
WABUSH, N.L. – The Labrador town of Wabush is in for a much-needed economic boost as one of Canada’s largest iron ore mines restarts production next year. Premier Dwight Ball travelled to Wabush Tuesday to announce the official reopening of…
Costs have swollen: Saskatchewan sues Ottawa over uranium mine cleanup deal
REGINA – The Saskatchewan government is suing Ottawa over what it says is a failure to live up to a deal to split the swelling costs of cleaning up an old uranium mine. “I just don’t see how they can…
