Author: The Canadian Post

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has paused its proposed livestock traceability rules after a backlash from cattle producers. The agency said Jan. 10 it will not publish the Health of Animals Regulations amendments, planned for spring 2026, until producer concerns are heard and the changes are better understood. A pause, not a cancellation The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced Jan. 10 that it will pause publication of the proposed amendments to Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations, the section that governs livestock traceability, “until the proposed changes are more widely understood and concerns are heard and taken into…

Canada’s unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 6.8 per cent in December 2025, Statistics Canada reported on January 9, 2026, as a wave of new job seekers outpaced modest hiring. Employment was little changed, up 8,200, while the number of unemployed people grew by 73,000 to 1.6 million. More people looking for work The December Labour Force Survey shows the jobless rate climbing not because employers were cutting staff, but because Canadians went back to looking for work. The labour force expanded by 81,000 in the month and the participation rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 65.4 per cent.…

Canada’s flu season likely peaked over the holidays, the Public Health Agency of Canada said on January 9, 2026, with test positivity falling to 27.1 per cent from a three-season high of 33.3 per cent. Cases remain high, however, and hospitals across the country are still under strain from the H3N2 wave. The worst is likely over, officials say The latest national influenza data, released Friday and covering the week of December 28 to January 3, shows indicators of flu activity “stable or decreased,” according to the Canadian Press. The share of tests coming back positive dropped to 27.1 per…

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, 303 billion barrels of mostly extra-heavy crude similar to Alberta’s oilsands output, but its industry is producing only about 1.14 million barrels a day, and rebuilding it would require billions of dollars and years, so any pressure on Canadian heavy-crude prices is gradual, not immediate. The largest reserves, a fraction of the output The U.S. Energy Information Administration put Venezuela’s proven crude reserves at 303 billion barrels as of 2023, about 17 per cent of the world total and more than any other country. Saudi Arabia ranks second and Iran third. Canada…

Telus Corp. has offered voluntary buyout packages to nearly 700 more employees across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, including more than 500 United Steelworkers members in its Business Solutions operations, who must decide by Jan. 21, as the company continues shifting customers toward self-serve and digital channels instead of staffed service. Nearly 700 offers, a Jan. 21 deadline The United Steelworkers union said Telus offered the packages to nearly 700 workers nationally, more than 500 of them its own members. USW Local 1944 represents about 4,000 Telus employees. The offers target Telus Business Solutions, the division that serves business…

Elections Manitoba says Manitoba Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Wally Daudrich still has not filed his campaign financial statement from the race that ended last April, his official agent has already been assessed the maximum $750 late-filing fee, and daily late fees have now begun accruing against Daudrich himself until the statement is filed. The fee moves from the agent to the candidate Elections Manitoba said this week that, as of the time of its statement, Daudrich had not filed the financial paperwork required from the leadership race. The contest ended last April, when he finished a close second to Obby…

British Columbia Premier David Eby will lead a trade mission to India from Jan. 12 to 17, 2026, visiting New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bengaluru with Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon to promote sustainable forestry, clean energy, clean technology and critical minerals, and to reduce B.C.’s reliance on the United States market. Four cities in six days Eby and Ravi Kahlon, the minister of jobs and economic growth, will meet government and business leaders in the four cities during the Jan. 12-17 mission, the Premier’s office said in a statement issued ahead of the trip. New Delhi is India’s political capital,…

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. said on Jan. 8, 2026, it will record an approximately US$409-million non-cash goodwill impairment in its lumber segment for the fourth quarter of 2025, after a protracted downcycle forced it to revise assumptions on pricing, demand and recovery. A full writeoff of U.S. lumber goodwill The Vancouver-based wood products company said the expected charge relates to its lumber segment and stems from persistently challenging economic conditions. In its own news release, issued Jan. 8, 2026, West Fraser said it expects to record an approximately $409 million non-cash impairment of goodwill in the fourth quarter of…

Toronto’s proposed 2026 operating budget is $18.9 billion, with a combined 2.2 per cent residential property tax increase, a third straight TTC fare freeze and monthly fare capping. Mayor Olivia Chow presented the plan on Jan. 8, 2026, as an affordability budget that also funds police, paramedics, student meals and libraries. A much smaller tax increase than the last two years The 2.2 per cent increase is well below the 6.9 per cent rise in 2025 and the 9.5 per cent rise in 2024. The city said it was also low compared with other municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area.…

Royal Canadian Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet said on Jan. 8, 2026, that a 20 per cent entry-level pilot pay increase and new aircraft are helping retention and morale, even though the air force remains about 2,000 trained personnel short and pandemic-era early training delays have eased. Pay and new aircraft are lifting morale, commander says A substantial entry-level pay increase for pilots and the arrival of new and advanced aircraft are “absolutely” helping to shore up pilot retention and morale, Speiser-Blanchet said in a wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press published on Jan. 8. “When you talk about…