(CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

Canada welcomes Trump suggestion of NAFTA deadline extension

Reading Time: < 1 minute London, Ont. | Reuters — Canada welcomes the suggestion by U.S. President Donald Trump that the deadline for concluding talks to modernize NAFTA could be extended beyond the end of March, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Friday. Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that “a lot of things are hard to […] Read more

(Ville.montreal.qc.ca)

Canada talks tough on trade as NAFTA talks’ endgame nears

Reading Time: 3 minutes London, Ont. | Reuters — Canada is talking tough with the U.S., stressing its determination to push back against what it says are unfair trade practices ahead of crucial talks to revamp the tri-nation North American Free Trade Agreement. U.S., Canadian and Mexican officials meet this month for the sixth and penultimate round of talks […] Read more



(Video screengrab from CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

Canada taking U.S. to WTO in complaint over trade remedies

Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — Canada has launched a wide-ranging trade dispute against the United States, challenging Washington’s use of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties, Canada said in a WTO filing dated Dec. 20 and published on Wednesday. Canada appeared to be mounting a case on behalf of the rest of the world, since it cited almost […] Read more


Over 250 people came out to a November 2017 meeting east of London, Ont. hear about the impact of a high-speed rail corridor going through their communities. (John Greig photo)

Ontario farmers want voice on high-speed rail

Reading Time: 4 minutes Ontario farmers and rural residents want a place on the advisory board on the creation of a high-speed railway line expected to significantly affect their farms and communities. The province has appointed business, municipal and indigenous groups to the board, but farm organizations, such as the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), are calling for representation […] Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump celebrates after signing a pair of documents meant to promote rural internet access, after his remarks to the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in Nashville on Jan. 8. Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Better trade deals coming for U.S. farmers, Trump says

Reading Time: 4 minutes In a 40-minute speech to the United States’ biggest farm organization, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about free trade for 49 seconds. In 120 words Trump told the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting Monday in Nashville he was working to get U.S. farmers better trade deals. “To level the playing field for our great […] Read more


(JeffLeal.onmpp.ca)

Sector growth to occupy Ontario ag minister in 2018

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ontario’s Liberals will have their agriculture standard-bearer back for the 2018 election. Jeff Leal, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, is staying in politics, running for his fifth term as a member of the provincial legislature in the Peterborough riding. Leal, who as a resident of Peterborough is about as rural as any […] Read more



(CBSA-asfc.gc.ca)

NAFTA Washington talks said to leave major differences untouched

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — Talks this week to update the North American Free Trade Agreement made some progress on less-controversial chapters and technical language, but did little to resolve deep differences on autos, dispute settlement and a five-year sunset clause, some participants said on Friday. The “intersessional” round in Washington, which did not include trade […] Read more

A Ben + Florentine restaurant in Ange-Gardien, Que. The breakfast-focused chain, now part of Imvescor, opened its 50th restaurant in November. (BenEtFlorentine.com)

Canadian fast-food, dining firms plan merger

Reading Time: 3 minutes A restaurant firm with well known brands in Eastern Canada’s casual dining market is set to merge into a neighbouring firm behind the franchises populating many of Canada’s mall food courts. Montreal-based MTY Food Group announced Tuesday it has a cash-and-stock agreement in place to pick up all outstanding common shares of another Montreal firm, […] Read more