Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Oct. 3 in Ottawa. (PM.gc.ca)

Feds pledge lower small business tax rate

Reading Time: 3 minutes UPDATED, Oct. 16 — The federal government says it will cut the small business tax rate to nine per cent from 10.5, a move seen as an attempt to counter a growing backlash against its July tax reform announcement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau appeared side-by-side in Toronto’s far suburbs to […] Read more



A 2018 Ram 1500 pickup. (FCANorthAmerica.com)

U.S. stance on autos sows more doubt about NAFTA overhaul

Reading Time: 3 minutes Arlington, Va. | Reuters — The Trump administration on Friday demanded that U.S.-made content account for half the value of the cars and trucks sold under the North American Free Trade Agreement, raising further doubts about any potential deal to renew the pact. Three sources briefed on the protectionist U.S. proposal, which is in line […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Insurer SGI Canada sets up farm unit

Reading Time: 2 minutes The property and casualty arm of Saskatchewan’s Crown insurance agency has set up a new unit zoned strictly agricultural. SGI Canada — the Regina-based property and casualty insurance provider which operates in tandem with the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, the Crown auto insurer — on Wednesday launched a new Farm Business Unit with “a specialized team […] Read more

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a science fair at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa on Sept. 26. (PM.gc.ca)

U.S. hikes NAFTA tension with call for ‘sunset clause’

Reading Time: 3 minutes Arlington, Va. | Reuters — Washington has dramatically increased tensions in talks to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement by proposing that the lifespan of any new deal be limited to five years, people familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday. The proposal for a so-called sunset clause — just one of a series […] Read more


Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt and Baljit Singh, dean of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary, tour the UCVM’s Spy Hill campus. (Gov.ab.ca)

Alberta to reallocate veterinary school funding

Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta is set to gradually pull its $8 million in annual funding from the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and instead expand the vet school at the University of Calgary. The province announced Thursday it will expand enrolment for the University of Calgary’s Veterinary Medicine program (UCVM) from 130 students currently […] Read more

A Metro grocery store at the Orangeville Mall in Orangeville, Ont. (Onereit.ca)

Metro plans automated distribution for Ontario

Reading Time: 2 minutes One of Canada’s biggest grocery chains plans to build new hubs to distribute both fresh and frozen foods to its Ontario stores. Quebec-based Metro Inc. said Wednesday it expects to put up $400 million to modernize and automate its Toronto operations between 2018 and 2023, building two new facilities for fresh and frozen food distribution […] Read more


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

Trump says U.S.-Canada trade deal possible, excluding Mexico

Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters –– U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would be open to a bilateral trade pact with Canada if a deal cannot be reached with Mexico to substantially revise the North American Free Trade Agreement. Asked by a reporter if he could envision maintaining free trade with Canada if NAFTA talks […] Read more

(CIA.gov)

Britain reported looking to NAFTA if Brexit deal fails

Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters — Britain could join a formal trade alliance with the United States, Canada and Mexico if the European Union refuses to clinch a post-Brexit trade deal, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said British ministers were looking at joining the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as part of […] Read more