Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters – Canada’s exports rose in September, largely driven by better wheat volumes and prices, while imports were also up, with both import and export values impacted by the depreciation of the Canadian dollar, Statistics Canada said on Thursday. The country’s trade surplus with the world widened to C$1.14 billion ($827.4 million) in […] Read more
Canada’s exports rise in September as wheat volumes rebound
Drought, costs bring U.S. berry giants to maple syrup land
U.S. firms testing commercial production in Quebec, Ontario
Reading Time: 3 minutes Montreal/Ottawa | Reuters — A swath of Canada better known for maple syrup is being tested to mass produce berries normally grown in warmer locales, making it the unexpected beneficiary of extreme weather, local demand and rising costs in traditional growing areas like California. Driscoll’s and grower-owned Naturipe Farms, two of North America’s largest fruit […] Read more
Pandemic border protests strand cattle and car parts
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Protests in Canada against vaccine mandates have disrupted two key U.S. border crossings, and are snarling hundreds of millions of dollars daily of trade, ranging from cattle to car parts. Demonstrations who at first demanded an end to federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers began Jan. 28 in the […] Read more
B.C. floods may tighten market for real Christmas trees
'We're basically shut down until the water recedes'
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Finding the perfect real Christmas tree will be harder and more expensive this year. Canada, the world’s top exporter of natural Christmas trees, is grappling with a shortage that will likely be exacerbated by historic flooding in British Columbia, where some tree farms are underwater. A phenomenon known as an atmospheric […] Read more
Canada economy seen weaker than expected as supply chain woes weigh
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters – The Canadian economy most likely underperformed expectations in the third quarter amid ongoing supply chain woes and a brutal drought, official data suggested on Friday, prompting analysts to forecast the Bank of Canada could move slower on rate hikes. The economy expanded by 0.4 percent in August, missing estimates, and looked […] Read more
China’s ban on Canadian canola expands to Viterra
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Ottawa | Reuters — China expanded its ban on Canadian canola seed imports on Tuesday to include shipments from Viterra, the latest development in a wider trade dispute between the two countries. Viterra is the second canola exporter to have its registration cancelled, after Beijing halted shipments from top exporter Richardson International earlier this month. […] Read more
Sober start as recreational marijuana becomes legal in Canada
Reading Time: 4 minutes Toronto/Vancouver | Reuters — Canada became the first industrialized nation to legalize recreational cannabis on Wednesday, but a lawful buzz will be hard to come by in its biggest cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where stores are not yet open. The day was historic for the country as Canadian adults can now legally smoke recreational […] Read more
Trudeau indicates no compromise on key NAFTA demands
Reading Time: < 1 minute Surrey, B.C. | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated Tuesday that Canada would not compromise on key demands at high-level talks this week with the U.S. to update the North American Free Trade Agreement. Senior officials from both sides are due to meet in Washington on Wednesday in a bid to settle major differences […] Read more
Dispute resolution in focus as NAFTA talks drag
Reading Time: 3 minutes Toronto/Washington | Reuters –– Canada and the United States ended talks to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on Friday without reaching a deal. One longstanding issue is Chapter 19 of NAFTA, a dispute resolution mechanism that the United States significantly scaled back in a bilateral deal it reached with Mexico. What is […] Read more
U.S. to move ahead with Mexico pact, keep talking to Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington/Toronto | Reuters — Contentious U.S.-Canada trade talks ended on Friday with no deal to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement after the mood soured, and President Donald Trump notified Congress of his intent to sign a bilateral trade pact with Mexico. U.S. and Canadian trade officials set plans to resume their talks on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
