Churchill’s future has looked bright in the past, then politics dimmed the lights

The future of the often-troubled and chronically overlooked Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay railway looks exceedingly bright.

New trade deal to chop red tape, knock down trade barriers across Canada

VICTORIA - Trade of tens of thousands of goods across Canada's 14 jurisdictions will soon be free after an agreement has been signed between all provinces, territories and the federal government to allow businesses to sell their products across Canada.

Ravi Kahlon, British Columbia's minister of jobs and economic growth, announced the deal in Victoria, although it was signed by the country's trade ministers at a meeting in Yellowknife on Wednesday.

The B.C. government proposed and chaired the national initiative for the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement, and Kahlon said it's an important step for cross-Canada trade.

"And this is the largest red tape reduction in Canada's history, and it's just the beginning," he told reporters.

Roasters and cafés grapple with rising coffee bean prices

Your daily cup of java is getting a little more expensive as roasters and cafés grapple with rising coffee bean prices.

Climate change has been the biggest contributor to the ongoing surge in bean prices, as coffee crops are very sensitive to temperature changes, said Michael von Massow, food economist at the University of Guelph.

"We've seen some increases in disease and some decreases in yield that have lowered supply, and basic economics 101 — when supply goes down, prices go up," he said in an interview on Monday.

Coffee prices have remained high amid concerns of dry weather in Brazil, a major coffee-producing country.

Prairie harvest a mixed bag as tariff strife casts shadow over healthy crop

CALGARY - Gunter Jochum can easily tell which parts of his farm got rain and which parts the clouds passed over this year.

He and his brother-in-law grow wheat, canola, oats and soybeans on 2,500 hectares west of Winnipeg, much of that on long tracts hugging the Assiniboine River.

"Some showers that came through this summer during the growing season when things were really, really dry didn't even cover the whole field," said Jochum, president of the Wheat Growers Association.

The quality of the crop Jochum has harvested so far this year has been excellent, but yields for his oats and wheat have varied field to field.

Manitoba exports to U.S., China plummet

While Manitoba’s exports to the United States and China plunged earlier this year, the dollar value of its imports soared.

U.S. imports to Manitoba hit roughly $10.97 billion in January through May — an eight per cent increase from the same time in 2024. Meanwhile, imports from China jumped 6.9 per cent year-over-year, totalling $684 million.

“It’s surprising,” said Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

He’s tracked a sentiment across businesses to bring their supply chains closer to home. Uncertainty has rocked the private sector since Donald Trump was elected U.S. president in November. Tariffs and tariff threats have made regular headlines, shaking operations and causing companies to pause future investments.

Canada reports fastest population growth in history in third quarter of 2023

OTTAWA - Canada's pace of population growth continues to set records as the country brings in a historic number of temporary residents, largely through international student and temporary foreign worker programs.

The country'spopulation grew by more than 430,000 during the third quarter, marking the fastest pace of population growth in any quarter since 1957.

Statistics Canada released its Oct. 1 population estimates on Tuesday, putting the number at more than 40.5 million.

The agency says the population growth over the first nine months of 2023 has already surpassed the total growth in any other full year, including the record set in 2022.

Leaving auto repair life in the rear-view

For decades, Cadillacs, Mustangs and Audis have overnighted in the Exchange District for repairs and transformations.

Now, a Winnipeg mechanic envisions a new use for his shop — one that sees it filled with milk and produce instead of wrenches and tires.

“There’s no groceries down here,” said Andy Baranowski, owner of J.W. McDonald Auto Service. “Where are you going to get your milk?”

The 189 Bannatyne Ave. building has been an auto repair garage for almost a century — since 1923, according to the Manitoba Historical Society.

Not everyone sees the new Cancon rules as a win. Five takeaways from CRTC’s decision

An overhaul by the federal regulator of how Canadian content is defined has been met with mixed reaction from some of the country's biggest film and TV players this week.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued its long-awaited expansion of the range of creative roles that qualify a film or TV show as Canadian, setting new rules for foreign streaming companies that operate in the country.

However, not everyone sees the changes as a win.

MORE ROLES, MORE POINTS — AND MORE WORRIES FROM DIRECTORS

Province releases inaugural innovation report

Promises to keep data in Manitoba and bolster the economy through innovation highlight the province’s first innovation and prosperity report.

“AI, tech, it’s gonna be in your industry,” Premier Wab Kinew said Friday after the report’s release. “We have to get in the game.”

Proponents of the 39-page document expressed hope for Manitoba’s future; critics deemed the strategy lacking.

A majority of Manitoba’s data storage and cloud computing infrastructure is run by United States firms such as Microsoft. The report calls on the province to build its own infrastructure with federal and provincial funds.

Legault urges stronger U.S.-Canada ties amid trade tensions at summit

QUÉBEC - Quebec Premier François Legault urged the need for strong collaboration between the states and provinces that despite current trade uncertainties between Canada and the United States.

"The big elephant in the room is the uncertainty about the relationship between Canada and the United States, so, we really need to know where we'll be in one year, in two years, in four years, in 10 years," Legault told the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers Leadership Summit being held in Quebec City on Sunday.

The biennial meeting, being held this year in Quebec City, brings together leaders and representatives from eight states and Ontario. It's the group's first meeting since the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House.

Legault could not sidestep the issue of tariffs — something he said hasn't been good for either country.

Custom metal fabrication firm NJ Industries Inc. builds reputation on customer loyalty

Dirk Hollar and his colleagues don’t give out awards to the businesses they work with, but if they did, the “No. 1 Vendor” award would go to NJ Industries Inc.

Hollar is the operations manager at Freedom Concepts Inc., a Winnipeg company that creates bicycles for individuals with limited mobility. When Hollar needed a small order of sprockets made a few years ago, someone suggested he check out NJ Industries, a custom metal fabrication facility headquartered in the CentrePort Canada development on the northwest edge of Winnipeg.

Hollar drove to the company and introduced himself to owner Nagarajah Jayaranjan — better known to his customers and friends as Jay. Jayaranjan took Hollar’s order and showed him around the facility. By the time the tour was over, the sprockets were ready. Jayaranjan handed them to Hollar, free of charge.

That gesture led to ongoing business between the two companies.

Diversifying trade key to building resilience against U.S. tariffs: Macklem

OTTAWA - Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem is encouraging businesses to explore export markets beyond the United States to make the economy less vulnerable to current and future trade disputes.

Speaking to a business crowd in coastal St. John’s, N.L., on Wednesday, Macklem meanwhile warned of fog in the inflation forecast, making it difficult to chart a path for monetary policy through the tariff uncertainty.

The central bank head said it was “very welcome news” that Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed at the G7 Summit earlier this week to nail down a new trade and security deal within 30 days.

He said in prepared remarks that progress toward a new trade deal is "encouraging," but later said in a moderated question-and-answer period that Canada's economy faces bigger problems in an increasingly "fragmented world."

Sweeping tariffs could be 3% hit to Canadian economy, even with carve-outs: report

TORONTO - A CIBC report says sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S. could cost the Canadian economy as much as 3.25 per cent, even factoring in possible exemptions for the oil and gas sector.

An analysis published Tuesday examined four potential scenarios in which U.S. President Donald Trump slaps new taxes on goods imported from Canada, ranging from 10 to 20 per cent and with possible carve-outs for key industries.

Speaking with reporters on Monday evening, Trump said he's thinking about hitting Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent tariffs on Feb. 1.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Canada would respond and that "everything is on the table."

Manitoba hog industry continues to grow

Manitoba hog producers face global trade uncertainties, disease prevention issues, increasing environmental concerns and sky-high input costs — all of which are affecting producers’ margins — but the Manitoba hog industry continues to grow.

Remettre le pied à l’étrier

L’INTÉGRATION sociale par le travail n’est pas encore devenue un rêve utopique.

L’entreprise à laquelle appartient le francophone Jean Luc Beaudry, Warm Up Winnipeg (B.U.I.L.D) est là pour le démontrer. En effet, cette entreprise d’une cinquantaine d’employés rénove les maisons de la région pour réduire leurs dépenses énergétiques. Mais l’originalité de cette entreprise demeure aussi dans son recrutement.

Un programme d’intégration sociale “Nous recrutons en priorité les personnes qui ont besoin d’un travail pour se réintégrer socialement,” déclare le co-ordonnateur du recrutement et de l’apprentissage, Jean-Luc Beaudry. “Des autochtones en majorité, des réfugiés, des immigrés ou encore des personnes qui sortent de prison ou qui ont eu des problèmes avec la justice les empêchant de retrouver un travail. Il existe encore beaucoup de discrimination dans le milieu du travail et toutes ces personnes ont un mal fou à se réintégrer. Nous voulons donc les aider à mettre le pied à l’étrier. Car sans emploi, il est pratiquement impossible de se réintégrer et pour gagner sa vie beaucoup sont alors obligés d’entrer dans l’illégalité des marchés noirs.”

L’entreprise recrute ainsi les personnes qui ont un passif pouvant faire obstacle à leur recherche d’emploi. C’est pourquoi les employés doivent suivre dans un premier temps un programme de formation et d’apprentissage en charpenterie et en plomberie. Puis, la durée normale de travail doit être de six mois pour assurer un certain renouvellement des effectifs et donner sa chance au plus grand nombre.