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."

Nova Scotia group wants a court to declare a First Nation’s lobster fishery illegal

HALIFAX - A commercial lobster fishing group in southwestern Nova Scotia is seeking a court to have a lobster fishery run by a First Nations community declared illegal.

The United Fisheries Conservation Alliance says it also wants the court to define the scope and limits that should apply to a fishery operated by the Sipekne’katik First Nation in St. Mary’s Bay.

The group’s lawyer, Michel Samson, says a notice of action was filed Thursday with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Samson says the alliance is suing because a separate court case — filed by Sipekne’katik First Nation against the federal and Nova Scotia governments — was paused in order to mediate a resolution.

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.

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.

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.

Raber Gloves’ Garbage Mitts the must-have Winnipeg winter accessory

‘I am the wrong person to complain to about the weather,” Howard Raber says jubilantly midway through a Winnipeg January, wearing a golf shirt as he opens the door to his family’s factory on McDermot Avenue.

Raber does not mind the cold. It’s the reason he is in business.

Had his grandparents immigrated in 1925 to a warmer place, their grandson’s opinion on the windchill might differ. But the ancestors chose Winnipeg — not such a bad place to be in the business of making gloves.

When it’s freezing outside, which in the wintertime is often, if not always, Howard Raber considers himself especially lucky. “When it’s cold out, we are everybody’s best friend.”

Toy industry grapples with supply chain issues ahead of busy holiday shopping season

Ahead of the release of the Paw Patrol movie this summer, Toys “R” Us Canada and toy maker Spin Master Corp. did something rarely seen before in the toy industry.

They air freighted Liberty toys — the latest member of the animated search and rescue team — from China to Canada to get the new pup on store shelves in time for the film’s premiere.

“We really wanted to have Liberty available for our customers when the movie came out,” said Katrina Fyfle, Toys “R” Us Canada brand manager. "She was one that we put on an airplane in partnership with the vendor.”

The unusual step underscores the enduring difficulty of operating amid a pandemic and its related labour shortages, escalating material prices, rising shipping costs and lengthy delays.

Craig Block link to city’s Black history

Above a fruit seller in a small brick building on Main Street, a group of Black railway porters made history.

The Order of Sleeping Car Porters, formed in Winnipeg in 1917, was North America’s first Black labour union. Five years later, they established offices and a meeting hall on the second storey of the building, the Craig Block, at 795 Main St.

Now, the building has hit the market, without any historical status protections or a bronze plaque to commemorate its history.

History writer Christian Cassidy said he’s seen the building, which recently housed retail store Ma’s Fishing, go up for sale once or twice in the past. Each time, he worries someone will buy it and knock it down. It’s one of last buildings that links Winnipeg to the history of its Black communities.

‘Ignominious anniversary’ of Hydro’s stalled broadband deal

A year after Manitoba Hydro stopped taking on new contracts for broadband network access, and three months after Xplornet won the bid to manage that network, critics are complaining the continuing moratorium has left would-be customers in the lurch.

Adrien Sala, NDP critic for Hydro, is calling on the Progressive Conservative government to end the stop sell order and disclose the revenue losses suffered from the disruption.

“It is taking far longer than anyone expected it to and it is creating further and further delays for a lot of ISPs (Internet service providers), school divisions and regional health authorities that have asked for service upgrades,” Sala said.

A spokesperson for Reg Helwer, minister of central services, confirmed that the Xplornet agreement has yet to be finalized but is expected to be soon.

Iconic Churchill Tundra Buggy goes electric

The Churchill travel company, Frontiers North Adventure, has been operating its fleet of iconic Tundra Buggies for decades but for various reasons John Gunter, CEO of the company, knew the fleet needed to be upgraded.

A chance encounter between Gunter and Red River College’s former head of research and partnerships three years ago put Gunter on the path towards electrifying the Tundra Buggies.

On Tuesday, the fruits of that labour were revealed at Red River College’s Vehicle Technology and Energy Centre (VTEC) — the first EV (electric vehicle) Tundra Buggy.

It was a collaborative effort between Frontiers North, RRC’s VTEC, New Flyer and the non-profit Vehicle Technology Centre that pooled a growing expertise in heavy vehicle electrification that has been developing over the past decade in Winnipeg.

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.