Business

Body Shop Canada has filed for bankruptcy protection and is planning a restructuring. A woman passes a Body Shop cosmetics store at the airport in Frankfurt, central Germany, Friday, March 17, 2006. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Michael Probst

3 B.C. outlets closing as The Body Shop seeks bankruptcy protection

Cosmetic chain’s Canadian division announces closures at about 1/3 of its 105 stores

Body Shop Canada has filed for bankruptcy protection and is planning a restructuring. A woman passes a Body Shop cosmetics store at the airport in Frankfurt, central Germany, Friday, March 17, 2006. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Michael Probst
FILE - Commercial airline passengers wait, and make their way through the ticketing level at Chicago’s Midway International Airport Friday, May 26, 2023, in Chicago. U.S. airfares are, on average, 15% lower now than they were a decade ago, and 6% lower than this time last year. The same cannot be said for many other purchasing categories where prices are increasing due to inflation. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

Airfares dropping and they could be poised to drop even more

Cost of flying is bucking high inflation trend affecting so many other services

FILE - Commercial airline passengers wait, and make their way through the ticketing level at Chicago’s Midway International Airport Friday, May 26, 2023, in Chicago. U.S. airfares are, on average, 15% lower now than they were a decade ago, and 6% lower than this time last year. The same cannot be said for many other purchasing categories where prices are increasing due to inflation. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
FILE - A sign stands over a Wendy’s restaurant, Feb. 25, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa. Wendy’s says that it has no plans to increase prices during the busiest times at its restaurants, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. The burger chain clarified its stance on how it will approach pricing after various media reports said that the company was looking to test having the prices of its menu items fluctuate throughout the day based on demand. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Wendy’s denies plans to jack up prices during day’s busiest times

‘Wendy’s will not implement surge pricing…the practice of raising prices when demand is highest’

FILE - A sign stands over a Wendy’s restaurant, Feb. 25, 2021, in Des Moines, Iowa. Wendy’s says that it has no plans to increase prices during the busiest times at its restaurants, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. The burger chain clarified its stance on how it will approach pricing after various media reports said that the company was looking to test having the prices of its menu items fluctuate throughout the day based on demand. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Canada’s competition watchdog is raising concerns about discontinued cellphone promotions in Western Canada in the wake of the Rogers-Shaw merger that it says had been helpful in bolstering competition. A person uses a cell phone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Some B.C. cell plans not as cheap as they were since Rogers-Shaw merger

Competition Bureau says it has not seen evidence of comparable pricing

Canada’s competition watchdog is raising concerns about discontinued cellphone promotions in Western Canada in the wake of the Rogers-Shaw merger that it says had been helpful in bolstering competition. A person uses a cell phone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has concerns about the new international student visa cap. (Ella Matte/News Staff)

Student visa cap requires rethink, ignores economic realities: B.C. businesses

Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO calls for more campus housing and better oversight

Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has concerns about the new international student visa cap. (Ella Matte/News Staff)
FILE - In this July 10, 2019 file photograph, singer Taylor Swift performs at Amazon Music’s Prime Day concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Powered by big stadium tours from artists like Swift and Beyoncé, ticket sales are booming and it appears likely that live acts will continue to draw massive crowds after the pandemic closed down concert venues globally for close to two years. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Concert-goers blowing arena doors open with massive post-pandemic rebound

Major stadium tours like Beyonce and Taylor Swift at forefront of unprecedented boom for live music

FILE - In this July 10, 2019 file photograph, singer Taylor Swift performs at Amazon Music’s Prime Day concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Powered by big stadium tours from artists like Swift and Beyoncé, ticket sales are booming and it appears likely that live acts will continue to draw massive crowds after the pandemic closed down concert venues globally for close to two years. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
A new study from Statistics Canada finds business investment per worker fell by 20 per cent between 2006 and 2021. Signage marks the Statistics Canada offices in Ottawa on July 21, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Lack of competition blamed as business investment per worker drops

Statistics Canada says such investment down by 20 per cent over a 15-year stretch

A new study from Statistics Canada finds business investment per worker fell by 20 per cent between 2006 and 2021. Signage marks the Statistics Canada offices in Ottawa on July 21, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The Teck Resources logo is seen on a podium before the company’s special meeting of shareholders, in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, April 26, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Record copper production for Teck as B.C. miner preps for coal division sale

Sale of company’s Elk Valley coal operations to Glencore working through regulatory approvals

The Teck Resources logo is seen on a podium before the company’s special meeting of shareholders, in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, April 26, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
<div>Statistics Canada says the price of airfare fell more than 14 per cent in January versus the same month in 2023. WestJet passengers use a self-service kiosk in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</div>

Air fares plummet in Canada as competition up, demand down

Ticket prices down over December, and over January, 2023, but still above 2019 levels

<div>Statistics Canada says the price of airfare fell more than 14 per cent in January versus the same month in 2023. WestJet passengers use a self-service kiosk in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</div>
The federal government is cutting the amount of money small- and medium-sized businesses will be given from carbon pricing revenues so it can increase the amount of money rebated to rural families. A woman gasses up at a gas station in Mississauga, Ont., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Canada shifts carbon price rebates from small business to rural residents

Rebate programs for business tied specifically to investments they make in energy efficiencies

The federal government is cutting the amount of money small- and medium-sized businesses will be given from carbon pricing revenues so it can increase the amount of money rebated to rural families. A woman gasses up at a gas station in Mississauga, Ont., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Tax filing season has officially kicked off as Monday marks the first day that Canadians can begin filing their income tax and benefit returns online. A Canada Revenue Agency sign in Ottawa is shown on Monday, March 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

April 30: Tax season has started in Canada

Most Canadians must file their tax return by April 30, which is also the deadline to make a payment for those who owe money to the CRA

Tax filing season has officially kicked off as Monday marks the first day that Canadians can begin filing their income tax and benefit returns online. A Canada Revenue Agency sign in Ottawa is shown on Monday, March 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Statistics Canada is set to release its January consumer price index report on Tuesday and forecasters expect Canada’s inflation rate fell. A customer browses an aisle at a Metro grocery store In Toronto on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Housing still ‘thorn’ in Bank of Canada’s side: economists

As high borrowing costs cause consumers to pull back on spending, inflation is expected to inch closer to two per cent

Statistics Canada is set to release its January consumer price index report on Tuesday and forecasters expect Canada’s inflation rate fell. A customer browses an aisle at a Metro grocery store In Toronto on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
FILE - A Microsoft Xbox Series X video game console is seen, on Dec. 7, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. One small step for an intrepid crew of 24th century space explorers could be a giant leap — or flop — for Microsoft when the Xbox-maker launches its long-awaited video game Starfield. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Microsoft is making 4 exclusive Xbox video games available to rival consoles

Several exclusive Xbox games will be soon making their way to rival…

FILE - A Microsoft Xbox Series X video game console is seen, on Dec. 7, 2021, in Marple Township, Pa. One small step for an intrepid crew of 24th century space explorers could be a giant leap — or flop — for Microsoft when the Xbox-maker launches its long-awaited video game Starfield. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Softwood lumber is pictured along the Fraser River in Richmond, B.C., Tuesday, April 25, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Fibre access feeds concern as B.C. forestry firm posts US$153M loss

West Fraser Timber encouraged by overall outlook despite ongoing B.C. challenges: CEO

Softwood lumber is pictured along the Fraser River in Richmond, B.C., Tuesday, April 25, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
B.C.’s economy grew by just 0.9 per cent in 2023 and is forecast to grow only 0.7 per cent in 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The mayor of Delta, B.C., calls the lack of communication from FortisBC “an egregious oversight” after the utility company failed to notify the public for more than four hours after a gas leak at a renewable gas plant. British Columbia’s provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Friday, July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Lacklustre economic growth expected in B.C. this year: report

Combination of local and global factors adds up to a forecast of 0.7% economic increase

B.C.’s economy grew by just 0.9 per cent in 2023 and is forecast to grow only 0.7 per cent in 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The mayor of Delta, B.C., calls the lack of communication from FortisBC “an egregious oversight” after the utility company failed to notify the public for more than four hours after a gas leak at a renewable gas plant. British Columbia’s provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Friday, July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2016, file photo, a ride share car displays Lyft and Uber stickers on its front windshield in downtown Los Angeles. Thousands of U.S. ride-hailing workers plan to park their cars and picket at major U.S. airports Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in what organizers say is their largest strike yet in a drive for better pay and benefits. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Delivery, ride service job action targets date night in US, UK

Valentine’s Day work stoppage could be prelude to more as workers lobby for better pay, conditions

FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2016, file photo, a ride share car displays Lyft and Uber stickers on its front windshield in downtown Los Angeles. Thousands of U.S. ride-hailing workers plan to park their cars and picket at major U.S. airports Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in what organizers say is their largest strike yet in a drive for better pay and benefits. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
Flickr/oatsy40

Coal exports boom to 8-year high despite Canada’s talk of ban

NDP to move bill calling for halt to the practice as Canadian output jumps 60 per cent

Flickr/oatsy40
Vitamin-rich microgreens are proving a popular crop for new generations of farmers in the North Okanagan-Shuswap. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)

Popular micro-green superfood takes root, sprouts new farms in B.C. Interior

Nutrient-rich greens can be grown indoors year-round at high speeds and yields

Vitamin-rich microgreens are proving a popular crop for new generations of farmers in the North Okanagan-Shuswap. (Lachlan Labere-Salmon Arm Observer)
A WestJet logo is seen in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The fallout from a mid-flight panel blowout on a Boeing Co.-made plane last month has reached Canada, as WestJet faces indefinite delays on dozens of aircraft deliveries.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Blowout grounds WestJet plans to acquire multiple new Boeing planes

Production expansion at Boeing halted until safety concerns sufficiently addressed

A WestJet logo is seen in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The fallout from a mid-flight panel blowout on a Boeing Co.-made plane last month has reached Canada, as WestJet faces indefinite delays on dozens of aircraft deliveries.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A non-profit organization in British Columbia says it has asked Canada’s Competition Bureau to investigate athletic-wear giant Lululemon, arguing the company is misleading customers about its environmental impacts. The Lululemon logo is seen on a wall at the company’s headquarters in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, May 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Environmental group accuses B.C.’s Lululemon of greenwashing

Stand.earth says clothing firm’s records don’t reflect marketing, wants competition bureau probe

A non-profit organization in British Columbia says it has asked Canada’s Competition Bureau to investigate athletic-wear giant Lululemon, arguing the company is misleading customers about its environmental impacts. The Lululemon logo is seen on a wall at the company’s headquarters in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, May 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck