Business

A self-driving tractor trailer maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on US roads

On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer…

A self-driving tractor trailer maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Ian Chalmers, Principal, Research, Creative & Design Director of Pivot Design Group (left) and Peter Scott Principal and Founder of Q30 Design Inc. are photographed in their shared office space in Toronto, on Thursday, April 4, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Finding right partner key to finding Canadian business office solutions

Remote and hybrid work making it harder to justify full office for small business

Ian Chalmers, Principal, Research, Creative & Design Director of Pivot Design Group (left) and Peter Scott Principal and Founder of Q30 Design Inc. are photographed in their shared office space in Toronto, on Thursday, April 4, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Four B.C. breweries are coming home with awards from the 2024 World Beer Cup, held in Las Vegas. (World Beer Cup/Facebook)

Kelowna, Victoria breweries coming home with hardware from World Beer Cup

Breweries in North Vancouver and Whistler also won awards

Four B.C. breweries are coming home with awards from the 2024 World Beer Cup, held in Las Vegas. (World Beer Cup/Facebook)
Harbour Air has signed a letter of intent to purchase 50 electric engines for its seaplane fleet. Harbour Air’s prototype electric plane is seen here. (Photo Courtesy Harbour Air)

Harbour Air could have electric planes flying over B.C. as soon as 2026

The company just announced plans to buy 50 electric airplane engines from Washington company magniX

  • Apr 25, 2024
Harbour Air has signed a letter of intent to purchase 50 electric engines for its seaplane fleet. Harbour Air’s prototype electric plane is seen here. (Photo Courtesy Harbour Air)
Theatre producer Michael Rubinoff poses alongside Tim Hortons executive Hope Bagozzi at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Tim Hortons is set to take centre stage with a new theatrical production. The fast-food chain says “The Last Timbit” will debut at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto this June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

‘The Last Timbit’ brings donut shop’s humour and heart to the theatre stage

‘A little wacky’: Tim Hortons catching Canada off guard with a play about iconic eatery

Theatre producer Michael Rubinoff poses alongside Tim Hortons executive Hope Bagozzi at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Tim Hortons is set to take centre stage with a new theatrical production. The fast-food chain says “The Last Timbit” will debut at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto this June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Tourism has come roaring back from pandemic lows, but operators say the sector has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels and debt remains a hefty burden for thousands of small businesses across the country. Unofficially named “The First Sidewalk” a 700-foot walking trail system to promote eco-tourism is shown in Bella Bella, B.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Post-pandemic recovery road painful for tourism industry in B.C. and Canada

Bounceback is happening but not without struggles, particularly in more remote regions

Tourism has come roaring back from pandemic lows, but operators say the sector has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels and debt remains a hefty burden for thousands of small businesses across the country. Unofficially named “The First Sidewalk” a 700-foot walking trail system to promote eco-tourism is shown in Bella Bella, B.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Extra fees becoming the norm for Canadian air travel

Budget carriers and cramped conditions mean the base rate is getting you less

A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
A droid trainer introduces the new droid BDX during Star Wars Season of the Force at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday, April 5, 2024. Season of the Force is an annual event that celebrates all things Star Wars, including themed attractions, food offerings and merchandise, at Disneyland. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Gates open for major Disneyland expansion around original site

Disney could spend $1.9B over the next decade to transform its 490-acre Anaheim property

A droid trainer introduces the new droid BDX during Star Wars Season of the Force at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday, April 5, 2024. Season of the Force is an annual event that celebrates all things Star Wars, including themed attractions, food offerings and merchandise, at Disneyland. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)
Workers are seen on a condo tower under construction in Coquitlam, B.C., on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. British Columbia’s construction industry says its workforce numbers have improved in recent years, but labour shortages persist and are putting “extreme pressures” on employers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Worker shortage, late payments have B.C. construction industry asking for help

Shortage of qualified workers pushes average annual wage to just short of $75,000

Workers are seen on a condo tower under construction in Coquitlam, B.C., on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. British Columbia’s construction industry says its workforce numbers have improved in recent years, but labour shortages persist and are putting “extreme pressures” on employers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A robot unloads a pallet of cat food at a Walmart distribution centre in Calgary, Thursday, March 28, 2024. Walmart Canada is planning to bring robots to two Ontario distribution centres. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Walmart Canada says new warehouse robots no threat to jobs

2020 estimate put 10.6% of Canadian workers at high risk of seeing robots transform their jobs

A robot unloads a pallet of cat food at a Walmart distribution centre in Calgary, Thursday, March 28, 2024. Walmart Canada is planning to bring robots to two Ontario distribution centres. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic is to give a speech to the Canadian Club Toronto Monday. Bibic speaks during a CRTC hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Bell CEO blames ‘shifting viewing habits’ for thousands of job cuts

Bibic called before Parliament after the company announced 4,800 job cuts in February

BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic is to give a speech to the Canadian Club Toronto Monday. Bibic speaks during a CRTC hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
A new building is being built at the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, June, 13, 2016. The province is making building-code changes allowing for the use of mass timber in buildings up to 18 storeys, an increase from the previous 12-storey limit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Timber-framed construction free to climb 6 storeys higher in B.C.

B.C. building code to allow mass timber in buildings up to 18 storeys, up from 12

A new building is being built at the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, June, 13, 2016. The province is making building-code changes allowing for the use of mass timber in buildings up to 18 storeys, an increase from the previous 12-storey limit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
The B.C. government says it’s making it easier for forestry companies to salvage timber damaged by wildfires through a number of changes in regulations. Trees burned by the Bush Creek East Wildfire are seen in Squilax, B.C., Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Wildfire-damaged timber salvaging to get easier in B.C.

Province changing fees, process in order to encourage salvaging

The B.C. government says it’s making it easier for forestry companies to salvage timber damaged by wildfires through a number of changes in regulations. Trees burned by the Bush Creek East Wildfire are seen in Squilax, B.C., Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Changes to the federal Competition Act now explicitly label undisclosed fees and surcharges a “harmful business practice,” leading to lawsuits against online retailers, movie theatres and even Canada Post. The Canada Post logo is seen outside the company’s Pacific Processing Centre, in Richmond, B.C., on June 1, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Sick of extra fees online, or ‘drip pricing’? Canadian shoppers are fighting back

Place a shipping order with Canada Post and you might be hit with a ‘fuel surcharge’ of almost 25 per cent

Changes to the federal Competition Act now explicitly label undisclosed fees and surcharges a “harmful business practice,” leading to lawsuits against online retailers, movie theatres and even Canada Post. The Canada Post logo is seen outside the company’s Pacific Processing Centre, in Richmond, B.C., on June 1, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an appeal by Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which face class-action lawsuits in multiple provinces for allegedly profiting from third-party ticket reselling. Ticketmaster tickets and gift cards are shown at a box office in San Jose, Calif., on May 11, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Paul Sakuma

Court rejects Ticketmaster appeal in ticketbot resale class action

Ticket seller was asking court to toss out lawsuit tied to secondary ticket market

The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an appeal by Ticketmaster and Live Nation, which face class-action lawsuits in multiple provinces for allegedly profiting from third-party ticket reselling. Ticketmaster tickets and gift cards are shown at a box office in San Jose, Calif., on May 11, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Paul Sakuma
An Unsold 2023 Model X sports-utility vehicle sits outside a Tesla dealership Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Englewood, Colo. Tesla sales are expected to fall in the first quarter as demand for electric vehicles continues to slow. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Tesla sales tumble nearly 9%, most in 4 years, as competition heats up and demand for EVs slows

Tesla sales fell sharply last quarter as competition increased worldwide, electric vehicle…

An Unsold 2023 Model X sports-utility vehicle sits outside a Tesla dealership Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Englewood, Colo. Tesla sales are expected to fall in the first quarter as demand for electric vehicles continues to slow. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - Gene Simmons, from left, Tommy Thayer, and Paul Stanley of KISS perform during the final night of the “Kiss Farewell Tour”at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 2, 2023. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Kiss sells its brand and its music to Swedish firm owned by ABBA founder

Estimated $300M deal will see Kiss entertainment continue with holograms and other ventures

FILE - Gene Simmons, from left, Tommy Thayer, and Paul Stanley of KISS perform during the final night of the “Kiss Farewell Tour”at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 2, 2023. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) waves after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Travis Kelce brings back music festival in Kansas City with Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Diplo as headliners

Travis Kelce is keeping himself busy: On the heels of winning his…

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) waves after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
Sooke Realtor Tim Ayres was elected as the British Columbia Real Estate Association’s 2024-2025 chair at its annual meeting on March 26. (Submitted)

Vancouver Island Realtor elected as B.C. real estate board chair

Tim Ayres has also served with the Canadian Real Estate Association as a committee member

Sooke Realtor Tim Ayres was elected as the British Columbia Real Estate Association’s 2024-2025 chair at its annual meeting on March 26. (Submitted)
Richard Miller took advantage of Midas Muffler’s lifetime guarantee to replace the muffler on his 1966 Mercury pickup truck after 30 years. Photo by Alistair Taylor/Campbell River Mirror

B.C. man puts his muffler’s lifetime guarantee to a tough test

30-year-old muffler on nearly 60-year-old truck replaced by Midas free of charge

Richard Miller took advantage of Midas Muffler’s lifetime guarantee to replace the muffler on his 1966 Mercury pickup truck after 30 years. Photo by Alistair Taylor/Campbell River Mirror