Canada’s striking federal workers call on Trudeau to speed up contract talks

By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) – A union representing some 155,000 striking Canadian public workers called on Saturday for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to speed up negotiations over a deal for higher wages and work-from-home guarantees. A wide range of public services from tax returns to passport renewals have been affected since Wednesday, when about…

Read More

Russia advising citizens to avoid traveling to Canada, citing attacks

(Reuters) – Russia is advising citizens to avoid travel to Canada, citing what it calls numerous cases of discrimination against Russians, including physical violence, its foreign ministry said on Saturday. Canada is one of the most vocal backers of Ukraine in the war against Moscow’s forces and has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials…

Read More

Canada, Volkswagen to invest more than C$20 billion in EV battery gigafactory

By Steve Scherer and Victoria Waldersee OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada and Volkswagen on Friday together committed more than C$20 billion ($14.8 billion) for a battery gigafactory in St. Thomas, Ontario, the biggest single investment ever in the country’s electric-vehicle supply chain. Europe’s largest carmaker is investing up to C$7 billion to build the plant, Volkswagen said…

Read More

US unions call on railroads to halt buybacks, ditch lean operating model

By Amna Karimi (Reuters) – U.S. labor unions called on railroad operators to halt all stock buybacks until they improve safety and abandon their lean operating model, which regulators and shippers say has led to deterioration in the quality of service. The unions have blamed Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), a concept that encourages running longer…

Read More

US dollar flat to modestly higher as upbeat data backs May rate hike

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar was little changed to slightly higher against major currencies on Friday, as business activity data suggested that the world’s largest economy remained resilient, supporting expectations of another 25-basis-point interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve at next month’s policy meeting. Against commodity currencies, the greenback…

Read More

Mining M&A spree to keep Australia dealmaking humming after $37 billion in first quarter

By Melanie Burton and Scott Murdoch MELBOURNE (Reuters) – As automakers and chemicals suppliers scramble to secure raw materials, resource-rich Australia has become a rare global bright spot with $37 billion worth of M&A deals in the first quarter, with the trend expected to continue in the near term. The increased dealmaking activity is forecast…

Read More

Canada offering more than C$13 billion for VW battery plant – govt source

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada has agreed to provide up to C$13 billion ($9.7 billion) in subsidies and a C$700 million grant to lure Volkswagen AG into building its North American battery plant in the country, a government source said on Thursday. The total Canadian investment, which could also include funds from the Ontario government, will largely…

Read More