Category Archives: Economy
Alaska Railroad reports 94% decline in ridership in 2020
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has reported that ridership fell by about 94% between 2019 and 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. While 522,000 people rode the Alaska Railroad in 2019, only 32,000 people rode it last year, prompting a
UK lifts post-Brexit permits for truckers as trade recovers
LONDON — Britain has lifted travel restrictions on truckers that were imposed to avoid border chaos after the country’s economic split from the European Union at the end of last year. The government said Tuesday that it was scrapping the “access
Opposition leaders criticize federal budget over pharmacare, old age security
OTTAWA — Federal opposition leaders are criticizing the Liberal government's first budget in two years for omitting pharmacare, failing to adequately boost old age security and not speeding up the pace of vaccinations. Debate began in the House of Comm...
Large tourism operators in Nova Scotia get $35 million in loan support
HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government says it guaranteed nearly $35 million in loans to major tourism operators in the province struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Announced last October, the Tourism Sector Financing Assistance Program provides eligi...
Federal Budget 2021: Highlights from the Liberal plan tabled Monday
OTTAWA — Highlights from the federal Liberal budget tabled Monday by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland: — $30 billion over the next five years, and $8.3 billion ongoing for early learning and child care and Indigenous early learning and child care. Th...
Federal Budget 2021: Liberals seek to win over low-wage workers and students
OTTAWA — The federal government is looking to give workers and students a leg up with a budget that commits billions to training, benefits and debt relief, as those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic try to dust themselves off. The
Federal Budget 2021: Liberals extend COVID-19 aid with election top of mind
OTTAWA — The first federal budget in more than two years extends Ottawa’s COVID-19 "lifeline" for those still struggling after a difficult year — including aid for laid-off workers — another few months as it aims to pull Canada through
Federal Budget 2021: Liberals bank on child care, business aid to prod growth
OTTAWA — The federal Liberals are betting that billions more in debt will pay for itself with the economic growth fuelled by helping thousands of workers find jobs and small businesses adapt to shifting consumer behaviour. The government’s budget estim...
Johnson scraps Delhi trip; UK puts India on virus ‘red list’
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called off a trip to New Delhi amid surging coronavirus cases in India, as the U.K. imposed a travel ban on most visitors from the vast Asian nation. The British and Indian governments
Biden feels heat on emissions goal as climate summit nears
WASHINGTON — As President Joe Biden convenes a virtual climate summit on Thursday with 40 world leaders, he faces a vexing task: how to put forward a nonbinding but symbolic goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will have a
