National Business

HALIFAX — Canadians are expected to spend less this Valentine’s Day as COVID-19 lockdowns and ongoing economic uncertainty dampens consumer enthusiasm for the February mass-market holiday, retail experts say.

LOS ANGELES — Lucasfilm says Gina Carano is no longer a part of “The Mandalorian” cast after many online called for her firing over a social media post that likened the experience of Jews during the Holocaust to the U.S. political climate.

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, responding to two of his United Conservative caucus members who are openly challenging his government's COVID-19 economic lockdown rules, says it’s a matter of free speech.

HIGHLANDS, N.J. — Bruce Springsteen is facing a drunken driving charge in New Jersey, prompting Jeep to put on pause the Super Bowl television commercial that features him. Springsteen was arrested Nov.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Russel Metals says it lost more money in the fourth quarter than in the same period in 2019. The Mississauga-based company says it had a net loss of $9 million in the three months that ended Dec.

TORONTO — Merck Mercuriadis is holding a Canadian treasure in his hands. Deep into a conversation about the future of the music industry, the head of the Hipgnosis Songs Fund steps away from his webcam to pull a vinyl record from his shelf.

TORONTO — Manulife Financial Corp. says its fourth-quarter profits rose 45 per cent from a year ago, as gains from interest rates and bond sales offset lower volumes of new business during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

When Haman Mamdouhi made $2,500 in profit from a $5,000 investment in Bitcoin last month, the tax implications weren't exactly top of mind.

CALGARY — TC Energy Corp. is planning to eliminate more than 1,000 construction jobs related to its decision to halt work on its Keystone XL pipeline expansion project. The company suspended work on the project Wednesday as U.S.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index dipped in early trading, lagging U.S. markets as the Canadian dollar headed higher. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 33.13 points at 17,981.78. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 37.