National Business

WASHINGTON — U.S. home-building activity collapsed in March as the coronavirus spread, with housing starts tumbling 22.3% from a month ago.

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales increased 0.5 per cent to $56.2 billion in February, boosted by higher sales in the transportation equipment industry.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Chartwell Retirement Residences is withdrawing its 2020 outlook due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON — Government relief checks began arriving in Americans’ bank accounts as the economic damage to the U.S.

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is adopting new emergency powers and stiffer penalties to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health crises. It's also preparing to spend a lot more money.

VICTORIA — Premier John Horgan says people in British Columbia should congratulate themselves for their efforts to flatten the COVID-19 curve, but it's still too early to loosen restrictions. Horgan said Wednesday that B.C.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is noting what most Americans are already acutely aware of: Economic activity contracted sharply and abruptly cross all regions of the country in recent weeks as the country locked down to combat the coronavirus pande

NEW YORK — Apple is releasing a new iPhone that will be vastly cheaper than the models it rolled out last fall when the economy was booming and the pandemic had yet to force people to rethink their spending.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (13,958.58, down 299.85 points.) Aphria Inc. (TSX:APHA). Health care. Up 24 cents, or 4.72 per cent, to $5.33 on 10.7 million shares.

BRP Inc. announced Wednesday it would temporarily lay off office workers as part of cost reduction measures prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.