National Business

OTTAWA — SNC-Lavalin Inc. will pay Ottawa $1.9 million for rigging bids on municipal infrastructure contracts in Quebec as part of a federal settlement.

MONTREAL — Quebec's securities regulator has filed civil charges against three residents over the illegal sale of virtual currency called PlexCoin.

TORONTO — The head of Unifor says he has been assured by Ontario's premier that the province will not proceed with a plan to cut statutory holidays for retail workers.

CALGARY — Oil and gas producer Bonavista Energy Corp. is proposing a deal with lenders that would eliminate about half of its outstanding debt but leave existing shareholders with only seven per cent of the company.

OTTAWA — Retail sales fell by more than a quarter in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Statistics Canada said Friday that they regained some of the lost ground in May. The agency said retail sales plunged by a record 26.4 per cent to $34.

CALGARY — An army of Canadian do-it-yourselfers building fences, repairing decks and slapping thousands of litres of paint on weather-beaten siding have helped building centres across Canada escape the worst of the pandemic economic downturn.

BEIJING — China has charged two detained Canadians with spying in cases linked to Canada’s arrest of a Huawei executive on U.S. charges. Chinese prosecutors said Friday that Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been charged.

CALGARY — Fears of persistently lower demand for oil are hitting home for industry workers as the world economy slowly strengthens following the deepest disruptions of the COVID-19 crisis. Oil and gas producer Ovintiv Inc.

VANCOUVER — Telus says its fifth-generation wireless network will be activated in five of Canada's largest markets starting Friday, with another 26 to be added by the end of this year.

MONTREAL — Aimia Inc. says it has closed a transaction with Kognitiv Corp. after the Quebec Superior Court dismissed an application from Air Canada to halt the merger.