National Business

MONTREAL — Air Canada pilots intend to request help from a federal conciliator to assist in stalled contract negotiations with the airline, the union representing them announced Sunday.

CALGARY — Plant biologist Marcus Samuel has been working for more than a decade to improve the climate resilience of crops.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.

HINTON, Alta. — The Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate an early morning train derailment in northwestern Alberta. TSB spokesman Liam MacDonald says a westbound CN freight train left the tracks at around 5:30 a.m.

A worker strike has forced Vancouver-based Taseko Mines Limited to suspend operations at its Gibraltar copper mine in central British Columbia, about 200 kilometres south of Prince George.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A last-minute problem nixed Saturday’s launch attempt for Boeing’s first astronaut flight , the latest in a string of delays over the years.

TORONTO — Radio broadcaster Bob Mackowycz Sr., whose visionary programming injected a certain artistic flair into Toronto's cultural scene, has died. His son says Mackowycz suffered a sudden and unexpected illness. He died Wednesday at age 75.

VANCOUVER — A settlement agreement announced last week between the owners of the Northern Pulp mill and the Nova Scotia government has been approved by a British Columbia Supreme Court judge.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (22,269.12, up 197.41 points): Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Up 91 cents, or 1.86 per cent, to $49.83 on 12.9 million shares.

CALGARY — A wetter-than-expected spring has Western Canadian farmers breathing a sigh of relief, but drought remains a significant worry.