Washington | Reuters — Senior Canadian, U.S. and Mexican officials trying to rescue slow-moving talks to update the NAFTA trade pact met on Monday in a new bid to resolve key issues before regional elections complicate the process. With time fast running out to strike some kind of deal on the North American Free Trade […] Read more
NAFTA talks resume amid fears of ‘zombie’ deal
U.S. trade chief says NAFTA approval on ‘thin ice’ without deal soon
Washington/Mexico City | Reuters –– U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Tuesday that if a deal to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement cannot be reached with Canada and Mexico in about three weeks, its approval by the U.S. Congress could be in jeopardy. Lighthizer said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event […] Read more
Vet college’s full accreditation survives funding cut
The looming exit of one of its major funding partners notwithstanding, the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has earned full accreditation through 2024. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Council on Education, the accrediting body for veterinary colleges in North America, recently confirmed Saskatoon-based WCVM’s status as “Accredited (w/minor deficiency).” “Minor […] Read more
Farmland values rise, but interest rates curb market
CNS Canada — Prices of Canadian farmland were seen rising in 2017, with most sales happening in the first half of 2017 before interest rate increases and the drought in Western Canada hit. That’s according to the annual Farmland Values Report released Monday by Farm Credit Canada (FCC), based on 90 per cent of farmland […] Read more
NAFTA ministers to reconvene Tuesday on signs of progress
Washington | Reuters — Canada and Mexico on Friday said good progress had been made in talks with the U.S. to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and that ministers would meet again on Tuesday as they push to wrap up a deal. Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso […] Read more
Regulatory change urged to help expand rural broadband
A parliamentary committee is calling on the federal government to use legislative tools to help shore up broadband access for rural and remote areas of Canada. The House of Commons’ standing committee on industry, science and technology, chaired by Vancouver area Liberal MP Dan Ruimy, on Tuesday released its report and recommendations for meeting federal […] Read more
Supreme Court finds for provinces in ‘Free the beer’ case
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s top court on Thursday ruled against a New Brunswick man who had argued he had the constitutional right to buy beer more cheaply in a neighbouring province, saying that the law does not impose absolute free trade across the country. Dubbed the “free the beer” case in Canadian media, it […] Read more
Kubota to relocate Canadian warehousing
Japanese tractor and equipment maker Kubota’s Canadian arm plans to decamp its warehousing and head office next year for a new “state of the art” space 25 km east. Kubota Canada announced Thursday it will move those operations from Markham, Ont. to a new facility it will build at Pickering by the end of 2019. […] Read more
U.S. to take another look at Pacific trade pact
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump has asked his trade advisers to look at rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multinational trade pact he withdrew the U.S. from last year, White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said. Republican senators met with Trump on Thursday and he told them that he has asked U.S. Trade Representative […] Read more
No breakthrough at NAFTA talks, U.S. timeline could be in doubt
Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — The U.S., Mexico and Canada still have to resolve major issues around NAFTA, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday, casting doubt that the quick deal sought by Washington would materialize. Freeland met with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo for several hours on Friday […] Read more