National Business

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit surged to a record $74.4 billion in March as an improving U.S. economy drove purchases of imported foreign goods.

CALGARY — ConocoPhillips plans to sell its roughly 10 per cent stake in Cenovus Energy Inc. as part of a plan to pay for a repurchase of its own shares. The U.S.

TORONTO — Canadian auto sales in April were up 254 per cent compared with the same month last year, when sales plunged due to lockdowns in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

OTTAWA — Canada posted a merchandise trade deficit of $1.1 billion in March as imports climbed to their highest level since May 2019.

Deepti Avinash has always pictured having a family with three kids. But as she tries to find childcare services for her first daughter in Toronto’s competitive market, she can't imagine how she could even afford having a second child right now.

TORONTO — Thomson Reuters Corp. reported a first-quarter profit of nearly US$5.04 billion as it completed the sale of its investment in financial data firm Refinitiv to the London Stock Exchange Group. The company, which keeps its books in U.S.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The European Union’s drug regulator announced Tuesday that it has started a rolling review of China’s Sinovac coronavirus vaccine to assess its effectiveness and safety, a first step toward possible approval for use in the 27

Eric Claus wanted to buy his wife a kayak. He admits it may not “sound very sexy” but with a house on the ocean in picturesque Mahone Bay, N.S., he says it was the ideal gift.

CALGARY — Suncor Energy Inc. is reporting positive first-quarter net earnings on higher production, lower costs and stronger oil and gas prices, reversing a big net loss in the same period of last year.

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he will be announcing Tuesday a new round of tougher health restrictions to arrest COVID-19 case rates that are the highest in Canada.