National Business

OTTAWA — Canada's new housing minister says he didn't have the tools he needed to address housing affordability issues when he was mayor of Vancouver — the country's most expensive housing market.

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government added uranium to its list of priority critical minerals on Wednesday and issued a request for exploration proposals at three sites the province says have known deposits of the heavy metal.

TORONTO — The number of tariff-hit products at the grocery store could soon spike as pre-tariff inventory runs out, said Loblaw Cos. Ltd. chief executive Per Bank, which means prices for some items will go up too.

CALGARY — The chief executive of Atco Ltd. says discussions around Alberta secession are already hurting the investment climate.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index made modest gains Wednesday while U.S. markets were mixed as investors weighed what might come next in trade disputes.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew signed an agreement Wednesday to boost the movement of goods and labour between the two provinces, including direct-to-consumer alcohol sales in place by the end of June.

OTTAWA — Canadian Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault said Wednesday Canada needs to maximize its use of existing pipelines before building more — a day after Prime Minister Mark Carney indicated an openness to new pipeline construction.

OTTAWA — Workers at Canada Post could be heading back to the picket lines in a matter of days — but a labour expert warns postal workers might find negotiating conditions far less favourable now than they were during their holiday job action.

Stocks drifted to a mixed close on Wall Street, holding on to most of the gains they made earlier in the week after the U.S. and China declared a temporary cease-fire in their trade war. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% Wednesday.

OTTAWA — The CRTC launched a hearing about drafting a new definition for Canadian content Wednesday, but three big American streaming companies dropped off the schedule at the last minute.