Big banks match cut from BOC Canada`s big banks, amid warnings of further economic deterioration and below-zero inflation, wasted little time Tuesday in passing on the full measure of the latest interest-rate relief from the Bank of Canada. They cut their prime lending rates by a half-point to...

0109MTBA Manitoba manufacturers stay strong in tough times MANITOBA manufacturers continue to demonstrate strength in the face of withering losses nationally, posting the second smallest slippage in a key industry measure in November, according to Statistics Canada. Canada-wide, manufacturing...

0109WNPG Chamber puts out feelers for business THE Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce is going to straight to the top in its bid to attract new businesses to Winnipeg. Over the next five and a half months, 50 high-profile, volunteer members of the local business community will be visiting the...

0109WNPG City may want homes certified before sale THE City of Winnipeg may wade into the world of consumer protection by insisting all homes for sale are up to code and properly surveyed, but real-estate agents fear the plan could "open a can of worms" and further chill an already cooling...

0109PORTPortage looking forward to visit from Kiev representatives A group from Ukraine will be arriving in Portage la Prairie this month to meet with area and local businesses. Portage Mayor Ken Brennan said the opportunity arose when the city went to Kiev in December to make a connection...

0109DUXB Target drops to two UXBRIDGE -- Councillors are now aiming for a two-per cent hike in taxes this year as they come down to the wire in the budget process. Following a week of intense reviews of each of the Township`s departments, about $1,840,000 has been cut from 2009 spending, said...

0109RHL Dunlap Observatory `remarkable,` should be protected, says expert The case for preserving the David Dunlap Observatory site is finally before a provincial Conservation Review Board. Board chairperson Peter Zakarow and colleague Karen Haslam will hear arguments and then recommend how...

0109YEGW More changes coming to Green Lane The northeast corner of Yonge Street and Green Lane could be the site of a new retail centre similar to the collection of big box stores and restaurants at the southwest corner of the intersection in East Gwillimbury. Fieldgate Commercial Properties...

0109KWCG U of G sees applications rise GUELPH The numbers are in, and for the University of Guelph they are staggering. Total applications at U of G and the University of Guelph-Humber are up 6.4 per cent, the highest overall increase in the province. A total of 22,010 applications were made...

0109KWCG Goodrich land sale done deal KITCHENER One of the biggest and most expensive land purchases ever made by the City of Kitchener was quietly closed last month, about six months later than originally planned. The city`s finance committee was told yesterday that the city took possession...

0109HAMN Police look into razing grow-ops Hamilton police will examine an initiative where it can demolish homes used for marijuana grow operations. The initiative, practised in British Columbia and Niagara Falls, follows Councillor Terry Whitehead telling the police services board about a...

0109HAMN Long wait for Metrolinx decision The city is in something of a holding pattern as it awaits a July decision by Metrolinx on the face of local rapid transit in the years ahead. Most of the decisions on where stations will be, and what they will look like, depend on which form of rapid...

Bank`s key rate cut to record low OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada has chopped its key interest rate by another half percentage point to its lowest level ever, and warned that the Canadian economy will contract by 1.2 per cent this year. The central bank`s target for the overnight lending rate now...

0109OTWA Federal government dips toes into Kanata real estate market The federal government is making the first move into Kanata with the lease of part of a former Mitel Networks building. Kelvin Holmes, managing director of Colliers International real estate, said yesterday the federal...

0109BTFD Developer says legal action won`t affect plans for south Colborne St. AToronto developer insists that a legal action that has thrown a number of his properties and companies in Brantford and other nearby cities into receivership does not hamper his interest in redeveloping the south...

Banks urged to match full rate cut Chris McNeil says Canada`s banks are making it tough for working folks to dig themselves out of debt. The 34-year-old administrative assistant finds it "troubling" banks only cut their prime rates to 3.5 per cent from 4 per cent last month, even as the Bank...

0109TNTO GTA January home sales plunge 50% The Toronto Real Estate Board yesterday reported a meagre 888 sales in the first half of January, compared with 1,776 sales during the same period a year ago. The average price of a home is also down, 9.5 per cent to $332,495, compared with last...

0109MSGA Residents gear up to fight power plant Residents in south Mississauga fear they`re one step closer to housing a new gas-fuelled power plant after learning that Sithe Global Power has made the short list of companies vying to build a facility somewhere in the GTA. Ontario Power...

0109VANC Wal-Mart cracks Vancouver market with Grandview store retail I Wal-Mart would rather not have to do business in a recession, but the recession isn`t necessarily going to be bad for business, the incoming CEO of the mega-retailer`s Canadian division said Monday. Wal-Mart plans to open...

0109VANC No quick solution to commuter woes Work began yesterday on removing the burned-out trestle that connects the Pattullo Bridge to Surrey. Meanwhile, authorities started the hunt for a replacement section, hoping to speed up the repair. But it`s unlikely commuters will see any joy soon...