TORONTO – An increase in food prices has widened the cost divide between Canada’s supermarkets as well as their discount divisions – an issue that could play out in Loblaw Cos.’ favour. “Looking at identical items, the discount channel doesn’t have the symptoms of increased shelf prices to the significant degree, as the conventional channel has significantly increased shelf prices,” ...

Lending Loop, a Canadian fintech firm which was extending U.S.-style peer-to-peer crowdsourced loans to small businesses, has stopped posting new loan requests on its website although it meets regulators to ensure its model “complies with all of applicable laws.”  A notice to that effect was posted around the company’s website Tuesday.  The halt within the posting of recent applications through the ...

The two Canadian investment banks that acted as financial advisers in Corus’ $2.65-billion purchase of Shaw Media have taken opposite approaches to how their research desks have covered the proposed transaction, that has been opposed by a minumum of one Corus minority investor. Catalyst’s opposition to Corus-Shaw Media deal questioned by investors, analysts The motives fuelling a minority shareholder’s make an effort to ...

Home Capital Group Inc. leader Gerald Soloway is stepping down after almost 3 decades at the helm from the mortgage lender. He will hand the reins to company president Martin K. Reid in the company’s annual meeting on May 11. Soloway will remain a director of Home Capital and subsidiaries Home Trust and CFF Bank. “The Board want to thank ...

CALGARY – Nexen, the Calgary-based company acquired by China’s CNOOC Ltd. more than 3 years ago, says it’s cut 120 jobs in Canada. Company spokeswoman Brittney Price said the company made the difficult decision to reduce its workforce due to the current economy. Last March, Nexen cut 340 staff in The united states and 60 at its U.K. North Sea ...

Canadian pork processor Maple Leaf Foods Inc posted a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit as margins in the prepared meats business improved. Adjusted operating profit in the meat products group, which includes brands for example Schneiders and the company’s namesake Maple Leaf brand, was $54.6 million, in contrast to a year-ago loss of $19.A million. The Mississauga, Canada-based company said margins at ...

Canadian regulators don’t tinker frequently with the technical basics of the country’s takeover regime. But new rules to limit using poison pills will disrupt the strategies and tactics we’ve become used to in Canadian takeover battles. Big change is a afoot, lawyers say. “The takeover amendments are expected to profoundly change the way takeover bids are conducted, and also the ...

CALGARY – Enbridge Inc. says it raised $2.3 billion in the latest stock offering since it’s syndicate of underwriters fully exercised their option to buy additional shares within the pipeline operator. The Calgary-based company had initially planned to raise $2 billion, but the underwriters – including Canada’s five biggest banks – bought one more 7.4 million shares. The underwriters paid ...