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Slideshow: New products from the Winter Fancy Food Show

LAS VEGAS — The 2023 Winter Fancy Food Show saw more than 1,100 exhibitors showcase their newest products Jan. 15-17 in Las Vegas. The $175 billion specialty food industry homes in on consumers looking for premium products, often made in small batches.

This year, the Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel predicted an interest in bold and intense flavor experiences, specifically within the sauce and condiment categories.

“What began in the hot sauce category is exploding into honey, spreads, confections, beverages, and snacks, snagging new markets like younger consumers, especially, and inspiring specialty food companies to introduce heat and spice into

Electricity bills may continue to shock you even as overall inflation eases. Here’s why.

While price hikes for gas, furniture, electronics and clothes are slowing down after a long stretch of sharp gains, one costly item isn’t expected to get cheaper anytime soon: electricity.

Economists say consumers should expect their electric bills to continue rising at a fast pace as liquefied natural gas, a key fuel for generating electricity, remains in short supply in the US and companies’ operating costs rise. Average US electricity prices could rise at a 10% clip again this year and possibly next, predicts Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, even though economists have forecast overall

News publishers say ban by tech giants would devastate them

OTTAWA—Canadian news publishers have shed new light on how journalism in Canada could be harmed if big tech platforms make good on their threats to block the posting of their content, should Ottawa’s online news bill pass unchanged.

Jeff Elgie, the CEO of community news company Village Media, told senators studying the bill that Google and Facebook generate more than 50 per cent of his digital company’s web traffic.

“If that traffic was lost, the business would be over,” said Elgie, whose company owns 25 local news publications across Ontario.

Pierre-Elliott Levasseur, the president of Quebec’s La Presse and a

Inflation rate unexpectedly increased in April, jumping up to 4.4%

Canada’s inflation rate reversed its cooling trend last month and moved higher, to a 4.4 per cent annual rate.

Economists had been expecting new data released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday to show the cost of living had eased from March’s 4.3 per cent pace to something around 4.1.

Instead, it moved higher again, as the cost of things like gasoline, rent and mortgages increased during the month.

It’s the first acceleration in the cost of living since June of 2022, when Canada’s inflation rate hit a more than 40-year high of 8.1 per cent.


Food prices have been a

Canadian public pension fund investments in China draw heightened scrutiny – Business News

Investments in China by Canada’s largest public pension funds are facing increased scrutiny amid worsening relations between the two countries and allegations that some of those investments are funding the oppression of China’s Uyghur minority.

Recently, representatives of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, which manages the pensions of BC public sector workers, told a parliamentary committee studying Canada-China relations that they had paused new direct investment in China because of the increasing risks associated with that country.

That pause came amid

Dragons’ Den investors join star-studded Ottawa Senators bid

The group trying to leverage star power for its bid to own the Ottawa Senators continues to add more known names to its list.

Los Angeles-based producer Neko Sparks is behind one of four groups that had submitted final bids for the team by the May 15 deadline, according to Sportsnet and Postmedia.

The others are reportedly former Pittsburgh Penguins minority owners Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, Montreal Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer and Toronto-area billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos.

Unlike the others, Sparks and his team haven’t been shy about publicly sharing celebrity partners this month: first Snoop Dogg, then former world

McDonald’s reportedly temporarily shuts its US corporate offices ahead of layoffs

McDonald’s Corp is temporarily closing its US offices this week as it prepares to inform corporate employees about its layoffs as part of a broader company restructuring, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

In an internal email last week to US employees and some international staff, McDonald’s asked them to work from home from Monday through Wednesday so it can deliver staffing decisions virtually, the report said. It is unclear how many employees will be laid off.

“During the week of April 3, we will communicate key decisions related to roles and staffing levels across the organization,” the Chicago-based company

Frustration, anticipation mark industry response to budget’s flight delay fixes – Business News

The federal government has air travel on its radar after laying out plans in its budget to speed up airport security screening and reduce flight delays, but industry and advocates remain skeptical.

Tabled Tuesday by the Liberals following a year of turmoil travel, the budget promises $1.8 billion over five years for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) to improve passenger screening and shore up security at airports.

It also proposes a new rule requiring airlines and airports to share and report data as a way to cut delays and bolster co-ordination within the industry.

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