Canola Jumps on Demand Hopes After Canada Scraps Digital Tax
The move raised hopes that Canada's supplies will continue flowing to the US, the biggest importer along with China of the oilseed used to make cooking oil, biofuel and animal feed. Canola had been primed for a rebound after falling by more then 6% last week, in part on pressure from rainfall in the Prairies that helped alleviate dry soil conditions.
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4 hours ago
Air Canada and flight attendants union resume talks for the first time since strike began
TORONTO -- TORONTO (AP) — Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 flight attendants resumed talks late Monday for the first time since the strike began over the weekend. The strike is affecting about 130,000 travelers a day at the peak of the summer travel season. It was the first time the two sides talked since early Saturday or late Friday. In an update to its members, the union said the airline reached out and the meeting occurred with the assistance of a mediator in Toronto. It followed the union's declaration that the flight attendants won't return to work even though the strike, now in its third day, has been declared illegal. Earlier, Air Canada said rolling cancellations would now extend Tuesday afternoon after the union defied a second return-to-work order. The country's biggest airline had said earlier that operations would resume Monday evening but the union president said that won't happen. 'We will not be returning to the skies,' said Mark Hancock, national president for Canadian Union of Public Employees, or CUPE, which also represents some non-public sectors. The Canada Industrial Relations Board had declared the strike illegal Monday and ordered the flight attendants back on the job. But the union said it would defy the directive. Union leaders also ignored a weekend order to submit to binding arbitration and end the strike by Sunday afternoon. The board, an independent administrative tribunal that interprets and applies Canada's labor laws, had said the union needed to provide written notice to all of its members by noon Monday that they must resume their duties. 'If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it," Hancock said. "We're looking for a solution here. Our members want a solution here, but solution has to be found at the bargaining table.' It was not immediately clear what recourse the board or the government have if the union continues to refuse. Labor leaders are objecting to the Canadian government's repeated use of a law that cuts off workers' right to strike and forces them into arbitration, a step the government took in recent years with workers at ports, railways and elsewhere. 'We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our country are being disrupted by this action,' Prime Minister Mark Carney said. 'I urge both parties to resolve this as quickly as possible.' Carney stressed it was important that flight attendants were compensated fairly at all times. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said the federal government is launching a probe into the unions' allegations that flight attendants are not paid for work they do while airplanes are on the ground, and is considering introducing legislation to address the issue. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. The airline estimated Monday that 500,000 customers would be affected by flight cancellations. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that as of Monday afternoon, Air Canada had called off at least 1,219 domestic flights and 1,339 international flights since last Thursday, when the carrier began gradually suspending its operations ahead of the strike and lockout. Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau said he still was looking for a quick resolution. 'We're obviously hoping we can go tomorrow, but we'll make that decision later today,' Rousseau said on BNN Bloomberg shortly after the union announced it would continue with the strike. Montreal resident Robert Brzymowski has been stranded in Prague along with his wife and their two children since Saturday, when Air Canada canceled their flight home from what was meant to be a two-week vacation visiting relatives. Brzymowski, who consults businesses on energy-efficient practices, said he was set to start a new job Monday but lost out on the contract because he wasn't back in Montreal in time. 'I wasn't planning on losing my job over vacation,' he said. Frustrated by what he described as a lack of communication from the airline, Brzymowski said he went to the airport in Prague on Monday morning and was able to get the airline to book them a new flight on Aug. 25 — more than a week after their original flight. He said his children will also miss the first day of the new school year, and his wife won't get paid for the week because she used the last of her paid time off for the year for this trip. 'I, for one, will never fly Air Canada again,' Brzymowski said. 'I'll take a boat if I have to.' Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday, after turning down the airline's request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract. Air Canada and CUPE have been in contract talks for about eight months but remain far apart on the issue of pay and the unpaid work that flight attendants do when planes aren't in the air. The airline's latest offer included a 38% increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions, over four years, that it said 'would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.' But the union pushed back, saying the proposed 8% raise in the first year didn't go far enough because of inflation. Passengers whose flights are impacted will be eligible to request a full refund on the airline's website or mobile app, according to Air Canada.
4 hours ago
Las Vegas tourism is down. Some blame Trump's tariffs and immigration crackdown
LAS VEGAS -- Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, with resorts and convention centers reporting fewer visitors compared to last year, especially from abroad, and some officials are blaming the Trump administration's tariffs and immigration policies for the decline. The city known for lavish shows, endless buffets and around-the-clock gambling welcomed just under 3.1 million tourists in June, an 11% drop compared to the same time in 2024. There were 13% fewer international travelers, and hotel occupancy fell by about 15%, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Mayor Shelley Berkley said tourism from Canada — Nevada's largest international market — has dried up from a torrent 'to a drip.' Same with Mexico. 'We have a number of very high rollers that come in from Mexico that aren't so keen on coming in right now. And that seems to be the prevailing attitude internationally,' Berkley told reporters earlier this month. Ted Pappageorge, head of the powerful Culinary Workers Union, called it the 'Trump slump.' He said visits from Southern California, home to a large Latino population, were also drying up because people are afraid of the administration's immigration crackdown. 'If you if you tell the rest of the world they're not welcome, then they won't come,' Pappageorge said. Canadian airline data shows fewer passengers from north of the border are arriving at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Air Canada saw its passenger numbers fall by 33% in June compared to the same time a year ago, while WestJet had a 31% drop. The low-cost carrier Flair reported a whopping 62% decline. Travel agents in Canada said there's been a significant downturn in clients wanting to visit the U.S. overall, and Las Vegas in particular. Wendy Hart, who books trips from Windsor, Ontario, said the reason was 'politics, for sure.' She speculated that it was a point of 'national pride' that people were staying away from the U.S. after President Donald Trump said he wanted to make Canada the 51st state. 'The tariffs are a big thing too. They seem to be contributing to the rising cost of everything,' Hart said. At downtown's Circa Resort and Casino, international visits have dipped, especially from Canada and Japan, according to owner and CEO Derek Stevens. But the downturn comes after a post-COVID spike, Stevens said. And while hotel room bookings are slack, gaming numbers, especially for sports betting, are still strong, he said. 'It's not as if the sky is falling,' he said. Wealthier visitors are still coming, he said, and Circa has introduced cheaper package deals to lure those with less money to spend. 'There have been many stories written about how the 'end is near' in Vegas,' he said. 'But Vegas continues to reinvent itself as a destination worth visiting.' On AAA's annual top ten list of top Labor Day destinations, Las Vegas slipped this year to the last spot, from number six in 2024. Seattle and Orlando, Florida — home to Disneyworld — hold steady in the top two spots, with New York City moving up to third for 2025. Reports of declining tourism were news to Alison Ferry, who arrived from Donegal, Ireland, to find big crowds at casinos and the Vegas Strip. 'It's very busy. It has been busy everywhere that we've gone. And really, really hot,' Ferry said. She added that she doesn't pay much attention to U.S. politics. Just off the strip, there's been no slowdown at the Pinball Museum, which showcases games from the 1930s through today. Manager Jim Arnold said the two-decade-old attraction is recession-proof because it's one of the few places to offer free parking and free admission. 'We've decided that our plan is just to ignore inflation and pretend it doesn't exist," Arnold said. 'So you still take a quarter out of your pocket and put it in a game, and you don't pay a resort fee or a cancelation fee or any of that jazz.' But Arnold said he's not surprised that overall tourism might be slowing because of skyrocketing prices at high-end restaurants and resorts, which 'squeezes out the low end tourist.' The mayor said the rising cost of food, hotel rooms and attractions also keeps visitors away. 'People are feeling that they're getting nickeled and dimed, and they're not getting value for their dollar,' Berkley said. She called on business owners to 'see if we can't make it more affordable' for tourists.
NBC News
6 hours ago
- NBC News
Air Canada and flight attendants union resume talks for the first time since strike began
TORONTO — and the union representing 10,000 flight attendants resumed talks late Monday for the first time since the strike began over the weekend. The strike is affecting about 130,000 travelers a day at the peak of the summer travel season. It is the first time the two sides have talked since early Saturday or late Friday. In an update to its members, the union said the airline reached out and the meeting occurred with the assistance of a mediator in Toronto. It followed the union's declaration that the flight attendants won't return to work even though the strike, now in its third day, has been declared illegal. Earlier, Air Canada said rolling cancellations would now extend into Tuesday afternoon after the union defied a second return-to-work order. The country's biggest airline had said earlier that operations would resume Monday evening, but the union president said that won't happen. 'We will not be returning to the skies,' said Mark Hancock, national president for Canadian Union of Public Employees, or CUPE, which also represents some non-public sectors. The Canada Industrial Relations Board had declared the strike illegal Monday and ordered the flight attendants back on the job. But the union said it would defy the directive. Union leaders also ignored a weekend order to submit to binding arbitration and end the strike by Sunday afternoon. The board, an independent administrative tribunal that interprets and applies Canada's labor laws, had said the union needed to provide written notice to all of its members by noon Monday that they must resume their duties. 'If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it,' Hancock said. 'We're looking for a solution here. Our members want a solution here, but solution has to be found at the bargaining table.' It was not immediately clear what recourse the board or the government have if the union continues to refuse. Labor leaders are objecting to the Canadian government's repeated use of a law that cuts off workers' right to strike and forces them into arbitration, a step the government took in recent years with workers at ports, railways and elsewhere. 'We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our country are being disrupted by this action,' Prime Minister Mark Carney said. 'I urge both parties to resolve this as quickly as possible.' Carney stressed it was important that flight attendants were compensated fairly at all times. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. The airline estimated Monday that 500,000 customers would be affected by flight cancellations. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that as of Monday afternoon, Air Canada had called off at least 1,219 domestic flights and 1,339 international flights since last Thursday, when the carrier began gradually suspending its operations ahead of the strike and lockout. Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau said he still was looking for a quick resolution. 'We're obviously hoping we can go tomorrow, but we'll make that decision later today,' Rousseau said on BNN Bloomberg shortly after the union announced it would continue with the strike. Montreal resident Robert Brzymowski has been stranded in Prague along with his wife and their two children since Saturday, when Air Canada canceled their flight home from what was meant to be a two-week vacation visiting relatives. Brzymowski, who consults businesses on energy-efficient practices, said he was set to start a new job Monday but lost out on the contract because he wasn't back in Montreal in time. 'I wasn't planning on losing my job over vacation,' he said. Frustrated by what he described as a lack of communication from the airline, Brzymowski said he went to the airport in Prague on Monday morning and was able to get the airline to book them a new flight on Aug. 25 — more than a week after their original flight. He said his children will also miss the first day of the new school year, and his wife won't get paid for the week because she used the last of her paid time off for the year for this trip. 'I, for one, will never fly Air Canada again,' Brzymowski said. 'I'll take a boat if I have to.'
