LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
A positive economic and employment outlook by the U.S. Federal Reserve propelled North American stock markets higher for a third straight day and pared losses in the choppy month of September.
Stock markets generally do well when the economy is doing well, said Mike Archibald, vice-president and portfolio manager with AGF Investments Inc., even though they were also supported by financial engineering to address the impact of COVID-19
The U.S. central bank supported positive vibes by giving "a fairly bullish outlook" for the economy, hinted that bond purchases will begin to be tapered in November and said rate hikes will begin the end of 2022 and proceed in several stages through 2024.
"The Fed's giving you confidence that they believe the economic backdrop is better than perhaps people thought a few days ago or what they thought at their last couple of meetings," he said in an interview.
Despite the eventual reduction in stimulus, monetary policy will remain accommodative with rates remaining very low, Archibald said.
"That's giving confidence to equity investors to keep money coming into into stocks."
In addition, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed an investor worry by saying Thursday that agreement has been reached on a stopgap funding bill that will avert a government shutdown.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 60.44 points to 20,461.93. It's down 0.6 per cent in September and up 17.4 per cent so far in 2021.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 506.50 points at 34,764.82. The S&P 500 index was up 53.34 points at 4,448.98, while the Nasdaq composite was up 155.39 points at 15,052.24.
The cyclical sectors of the market performed best with energy, financials and consumer discretionary all rising on the TSX.
Energy increased 2.8 per cent on a climb in energy prices in response to the positive economic outlook with crude oil prices rising to their highest level since the end of July.
The November crude contract was up US$1.07 at US$73.30 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up 18.8 cents at US$5.04 per mmBTU.
Arc Resources Ltd. increased 5.4 per cent. followed by Vermilion Energy Inc. and Cenovus Energy Inc.
Tourmaline Oil Corp. shares gained 4.3 per cent after the company announced late Wednesday that it was raising its dividend, paying a special dividend and upgrading its outlook.
The Canadian dollar traded for 79.03 cents US compared with 78.39 cents US on Wednesday.
The heavyweight financials sector rose one per cent with the country's banks increasing as much as 1.6 per cent on the day.
Technology was moved higher by a 10.1 per cent increase in BlackBerry Ltd. in response to its latest quarterly results. And industrials was up slightly even as shares of SNC-Lavalin Inc. dropped 2.3 per cent after the RCMP laid bribery charges against two former executives, the company and a subsidiary.
Utilities and materials were the biggest laggards. Materials lost 1.5 per cent on lower metals prices.
The December gold contract was down US$29.00 at US$1,749.80 an ounce and the December copper contract was down 2.1 cents at US$4.23 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2021.
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.