Corporate Governance

Canadian manufacturing sales posted their biggest percentage drop since the financial crisis in March and economists warned sales are expected to continue to fall in April as the COVID-19 pandemic brought the economy to a crawl.Royal Bank senior economist Nathan Janzen said Thursday that the economic data will also likely get significantly worse in April with containment measures in place for the entire month.“Beyond that, we could see some improvement in May already with social/distancing measures easing in spots, but the drop in activity in March and April is still likely to be staggering, and entirely unprecedented in modern measured economic data,'' Janzen wrote in a brief note.Statistics Canada reported Thursday manufacturing sales fell 9.2% to $50.8 billion in March, the lowest level since June 2016, as factories shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic or faced sharply lower demand.The average estimate by economists was for a drop of 5.7%, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.In volumes terms, manufacturing sales fell 8.3%.Sales fell in 17 of 21 industries led by the transportation equipment industry which plunged 26.5% in March as Canadian auto assembly plants and several parts suppliers in North America cut production.

Entrepreneurs who are struggling to keep their businesses alive amid the demands of COVID-19 or feel underserved by the country's financial institutions are about to get a helping hand from Shopify Inc.

C-stores across the province are preparing for new amendments to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, which brings with it more restrictive rules for operators when it comes to the sale of vaping products.The following regulations come into effect July 1, 2020: The sale of flavoured vapour products will be restricted to specialty vape stores and licensed cannabis retail stores.

Several underlying consumer trends have risen to prominence during the COVID-19 crisis, leading to a wave of new behaviours—from online shopping to buying local—that are likely to persist long after the pandemic is over, according to a new study from Accenture.

Canada's national environment agenda is the latest thing to be upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, as plans for both beefing up national climate targets and banning some plastics are likely to be delayed.Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told The Canadian Press this week that the government remains firmly committed to its environmental promises, which were a key part of the Liberal 2019 re-election campaign.

Bill Pratt hasn't paid some $70,000 in rent for his restaurants in Atlantic Canada since April after having to shutter operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing a “critical” sales drop.

As COVID-19 reduces access to food and other essential goods for Canadians, PepsiCo Canada and the company’s philanthropic arm, The PepsiCo Foundation, is launching a number of community-based initiatives.With COVID-19 wreaking havoc everywhere, the devastation looms large on the country's food banks, where stocks are down and demand is way up.

Conagra Brands is to provide an additional US$7 million in cash bonuses to eligible employees at each of the company's 50 production and distribution facilities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.To date, the company has committed more than US$13 million in special bonuses for front-line employees working during the pandemic."On behalf of the senior management team, I'd like to extend my deepest appreciation and thanks to our employees for their refuse-to-lose attitude in continuing to work safely and effectively to deliver our products to customers, consumers and our communities during this unprecedented time," Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer at Conagra Brands, said in a release.