National Business

Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (21,218.93), up 148.88 points. ECN Capital Corp. (TSX:ENC). Financial Services. Down $6.87, or 56.27 per cent, to $5.34 on 9.9 million shares.

Canada's main stock index posted a third day of gains Thursday as severe angst over the Omicron variant eased slightly amid encouraging COVID-19 developments. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 148.88 points to 21,218.

VANCOUVER — New one-time grants are on the way for businesses in British Columbia that were forced to shut down by the latest COVID-19 restrictions.

TORONTO — An annual Health Canada survey suggests that Canadians purchased more cannabis from legal sources in 2021 than ever before, with sales from brick-and-mortar retail stores tipping into the majority for the first time since legalization.

TORONTO — Canadian software company Dye & Durham Ltd. says U.K. regulators are taking a closer look at its roughly $157 million acquisition of TM Group Ltd. that closed in July.

OTTAWA — The Canadian economy kept up its streak of monthly gains in October and appears to have done so again in November, which has left total economic activity within a statistical inch of where it was before COVID-19 hit.

MONTREAL — An activist shareholder of Canadian National Railway Co. has blamed the company's board of directors for failing to secure its preferred candidate for a new chief executive of the railway.

HALIFAX — The clock is ticking on 2021 but financial experts say there's still time to trim your tax bill and beef up your return with these simple steps.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sales of new single-family homes rose 12.4% in November, the fastest pace in seven months, as the housing industry continued to benefit from low mortgage rates and strong demand.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Thursday authorized the second pill against COVID-19, providing another easy-to-use medication to battle the rising tide of omicron infections.