National Business

MONTREAL — Railways suffered a sharp drop-off in container shipments this month as the strike by B.C. port workers — now poised to end after a tentative deal Thursday — halted more than half of steel-box cargo. Canadian National Railway Co.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (20,277.64, up 206.87): Hut 8 Mining Corp. (TSX:HUT). Finance. Up 89 cents, or 17.98 per cent, to $5.84 on 10.6 million shares.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators on Thursday approved the nation's first over-the-counter birth control pill in a landmark decision that will soon allow American women and girls to obtain contraceptive medication as easily as they buy aspirin and

NEW YORK (AP) — It's not just you. Sriracha is hard to come by these days — at least for one popular brand.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index gained more than 200 points Thursday, led by strength in tech, metals, financials and utilities, while U.S. markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 206.87 points at 20,277.64.

TORONTO — The sun's out, the days are longer and for many, the wallet's feeling a bit lighter.

CALGARY — A Calgary-based technology company has paired up with Adidas in a partnership that will see the sneaker giant manufacture some of its shoes using ink embedded with captured carbon emissions.

TORONTO — The average asking price for a rental unit in Canada reached a record $2,042 last month amid continued interest rate hikes and population expansion, according to a new report by Rentals.ca and Urbanation.

This week, the Bank of Canada hiked interest rates yet again, raising its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 5 per cent, and the prime rate to 7.2 per cent.

HALIFAX — The lore in the Hart household was as rich as the ice cream served every day. After joining his family's creamery business, the story goes, Bruce Hart travelled from Nova Scotia to the U.S. to attend 'Ice Cream University.