National Business

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government says workers will benefit from the province's largest ever increase to the minimum wage later this year, but an advocacy group says $16.50 an hour doesn't come close to being a living wage.

HONOLULU (AP) — Lawyers representing victims of a deadly Hawaii wildfire reached a last-minute deal averting a trial Wednesday to determine how to split a $4 billion settlement .

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks slipped after the Federal Reserve held its main interest rate steady and broke a run of cuts that began in September. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.

JASPER, ALTA. — The Insurance Bureau of Canada says last year's wildfire in Jasper, Alta., which destroyed one-third of the town's homes and buildings, is the second costliest fire disaster in the country's history.

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — A small plane chartered by a Chinese oil company crashed Wednesday in a remote part of South Sudan, killing 20 people, authorities said. One passenger survived. The flight chartered by Greater Pioneer Operating Co.

LONDON (AP) — Advanced artificial intelligence systems have the potential to create extreme new risks, such as fueling widespread job losses, enabling terrorism or running amok, experts said in a first-of-its-kind international report Wednesday catal

HALIFAX — A climate change think tank has released a guide encouraging municipalities to assign specific dollar values to natural assets ranging from wetlands to coastal dunes.

TORONTO — Ontario voters are set to head to the polls in a rare winter election.

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada cut its key policy rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday, bringing it to three per cent.

TORONTO — BMO, Porter Airlines and Mastercard are launching a new credit card option for travellers looking to earn points for the airline's reward program VIPorter.