National Business

TORONTO — Commodity sectors pushed Canada's main stock index higher even as U.S. markets were hurt by news of inflation soaring to a 40-year high last month and talks between Russia and Ukraine going nowhere.

CALGARY — Gasoline costs across Canada are expected to keep smashing records despite a significant mid-week dip in the price of oil. The average Canadian retail fuel price Thursday morning climbed to nearly $1.87 per litre, up from about $1.

Empire Co. Ltd. pulled off a higher profit and sales in its latest quarter despite a challenging retail environment punctuated by higher costs and supply chains bottlenecks.

MONTREAL — Transat A.T. Inc. felt the pain of the Omicron variant last quarter, but saw bookings rebound as COVID-19 measures eased, leaving the tour operator's CEO "cautiously optimistic" but wary of skyrocketing fuel prices.

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he's not calling on Ottawa to sanction a Russian oligarch who's a major shareholder of Evraz, which operates a steel mill in the province.

MONTREAL — WSP Global Inc. is quitting its projects in Russia and will stop seeking out work in that country or Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent economic sanctions, the engineering firm said Thursday.

MONTREAL — Pilots say a Transport Canada backlog is holding up medical certification, leading to months-long delays before they can return to the skies.

TORONTO — McCain Foods is ending a project to build a production facility in Russia and suspending shipments of its products to the country because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation for one more month — through mid-April — while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Propelled by surging costs for gas, food and housing, consumer inflation jumped 7.9% over the past year, the sharpest spike since 1982 and likely only a harbinger of even higher prices to come.