National Business

Vaccine mandates for truckers have raised transportation costs — but haven't impacted the shipment of goods to stores, the head of one of Canada's largest grocery chains says.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Workers at a West Virginia franchise of a regional fast-food restaurant on Tuesday rejected efforts to form a union that would have been the first its kind in the state.

A trucker convoy has left the Regina area and is expected to stop in Winnipeg today before making a final stop in Ottawa later this week. The Regina Police Service estimates about 1,200 trucks went through the city last night.

TORONTO — Manulife Financial Corp. says Rick Lunny, president and CEO of Manulife Bank, is retiring at the end of February.

CALGARY — The Calgary Real Estate Board says it expects the city’s housing market activity to moderate this year after record sales were experienced in 2021, but tight conditions will linger.

TORONTO — When Jenny Dickson goes grocery shopping, they only buy off-brand foods or items on sale for fear of overestimating how much money they have available in their bank account.

WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund is downgrading its forecast for the world economy this year, citing the spread of COVID-19's omicron variant, higher energy prices, an uptick in inflation and financial strains in China.

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence declined this month as persistent inflation and the highly-contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus dinged the optimism of Americans.

Pfizer has begun a study comparing its original COVID-19 vaccine with doses specially tweaked to match the hugely contagious omicron variant . Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's economic development board on Tuesday approved $824 million in incentives and assistance for General Motors Co. to put electric vehicle and battery plants in its home state, adding as many as 4,000 jobs.