GLOBE NEWSWIRE

A new report by Feed Ontario reveals skyrocketing food bank use with a 64 percent increase in first-time visitors, and points to the lack of quality employment opportunities and disinvestments in essential social support programs as the drivers of this growth. Feed Ontario released its 2022 Hunger Report today, revealing […]

By Elaine Kurtenbach and Matt Ott
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks are opening lower on Wall Street as protests spread in China calling for President Xi Jinping to step down amid growing anger over severe restrictions imposed as part of his “zero COVID” strategy in the world’s second-largest economy. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% and the […]

By Sylvia Hui
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON (AP) – Most schools in Scotland were closed Thursday as thousands of teachers walked off the job, joining scores of postal workers and university lecturers across the U.K. in industrial action to demand better pay and working conditions to cope with the country’s cost-of-living crisis. The teachers’ strike in […]

By Nojoud Al Mallees
THE CANADIAN PRESS

The full effects of interest rate hikes have yet to be felt — and will be “even more powerful” than many anticipate, former Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz says. Speaking at a conference in Ottawa hosted by Western University’s Ivey Business School, the former governor warned today’s economy is […]

By Raf Casert
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSSELS (AP) – On winter’s doorstep, European Union nations again failed to bridge bitter disagreements over a natural gas price cap Thursday as they struggle to effectively shield 450 million citizens from massive increases in their utility bills. An emergency meeting of energy ministers only showed how the energy crisis […]

By Joe Mcdonald
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIJING (AP) – The company that assembles Apple Inc.’s iPhones apologized Thursday for a pay dispute that triggered employee protests at a factory where anti-virus controls have slowed production. Employees complained Foxconn Technology Group changed the terms of wages offered to attract them to the factory in the central city […]

By Sara Rathner Of Nerdwallet

Spouses share a lot, but no matter your relationship status, your credit score belongs to you and you alone. Even if you’re 100 per cent supported financially by your spouse or partner, establishing and building your own credit score is essential. It can benefit you both as you navigate financial […]

By Matt Ott
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) – The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate tumbled by nearly a half-point this week, but will likely remain a significant barrier for potential homebuyers as Federal Reserve officials have all but promised more rate hikes in the coming months. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average […]

By Hillel Italie
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) – Tess Gunty’s “The Rabbit Hutch,” a sweeping debut novel set in a low-income housing community in Indiana, has won the National Book Award for fiction. The 30-year-old Gunty was among three writers nominated for their first published books. The nonfiction prize went to Imani Perry’s “South […]

By Dee-ann Durbin
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A coalition of consumer groups is asking grocery chains to rethink their digital-only coupons, saying the deals discriminate against people who don’t have smartphones or reliable internet access. Digital-only deals — advertised online or on store shelves — can offer significant savings, but they generally require customers to electronically clip […]

By Dee-ann Durbin
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores are on strike Thursday in their largest labor action since a campaign to unionize the company’s stores began late last year. The walkouts coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a […]

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Hourly wages needed to live in Ontario have increased amid decades-high inflation and remain well above the province’s minimum wage, according to a new report. In the report released Monday, the Ontario Living Wage Network said the living wage in Toronto is now $23.15 an hour, up almost five per […]