National Business

CALGARY — Homeowners across the country are spending big bucks to upgrade or enlarge their homes as the reality sinks in that many workers won't be heading back to the office any time soon due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

NEW YORK — J.C. Penney believes it will emerge from bankruptcy protection before Christmas under a new ownership agreement that would save tens of thousands of jobs.

LONDON — The COVID-19 pandemic is battering Britain’s public finances, pushing government borrowing to a record last month as tax revenue fell and authorities spent billions of pounds to prop up the economy. The government borrowed a net 36.

Tim Hortons is ending the practice of double cupping hot drinks, a move the fast food restaurant says will eliminate hundreds of millions of cups from landfills each year. The subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International Inc.

OTTAWA — Canada's national annual inflation rate was 0.5 per cent in September, Statistics Canada says. Here's what happened in the provinces (previous month in brackets): — Newfoundland and Labrador: 0.3 per cent (-0.6) — Prince Edward Island: 0.

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says retail sales rose 0.4 per cent to $53.2 billion in August.

George McKay belts out a hearty “ho ho ho” as he makes the rounds at a weekend farmers market in Brampton, Ont.

MONTREAL — Boralex Inc. has named chief operating officer Patrick Decostre as the renewable power producer's next chief executive. Decostre will replace Patrick Lemaire, who is set to retire at the end of the year.

Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Airways said Wednesday it would cut 8,500 jobs and shut a regional airline as it grapples with the plunge in air travel due to the pandemic.

TORONTO — Health-care workers, businesses and non-profits could receive liability protection against COVID-19-related lawsuits under legislation proposed by the Ontario government Tuesday, but critics said the bill would result in extra protection fo