National Business

TORONTO — Food service couriers and mail carriers are being encouraged to change the way they handle shipments as more Canadians self-isolate to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

CALGARY — It's a "glass half-full" way of looking at a crisis but as plunging oil prices cast a shadow over oil and gas companies in Western Canada, the drilling industry is already slowing down because of the weather.

EDMONTON — Aurora Cannabis Inc. says founder and former chief executive Terry Booth has sold nearly 12.2 million shares in the company into the open market.

OTTAWA — Home sales in February were up sharply compared with February 2019 when sales hit a decade-low for the month, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday.

MONTREAL — MTY Food Group Inc. says it will postpone the collection of royalties from franchisees for four weeks as its stock plummeted amid decreased demand triggered by COVID-19.

NEW YORK — Stocks dropped 9% in early trading Monday on Wall Street as huge swaths of the economy come closer to shutting down, from airlines to restaurants.

NEW YORK — Authors James Patterson and Kwame Alexander are teaming up on a book for young people about Muhammad Ali.

TORONTO — An open letter from a group of Canada's top executives urged other business leaders across the country to make slowing the spread of COVID-19 their "singular objective.

CALGARY — Crescent Point Energy Corp. is cutting its capital spending plan by about 35 per cent and slashing is dividend due the recent drop in commodity prices. The company says its now plans $700 million to $800 million in capital spending.

BEIJING — Asian stock markets and U.S. futures fell Monday after the Federal Reserve slashed its key interest rate to shore up economic growth in the face of mounting global anti-virus controls that are shutting down business and travel.