Tax revolt? Unpaid taxes from energy companies to Alberta towns more than double

Alberta’s rural municipalities say the amount of unpaid property taxes they’re owed by oil and gas companies has more than doubled over the past year.

The association says they are owed a total of $173 million — a 114 per cent increase over last spring.

Years of low oil prices have left many small producers in dire straits.

But rural officials say recent court decisions have left them powerless to collect tax money owed them by financially troubled companies.

As well, they say the provincial government recently ended a program which refunded them money they lost by reducing taxes for certain kinds of wells.

Reeve Paul McLauchlin of Ponoka County, where unpaid taxes amount to about 10 per cent of overall revenues, suggests the non-payment amounts to a tax revolt by an industry looking to cut costs wherever it can.

He says some of those taxes are owed by companies

Huawei exec extradition hearing begins in Canada

VANCOUVER — The first stage of an extradition hearing for a senior executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei started in a Vancouver courtroom M onday, a case that has infuriated Beijing, caused a diplomatic uproar between China and Canada and complicated high-stakes trade talks between China and the United States.

Canada’s arrest of chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei’s legendary founder, in late 2018 at America’s request enraged Beijing to the point it detained two Canadians in apparent retaliation.

Huawei represents China’s progress in becoming a technological power and has been a subject of U.S. security concerns for years. Beijing views Meng’s case as an attempt to contain China’s rise.

“Our government has been clear. We are a rule of law country and we honour our extradition treaty commitments,” Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a cabinet retreat in Manitoba. “It is what we need

How a hair-care company went from salon supplier to sanitizer powerhouse

When AG Hair moved into its new, 70,000-sq.-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Coquitlam, B.C., two years ago, it was part of a plan to supercharge expansion of its hair care product line to salons in international markets. Europe was next on its list. Then COVID-19 hit.

Not only was the European expansion put on hold, but salons in major markets across Canada and the United States were temporarily closed. Very few were purchasing hair products, so manufacturing was halted in mid-March, leaving most of the company’s 82 employees out of work.

AG Hair could have waited out the pandemic but instead decided to lean into its entrepreneurial culture and make a sharp pivot. It began providing hand-sanitizing products for front-line health-care workers, addressing a global shortage.

“We realized there was this massive need for health-care professionals, and we wanted to make a difference and be able to provide them with

The 2020 Growth Awards Winners

Every year, Canadian Business has highlighted the entrepreneurial leaders of Canada through the the Growth List—a ranking of established businesses on five-year revenue growth and startups on two-year revenue growth. Formerly known as the Growth 500, the Growth List and Start-Up List winners are profiled in a special print issue of Canadian Business published with the December issue of Maclean’s magazine. 

“Despite turbulence, the 2020 Growth List companies showed resilience, spirit and, most importantly, empathy and strong leadership,” says Susan Grimbly, Growth List Editor. “As we celebrate over 30 years of the Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies program, it’s encouraging to see that the heart of Canada’s entrepreneurial community beats strong, even in tough times.”

Ranked categories include, Business Pivot; Employer of the Year; Excellence in Diversity; Female Entrepreneur of the Year; Global Business; Philanthropy Service; and Technology Trailblazer. 

“The award-winning entrepreneurs are fleet, incredibly imaginative and creative; and truly passionate,” sys

A New CB Is Coming in September 2021

Refocused and reenergized, Canada’s most influential business magazine will help readers engage with the leaders who are driving innovation in this country

Business in Canada is changing — and so is Canadian Business.

Trusted by executives and entrepreneurs for nearly a century, the country’s preeminent business magazine is refocused, reenergized and ready for its exciting relaunch this October. Online and in print, the publication will offer everything from inspiring profiles to unique thought leadership that reflects the changing face of business from coast to coast — and with an eye to global trends.

“Business leaders today are not the same as they were a decade ago — or even five years ago,” says Charlotte Herrold, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Canadian Business. “They’re young, diverse and progressively minded. They’re working to build a better future for Canada by fostering meaningful change, not by looking only at the

Tesla robot slowly walks on stage at AI Day


Washington, DC
CNN

Tesla revealed on Friday a prototype of a humanoid robot that it says could be a future product for the automaker.

The robot, dubbed Optimus by Tesla, walked stiffly on stage at Tesla’s AI Day, slowly waved at the crowed and gestured with its hands for roughly one minute. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the robot was operating without a tether for the first time. Robotics developers often use tethers to support robots because they aren’t capable enough to walk without falling and damaging themselves.

The Optimus’ abilities appear to significantly trail what robots from competitors like Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics are capable of. Boston Dynamics robots have been seen doing back flips and performing sophisticated dance routines without a tether.

Tesla plans to use its AI expertise to develop a humanoid robot.

“The robot can actually do a lot more than we just showed you,” Musk said at the event. “We just didn’t want it to fall

Nike (NKE) earnings Q1 2023

A woman shops for shoes in the Nike Factory Store at the Outlet Shoppes at El Paso, in El Paso, Texas on November 26, 2021.

Paul Ratje | AFP | Getty Images

Nike on Thursday said it had a strong first fiscal quarter despite supply chain issues, as well as declining sales in Greater China, its third biggest market by revenue.

But Nike’s shares fell more than 10% Friday after the company described problems with overstocked inventory levels and the aggressive steps it’s taking to lower them.

Nike and other retailers have been facing supply chain headwinds, such as increases in shipping times and costs, and Covid-related store closure disruptions.

Here’s how Nike did in its first fiscal quarter compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

  • Earnings per share: 93 cents vs. 92 cents expected
  • Revenue: $12.69 billion vs. $12.27 billion expected

Apple News users receive racist messages after Fast Company hacked


New York
CNN Business

The financial news publication Fast Company took the extraordinary step Tuesday night of shutting down its website after the outlet said it was hacked, resulting in a pair of obscene push notifications containing racist language being sent to Apple News subscribers.

A spokesperson for the publication told CNN in a statement that its “content management system account was hacked on Tuesday evening.”

“As a result, two obscene and racist push notifications were sent to our followers in Apple News about a minute apart. The messages are vile and are not in line with the content and ethos of Fast Company,” the statement said. “We are investigating the situation and have shut down FastCompany.com until the situation has been resolved.”

The statement also said the hack was “apparently related” to a “hack of FastCompany.com that occurred on Sunday afternoon, when similar language appeared on the site’s

Pope to Deloitte: Business can help tackle crises

Speaking to consultants of Deloitte Global, Pope Francis notes that business can play a powerful role in tackling crises globally; and he calls on them to be ‘integral consultants’ committed to helping promote the wellbeing of all people.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis says business has the power and experience to help suffering people and to help tackle crises worldwide, including the pandemic and war.

The Holy Father made these observations when addressing a delegation from Deloitte Global on Thursday in the Vatican.

Deloitte is one of the so-called ‘Big Four’ international accounting and multi-services firms worldwide, and employs some 350,000 people globally.

The Pope thanked them for their visit and work, before turning his attention to the numerous challenges plaguing the world, and suggesting three ways they can promote a more humane, just, and fraternal world.

Three suggestions for promoting a more just and humane world

The first,

New York AG sues Trump, 3 of his children and their company, charging large-scale business fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a sweeping lawsuit Wednesday against former President Donald Trump, his three oldest children and the Trump Organization in connection with her yearslong civil investigation into the company’s business practices.

In the suit, which runs more than 200 pages, James’ office details what it says are Trump’s efforts to inflate his personal net worth to attract favorable loan agreements and alleges more than 200 instances of fraud over 10 years.

James is seeking to permanently bar the Trump family from serving as officers of New York-based companies and prevent Trump and his company from entering into commercial real estate acquisitions in the state for five years. She is also seeking about $250 million in penalties. In addition, her office is sending a criminal referral to the IRS and US prosecutors in Manhattan, she said.

“For too long, powerful, wealthy people in this country have