Some of the most active companies traded Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:Toronto Stock Exchange (20,485.66, down 39.79 points):Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Down 17 cents, or 0.39 per cent, to $43 on 23.6 million shares.Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Materials. Down 15 cents, or 0.65 per cent, to $22.86 on 14.7 million shares.Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Down 32 cents, or 0.58 per cent, to $54.69 on 10.7 million shares.TC Energy Corp. (TSX:TRP). Energy. Down 59 cents, or one per cent, to $58.19 on 10.5 million shares.Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (TSX:CNQ). Energy. Up 35 cents, or 0.44 per cent, to $80.69 on 10.3 million shares.Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX:WEED). Health care. Up 48 cents, or 9.09 per cent, to $5.76 on 7.8 million shares. Companies in the news:Parkland Corp. (TSX:PKI). Up 43 cents, or 1.51 per cent, to $28.94.Parkland Corp. is doubling the size of its previously announced electric vehicle charging network with a focus on British Columbia, which leads the country in EV adoption. The Calgary-based fuel retailer said Friday it will now install 50 ultra-fast charging stations on highways and in major destinations from Vancouver Island to Calgary, instead of the previously announced 25.CIBC (TSX:CM). Down 42 cents, or 0.70 per cent, to $59.39. CIBC says a New York court has issued a liability ruling against the Canadian bank in a lawsuit brought by Cerberus Capital Management LP. Cerberus filed the lawsuit in November 2015. The case related to an October 2008 transaction in which CIBC issued a limited recourse note to Cerberus specifying certain payment streams, and a subsequent transaction in 2011 in which CIBC sold a residual interest in the streams to the private equity firm. Cerberus claimed damages of US$1.067 billion at trial earlier this year.Canadian Western Bank (TSX:CWB). Down $1.14, or 4.48 per cent, to $24.28. CWB Financial Group raised its dividend and reported its fourth-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its provision for credit losses rose. The bank says it upped its quarterly dividend by a penny to 32 cents per share. The increased payment to shareholders came as CWB reported common shareholders’ net income of $67.7 million or 72 cents per share for the quarter ended Oct. 31, down from $90.0 million or $1.01 per diluted share a year earlier. Revenue totalled $279.8 million, up from $260.6 million in the same quarter last year.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.SHARE:JOIN THE CONVERSATION Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the

A remote rainforest near Knight Inlet on the British Columbia coast has been kitted out with dozens of discreetly placed cameras. When a lone figure wanders into view, one of the devices starts recording as the subject lumbers along a well-used trail, causally checking out her surroundings. The footage is sent to a computer for analysis by artificial intelligence. The algorithm locks onto her eyes and nose, comparing her face to a database of individuals who frequent the area. In moments, it identifies her as Known Female F016.Known Female F016, ‘Flora,’ makes an appearance near Knight Inlet in British Columbia.The system’s operators are already familiar with F016. They call her Flora. They know where she lives, what she likes to eat, that she’s a mother and that her family is a big deal in these parts. They know this because Flora is a grizzly bear, and the cameras are being used by a research initiative called the BearID Project. The researchers are testing non-invasive techniques to track dozens of grizzlies that hang around an estuary about 250 kilometres north of Vancouver to unpick the behaviour of this iconic yet enigmatic species. “You get to understand that this isn’t just an animal with a number, it’s an animal with a whole life history behind it,” says Melanie Clapham, a conservation biologist at the University of Victoria who is involved in the project. But IDing bears is tricky. They change appearance as they gain and lose weight throughout the year, and even an experienced researcher might struggle to pick out a particular individual from a lineup of grizzlies.After several years of development, the AI system now gets it right 84 per cent of the time and Clapham says that it should improve further as it continues to gather data. The researchers hope better tracking will deepen their understanding of questions like how far the animals roam, where they go and how they interact with one another. That might provide information about particularly important habitat areas. The technique might also be used to identify bears that are repeatedly drawn to towns and cities.And, ultimately, such information could provide clues about a far larger concern: What’s in store for these magnificent creatures as human development and climate change encroach on their world?The new face of conservationFacial-recognition software might seem an unusual approach to studying grizzlies, but the BearID Project reflects a rapid embrace of new technologies by conservationists. In the past few years, drones equipped with cameras or LiDAR scanners have become favoured tools for biologists to discreetly study animal populations or conduct plant surveys. Canadian companies, such as Flash Forest are using them to map areas and replant trees after wildfires. And they’re being used on the seas as well as in the air. Last year, environmental organization WildAid and B.C.–based OpenOcean Robotics tested a small unmanned boat to monitor illegal fishing in a humpback whale reserve near Hawaii. It stayed on patrol for 25 days. Megan Leslie, CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada, says that the availability and affordability of some new technologies have put them within reach of non-profits. “Wildlife conservation has always looked to use technology in interesting and innovative ways, but it just hasn’t been easy enough in the past,” she says. “Now, anyone can go to a store and pick up a drone. The technology out there is much more sophisticated and user friendly.”Technologies like drones, artificial intelligence and satellite data are enabling environmental organizations to gather the kinds of data that would previously have taken enormous resources to collate. With its Walrus from Space project, the WWF has created a global network of more than 11,000 virtual wildlife spotters, who download satellite images of polar regions and mark any walruses they see. The aim is to estimate the sizes of walrus populations and identify spots where they gather and need to be protected from disturbance by shipping. The charity is also experimenting with using more proactive technologies to guard sensitive areas. It’s currently studying whether artificial intelligence can pick out whale sounds detected by hydroponic sensors in the waters off B.C. and potentially warn nearby ships in real time to slow down and reduce their engine noise.But if conservationists’ abilities are growing, the challenges they face are, too.At-risk populationsNext week, Montreal will host COP15, the UN’s summit on biodiversity. It will do so against a backdrop of calls for a Paris-style international agreement to stem the tide of species loss globally. Animal and plant species have vanished at such an alarming rate over the past century that some scientists believe we are now living through Earth’s sixth known mass extinction. And Canada is no exception. The most recent governmental Wild Species report on the nation’s biodiversity found that one in five studied species is at some degree of risk.Last winter, Canada saw the largest loss of commercial beehives in the past 20 years, with 51 per cent of those in Alberta being wiped out. Marc-André Roberge, co-founder of Nectar, an app that helps beekeepers manage their hives, says wild bee populations — which play vital roles as pollinators for plants — likely fared as badly or even worse.“If you’ve got crumbling honeybee populations, you’ve also got crumbling populations of Mason bees and bumblebees and wild native bees,” he says. “They are facing similar threats: depleted land, loss of habitats, toxic environments based on the agents that are being used in agriculture and climate change that is depleting the environment itself and creating instability in the forage available to the bees.” Efforts to reverse the loss of biodiversity are hampered by a lack of understanding about what we are trying to save. The Wild Species report is the most comprehensive to date, but its authors lacked sufficient information on two-thirds of the 80,000 or so species believed to be in Canada to even determine if they are threatened. In many cases, we don’t have a detailed picture of where habitats are, especially if they’re smaller areas like ponds or groups of trees that may form links in a chain but are easy to miss on their own.Brandon Palin, a senior director at Ecopia, a digital mapping company, points out that the natural world is much harder to map than the human one at fine scales. “If you’re drawing the boundary of a simple building, you could essentially have one point at each of the four corners,” he says. “That’s a simple polygon compared to a tree, where you might have thousands of points around it.”Because of the intricacy this presents, habitats have often been charted in fairly broad brush strokes from satellite imagery. Ecopia usually creates maps of urban areas for planners or insurers using artificial intelligence to extract detailed information from high-resolution aerial images. But it has also turned the technology to the natural environment and has mapped marsh areas of the prairies that are important for birds. This summer it landed a $10-million contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help the U.S. prepare for climate change and it recently mapped ponds and other bodies of water around Tampa, Fla., in minute detail.“You have ponds established in these communities that are extremely important for biodiversity and bird habitats,” says Palin. “But that level of detail hasn’t existed in the U.S. National Wetland Inventory before.” More detailed maps should help planners to protect sensitive habitats.All this technology is generating vast amounts of information for conservationists to sift through. In some cases that presents its own issues — the BearID software has logged so many images of grizzlies that Clapham has to ship hard drives across the country to share them with her collaborators. But it also captures moments that highlight the natural wonder of our planet.A few years ago, a WWF drone monitoring a population of narwhals recorded footage that may finally explain why they have their enormously long tusks.For years ecologists have speculated that the tusk is used for fighting, mating or spearing fish, but as the drone passed overhead it caught one of the animals using it in a previously unimagined way. The creature swam up to a school of cod and struck one with its tusk. The cod was momentarily disoriented. The immobilized fish became an easy meal.“Because the drone was right above them, we could see exactly what they were doing,” says Leslie. “We got this incredible footage. Nobody has ever known that before.”David Paterson writes about technology for MaRS. Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, has partnered with MaRS to highlight innovation in Canadian companies.SHARE:Disclaimer

CALGARY – Parkland Corp. says it is doubling the size of its previously announced electric vehicle charging network in western Canada.The Calgary-based fuel retailer says it will now install 50 ultra-fast charging stations on highways and in major destinations from Vancouver Island to Calgary, instead of the previously announced 25.The locations will be capable of charging most electric vehicle models within 20 to 30 minutes and will be located across the company’s existing Chevron and On The Run retail portfolio.To entice customers, all locations will be staffed, feature an On The Run convenience store and most will have a restaurant. Parkland says customers will benefit from an integrated digital experience through the Journie rewards app and washrooms will also be upgraded.Parkland says it has secured approximately $6.8 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the government of British Columbia to support its plan.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.Companies in this story: (TSX:PKI)SHARE:JOIN THE CONVERSATION Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the

VANCOUVER – The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says the typically slow conditions it sees in November were even more sluggish last month as home sales dropped 53 per cent from a year ago and 15 per cent from October.The B.C. board says sales in the region totalled 1,614 last month and were 36.9 per cent below the 10-year November sales average.The board warned such conditions could persist as inflation remains stubbornly high and further interest rates are expected, encouraging people to forego home purchases over the holidays.Those that were in search of properties last month found only 3,055 new listings, a 22.9 per cent fall from November 2021 and a 24.2 per cent drop from October 2022.The composite benchmark price in the region sat at $1,131,600 last month, a less than one per cent decrease from November 2021 and a 1.5 per cent drop from October 2022.The number also amounts to a 10.2 per cent decrease over the last six months.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.SHARE:JOIN THE CONVERSATION Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the

OTTAWA – The Bank of Canada is expected to conclude a historic year marked by high inflation and aggressive monetary policy tightening with one more interest rate hike on Wednesday. Forecasters anticipate the central bank will raise its key interest rate, which is currently at 3.75 per cent, by either a quarter or half a percentage point next week. Even the smaller hike would bring the interest rate to the highest it’s been since 2008.In the wake of rapidly rising inflation this year, the Bank of Canada has raised its key interest rate six consecutive times since March, racing to clamp down on inflation expectations before they became unmoored. After raising its key rate by a historic full percentage point in July, the Bank of Canada has tapered the size of its rate hikes. In September, it announced a three-quarter percentage point rate hike, followed by half a percentage point in October. Now, the end of the rate hike cycle appears to be near. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said as much following the last rate decision in October. “We are getting closer to the end of this tightening phase but we’re not there yet,” Macklem said in a news conference on Oct. 26. TD chief economist Beata Caranci said the Bank of Canada’s recent language on the risks around rising interest rates suggests the bank is beginning to consider what the effects of the aggressive rate hikes will be. In a speech on Nov. 22, Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers warned recent homeowners with variable-rate mortgages would likely find the adjustment to higher interest rates painful. Rogers cited new research from the central bank that found half of variable-rate mortgages have now hit the “trigger rate,” whereby mortgage holders’ monthly payments only cover interest charges. “That’s the biggest signal I take away that they’re nearing the endpoint of their rate hike cycle,” Caranci said. Laval University economics professor Stephen Gordon said the research on mortgages indicates the central bank may want to pause rate hikes soon to see the effects of higher rates play out in the economy. “Everybody knows that it takes some time for these interest rate increases to take effect,” Gordon said. Economists generally say interest rate hikes can take one to two years to be fully felt in the economy. Former Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz recently warned the aggressive rate hikes will likely have a stronger effect on the economy than many anticipate. Speaking at a conference in Ottawa hosted by Western University’s Ivey Business School, the former governor said today’s economy is more sensitive to interest rates than it was 10 years ago because of high debt levels. “Does anybody here think the sensitivity of the economy to interest rate movements is less today than it was five or 10 years ago?” Poloz asked. “I think (it) is more sensitive today than it was before.” The Bank of Canada has justified its aggressive rate hikes by arguing that the economy is overheated and needs higher interest rates to bring inflation down. Caranci said the Bank of Canada may find recent inflation data encouraging. Canada’s annual inflation rate in October was 6.9 per cent, down from a peak of 8.1 per cent in June but still well above the central bank’s two per cent target. However, Caranci noted the three-month annualized inflation rate has dropped to below four per cent. The economy has shown other signs of slowing, including a drop in household spending in the third quarter.If the economy is indeed slowing, though, it hasn’t showed up in labour data yet. Canada’s unemployment rate in November was 5.1, signalling a still hot labour market. Labour groups have been particularly concerned about the effect rate hikes will have on the employment. But economists like Gordon say unemployment may not rise as much as it typically does during recessions because the economy is starting from a point of very low unemployment. “You might actually see along the way two consecutive quarters of real GDP declining” — the technical definition of a recession — “but I’m not going too inclined to think that’s really much of a recession,” he said. Next week, market watchers will be paying attention to the size of the rate hike as well as the Bank of Canada’s language in its press release for hints on whether more rate hikes should be expected. Caranci said December may very well not be the last rate hike. “I think we could still get one more in January.” she said. “I would not pull it off the table.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.SHARE:JOIN THE CONVERSATION Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the

TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the industrial and telecommunication sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 39.21 points at 20,486.24.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 178.05 points at 34,216.96. The S&P 500 index was down 31.48 points at 4,045.09, while the Nasdaq composite was down 117.59 points at 11,364.86.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.20 cents US compared with 74.44 cents US on Thursday.The January crude oil contract was up 14 cents at US$81.36 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down 14 cents at US$6.60 per mmBTU.The February gold contract was down US$14.70 at US$1,800.50 an ounce and the March copper contract was down less than a penny at US$3.82 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)SHARE:JOIN THE CONVERSATION Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the

TORONTO – A report by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants says light vehicle sales in November rose 4.1 per cent compared with last year.The firm estimates 114,966 light vehicle were sold last month.The result was up from 110,448 in November 2021.However, DAC noted that sales totalled 143,315 in November 2019 before the pandemic struck.DAC managing partner Andrew King says sales for the year to date stand at 1.38 million units, making it likely that sales for 2022 will finish the year below 1.5 million.King says if that happens it will be first year the market has fallen below that threshold since 2009.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.SHARE:JOIN THE CONVERSATION Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the

A luggage and bag store isn’t exactly top of mind during lockdowns.So Bentley & Co. Ltd. quietly tightened operations and positioned itself for a post-pandemic comeback.The retailer’s predecessor, Bentley Leathers Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection in late 2019. It then began cutting its store count, overhauling its online platform, upgrading its warehouse and distribution network and slashing the brands and styles it sells.The result is a more curated, less cluttered shopping experience that blends timeless luggage styles with new candy-coloured suitcases and vegan handbags, the company said. “Fashion doesn’t stop at handbags,” Bentley president Walter Lamothe said in an interview. “Luggage can be useful and reliable — but it can also look good and be affordable.”The company’s streamlined operations and fresh new look appear to be paying off. As travel rebounded and airlines struggled with lost and delayed bags this fall, the Canadian luggage stalwart stepped up to help distressed travellers. Its backpacks were waiting when schools reopened and its handbags and accessories were ready as office work and social outings returned. Now the Montreal-based company plans to take its new concept outside of Canada. Bentley is plotting an international expansion that will tap into an underserved market that hovers between high-end luxury and big box stores. “We have not seen an affordable, approachable brand that curates travel the way we have a vision for it,” Lamothe said. “There are high-end and low-end stores and wholesalers but you don’t have a retailer in the middle.”Sales in the luggage and bags category have ballooned by more than 20 per cent this year as of the end of September, according to the J.C. Williams Group National Retail Bulletin and Statistics Canada.That comes after sales jumped 34 per cent over the same time span in 2021 and dropped 27.5 per cent for the same period of 2020.“It speaks to the fact that people are travelling again,” said Lisa Hutcheson, managing partner at retail consulting firm J.C. Williams Group. “There’s a notable resurgence in smaller carry-on baggage especially as more people are trying to not check baggage.”Bentley has big plans to meet the anticipated sales growth in the coming years.To take its new look outside of Canada, Bentley is in talks with wholesalers to potentially start selling its private brands through other stores by 2024, with the aim of opening several stores in the U.S. and Europe shortly after. “We have some potential partners we’re in conversation with, and the actual boots on the ground may be 2025 for the standalone stores,” Lamothe said. “But anything can happen, it depends on how successful we are.”Outside of Canada, the stores will be called Tracker.“Bentley is landlocked,” Lamothe said of the company’s store name in Canada, noting that other companies — such as Bentley Motors Ltd. — own the Bentley trademark outside the country. The Tracker stores will focus on travel luggage and accessories, opening in airports to start. The first Tracker store was launched in the Montreal airport last year, which features a vending machine outside the store with small travel accessories. “We actually took a chip machine and turned it into an accessory seller,” Lamothe said. “We’re quite impressed it’s selling as much as it is given the store is a few feet away.”More Tracker vending machines are planned for airports and train stations in the new year, while a second Tracker store is slated to open in Quebec City in early 2023 as a test site close to the company’s Montreal head office.“We want to fine-tune the concept before we expand internationally,” Lamothe said.While travel is the focus of the company’s international expansion, its Canadian stores will offer a wider selection. Its vision is fashionable, high-quality products at affordable prices with a range of colours.“Luggage is still mostly black and burgundy,” Lamothe said. “If you walk into our stores, we’re using the latest Pantone colours.”A wall of suitcases in a newly renovated Bentley store still has various shades of black and burgundy to suit the more traditional traveller. There are even variations on classic choices in hues like plum and charcoal. Yet the store also has bright colours with cheerful names like peach, mint and raspberry and the season’s more sophisticated shades like sage, mauve and teal. Some women ditched shoulder bags and purses during the pandemic in favour of more comfortable backpacks.But Bentley is betting handbags will continue to be a popular choice. “The demise of handbags would be greatly exaggerated,” Lamothe said. “The backpack is one of the staples now for sure, it’s a constant in all our collections … But if you look at what women want, there will never be enough handbags it seems.”To offer more selection and adapt to the concerns of some consumers, the company launched a new line of vegan products last year under the brand Riona. It gives consumers a non-leather option that’s 30 per cent cheaper than the competition, Bentley said. Bentley has also updated its classic Pellé brand of leather bags with RFID technology, a method of radio frequency that helps prevent fraud and identity theft.It’s also upping its warranty. By the fall of 2023, all backpacks and handbags from its four pillar brands — Bentley, Tracker, Pellé and Riona — will be guaranteed against manufacturing defects for life while its luggage will be guaranteed for 10 years. “It’s about fashion, fun and knowing that it’s not going to fall apart on you while you’re on vacation,” Lamothe said. “Luggage can be useful, affordable, reliable and look good.”This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.SHARE:JOIN THE CONVERSATION Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the