Business

OTTAWA—A “very upset” Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants any federal Conservative who is in politics to seek personal gain from public office to get out of his caucus.
Speaking to his MPs and senators in the midst of a scandal that took down his own chief of staff, Nigel Wright, over the weekend, Harper also promised to tighten Senate expense rules.

TORONTO—Toronto Mayor Rob Ford continued to hold his tongue today regarding allegations he was recorded on video appearing to smoke crack cocaine.
But he didn’t keep quiet when it came to a controversial proposal to build a casino in the city.
When the mayor stood to speak during a special council meeting on the matter, many hoped he would address the latest scandal to plague his tenure.

TORONTO—Ontario’s New Democrats will join the minority Liberals to pass the budget and avoid an election, NDP leader Andrea Horwath said today.
The Liberals addressed a long list of demands in the May 2 budget and agreed to one of the NDP’s accountability measures afterwards, she noted.

WASHINGTON — A Senate panel says Apple Inc. is avoiding paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes, but the world’s most valuable company says it is complying with the laws and pays “an extraordinary amount” in taxes to the U.S. government.
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to testify Tuesday on Capitol Hill to explain the company’s tax strategy.

LOS ANGELES — Every time Los Angeles exhales, odd-looking gadgets anchored in the mountains above the city trace the invisible puffs of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that waft skyward.

OTTAWA—The shine is about the come off the Canadian dollar.
TD Bank says in a new forecast the loonie, which has been hovering around parity with the U.S. greenback, could hit as low as 90 cents (U.S.) by the end of the year and early 2014.

OTTAWA — Along with reduced pensions, low returns on their savings and high debt, Canada’s boomer generation is facing an additional burden as they ease into their retirement years — their “boomerang kids.”

NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. once again leads Fortune’s list of the 500 biggest U.S. companies by revenue, as the world’s biggest retailer succeeded in posting strong growth despite a challenging economy for its shoppers.
The Bentonville, Ark., company’s revenue grew nearly 6 per cent in 2012 to $469.2 billion.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — In less than a year, many of the towering cargo ships loading and unloading goods at California ports won’t just tie up at dock — they’ll also plug in.

TORONTO — Ontario’s minority Liberals used Thursday’s budget to clearly signal their dedication to bolstering the province’s infrastructure by allocating $35 billion in spending over three years, one of the largest commitments to a single element in their fiscal plan.