National Business

TORONTO — Ontario business groups expect strong uptake of the new provincial app used to verify patrons' proof of COVID-19 vaccination but say they'd like financial support from the government to cover extra costs associated with it.

EDMONTON — Shares in Stantec Inc. gained more than 10 per cent Thursday after the company announced a deal to buy Cardno Ltd.'s North American and Asia Pacific engineering and consulting business for US$500 million.

TORONTO — Rarely a week goes by without Toronto tech worker Karthik Ramakrishnan seeing another example of artificial intelligence gone wrong.

CALGARY — Kim and Dave Bailey knew they wanted to build their new home on a lot that would accommodate a three-car garage.

DETROIT (AP) — A driver was behind the wheel when a Tesla electric car crashed and burned last April in Houston, killing two men, neither of whom was found in the driver's seat. The U.S.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes bounced back in September to their strongest pace since January as worries about higher mortgage rates motivated buyers to get off the sidelines.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to a new low point since the pandemic erupted, evidence that layoffs are declining as companies hold onto workers.

TORONTO — CI Financial Corp. has signed a deal to buy U.S. wealth management firm McCutchen Group LLC. Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available. Seattle-based McCutchen Group has US$3.4 billion in assets under management.

TORONTO — A Retail Council of Canada survey says Canadians are planning to spend more this holiday season as they prepare to return to stores in greater numbers a year after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many to shop online.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has administered 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine, officials said Thursday, passing a milestone for the South Asian country where the delta variant fueled its first crushing surge earlier this year.