VARENNES, QUÉBEC - The Quebec government says it wants 77 per cent of the energy consumed in the province by 2050 to come from renewables, up from the current 48 per cent. Energy Minister Bernard Drainville made the comments as he announced the province's 25-year resource management plan in Varennes, Que., northeast of Montreal. Describing the goal as ambitious, Drainville says by 2050 Quebec's share of energy from fossil fuels will drop to 23 per cent from 52 per cent. Getting there [Read more]

TORONTO - Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: Holiday trading It's an abbreviated trading week for stock markets this week. The Toronto Stock Exchange will be closed for trading on Wednesday for the Canada Day holiday, while stock markets in the U.S. will be closed on Friday in observance of the July Fourth holiday which lands on a Saturday this year. Alberta pipeline The Alberta government is aiming to deliver a submission for a new West Coast [Read more]

OTTAWA - Ottawa has begun taking public comments on a proposed liquefied petroleum gas facility on British Columbia's north coast. The Impact Assessment Agency says in a statement that comments on the proposal by Trigon Pacific Terminals at the Port of Prince Rupert must be submitted by July 24. The agency is also taking applications from different parties to participate in the planning phase of the project's assessment. Trigon is proposing a liquefied petroleum gas storage facility [Read more]

CALGARY - A new analysis from S&P Global Energy says the greenhouse gas intensity of the oilsands has declined for the 13th straight year, with a two per cent drop in 2025. The research firm says the average emissions per barrel of marketable product has fallen by 31 per cent since 2009, with every year but one in that time — 2012 — seeing a decline. The biggest gains have been in mining operations, which have improved how they manage waste heat and maintenance. S&P Global [Read more]

EDMONTON - Hobbled by more than just low oil prices, Alberta's NDP finance minister limped into the legislature in a cast to deliver a devastating budget. It was 2017, and Joe Ceci had injured his leg competing for face time with a busy premier on an early morning jog. He was Rachel Notley's right hand man in cabinet, and the only New Democrat finance minister in the history of the province. "He ran himself into almost snapping his Achilles, which to be clear, most people never recover [Read more]

OTTAWA - High oil and gasoline prices are expected to push inflation higher when Statistics Canada reports its consumer price index for May on Monday. But the devil will be in the details as economists look for any signs that the cost at the gas pump is causing inflation to heat up elsewhere in the economy. TD Bank senior economist Andrew Hencic says gasoline prices rose in May, so that will push inflation higher for the month, but oil prices have since come off their highs in recent [Read more]

EDMONTON - Albertans who apply for $100 payments from the province could see the money land in their bank accounts within two weeks of applying. Premier Danielle Smith has said her government is doling out the affordability payments instead of reducing its tax on gasoline at the pumps. Smith says cuts to gas taxes don't always get passed on to consumers, so the payments are the best way to help Albertans with the high cost of living. The U.S.-Iran military conflict sent fuel prices [Read more]