National Business

MONTREAL — WestJet cancelled more than 100 flights on Thursday after talks with the pilots’ union hit a “critical impasse,” throwing travel plans into turmoil for thousands of passengers ahead of the May long weekend.

NANAIMO, B.C. — The head of a Vancouver Island food bank says the problem it's been grappling with in recent years isn't scarcity — it's abundance. Peter Sinclair, executive director of the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank in Nanaimo, B.C.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (20,297.09, up 0.66 points): Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Down two cents, or 0.05 per cent, to $38.47 on 20.6 million shares.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index effectively broke even Thursday after paring back losses over the afternoon, while U.S. stock markets rose, with the Nasdaq leading the way.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rallied into the close on Wall Street, pushing the S&P 500 up 0.9%, as several companies reported better-than-expected results. The Nasdaq composite led the market with a 1.

The clock is ticking on an impending pilot strike at WestJet and its Swoop subsidiary, threatening the long weekend travel plans of thousands of passengers.

OTTAWA — The federal government has finalized agreements with Visa and Mastercard that will see small businesses pay lower credit card transaction fees, it announced Thursday.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says he has no plans to cut interest rates any time soon, even as higher rates intensify risks associated with household debt and vulnerabilities in the Canadian financial system.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired 30 cruise missiles against different parts of Ukraine early Thursday in the latest nighttime test of Ukrainian air defenses, which shot down 29 of them, officials said.

VANCOUVER — Telus says it's offering buyouts to a large group of employees and anticipates several hundred workers will take them.