Canada - Reuters

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper seemed almost certain on Friday to call a general election next week to decide who will guide Canada through a rough economic patch, and an aide pointed to October14 as a likely date.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's economy should achieve growth of about 1 percent this year as higher incomes and job creation support activity, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Bloc Quebecois said on Friday it had concluded that Prime Minister Stephen Harper would likely make an early election call.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Greenpeace Canada blasted a lawsuit brought against it by Syncrude Canada Ltd, saying the move was designed to intimidate critics of the sprawling oil sands developments in northern Alberta.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - One person has died and 87 are sick with salmonella food poisoning from tainted cheese in Quebec, health officials said on Friday.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Friday it would cut prices on bread, milk, butter and eggs in the province of Ontario, where the economy has been struggling, putting pressure on its rivals.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Grain workers at Viterra Inc's rural elevators in the province of Saskatchewan are ready to set up picket lines next week at some facilities owned by Canada's largest grain handler unless contract talks resume, a union spokesman said on Friday.

INUVIK, Northwest Territories (Reuters) - Canada is seeing an increase in Russian flights near its airspace in the Arctic as it seeks to strengthen its sovereignty in the vast resource-rich region, Defense Minister Peter MacKay said on Thursday.

INUVIK, Northwest Territories (Reuters) - Canada, criticized by environmentalists for not adequately protecting polar bears from the effects of climate change, said on Thursday it will take more time study its next step.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Vancouver Island on Thursday but was too far away to be felt on land and too small to generate a tsunami, the Canadian government said.

TORONTO/WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - The head of Canada's biggest meat processor said on Wednesday his company was fully accountable for a nationwide outbreak of listeriosis food poisoning, which has been linked to deaths of 15 people.

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Zoom Airlines, a Canadian discount transatlantic carrier stung by sky-high fuel costs, canceled all flights and began bankruptcy proceedings on Thursday, stranding passengers at several airports.

TUKTOYAKTUK, Northwest Territories (Reuters) - Canada, pushing its claims of Arctic sovereignty, said on Wednesday it would toughen reporting requirements for ships entering its waters in the Far North, where some of those territorial claims are disputed by other countries.

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Canadian broadcaster CTV, host broadcaster of the 2010 Olympics from Vancouver/Whistler, is planning round-the-clock coverage of the Winter Games.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian economic growth probably slowed to a crawl in the second quarter despite a flood of cash from oil and other exports, but analysts said the country will narrowly avoid slipping into recession.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto-Dominion Bank said third-quarter net income fell 10 percent as a difficult capital markets environment slashed wholesale banking profit.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday signed a bill giving the state authority to award TransCanada Corp a license to build and operate a multibillion-dollar pipeline to ship natural gas from the North Slope.

TUKTOYAKTUK, Northwest Territories (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday he remains optimistic the C$16.2 billion ($15.4 billion) Mackenzie gas project in the Arctic will eventually proceed, despite years of delays.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Maple Leaf Foods Inc CEO Michael McCain said on Wednesday that Canadian food regulators were not to blame for the outbreak of food poisoning linked to deli meats produced at Maple Leaf's Toronto plant.

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A construction crane smashed into a light-rail commuter train in Calgary, Alberta, and derailed it on Wednesday, injuring the driver and five passengers, authorities said.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - As Canada's political parties gear up for a possible snap election, a prominent think tank urged federal and provincial governments on Wednesday to use their budget surpluses to continue cutting business taxes.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave fresh signs on Wednesday of triggering a general election soon.

TORONTO (Reuters) - An Air France-KLM Boeing 747 aircraft on a flight from Paris skidded off the runway after landing at Montreal's Trudeau airport on Tuesday but there were no injuries or serious damage, police said.

TORONTO (Reuters) - An Air France aircraft skidded off the runway at Montreal's Trudeau airport on Tuesday, Canada's Global Television network reported, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

GENEVA (Reuters) - People in rich and poor countries alike have faulty understanding of what causes cancer and need better education on how to ward off the disease, according to an authoritative report issued on Wednesday.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's third and fourth biggest banks reported lower than expected profits on Tuesday, with the U.S. housing market proving to be a key factor separating a double-digit drop from a modest one.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's transit authority said on Tuesday it will recommend to its commissioners that it enter into a new bidding process with three major light rail manufacturers to replace the city's aging streetcar fleet after the initial process was scrapped last month.

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian government said on Tuesday it had wrapped up free trade negotiations with Jordan, along with parallel labor and environment agreements.