TORONTO — Ontario’s first cannabis retail shops are set to open their doors next week, but some of the 25 licence holders are still wading through the lengthy approval process and might not be ready for business. Stores that fail to open on Monday could face escalating penalties, but the Progressive Conservative government said it…

OKLAHOMA CITY —USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced the Top 10 Finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.  The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women’s collegiate softball, recognizes the outstanding athletic…

China says it is ready to help Venezuela to restore its power grid. The South American country suffered a five-day blackout, with Caracas accusing Washington of cyber “sabotage.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing had noted reports that the power grid had gone down due to a hacking attack. “China is deeply concerned about…

OTTAWA — Vice-Admiral Mark Norman’s legal team is pushing for access to emails and other communications from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and senior members of his staff as the clock ticks down to the next phase of the high-profile case. Those includes records held by Trudeau’s former principal secretary Gerald Butts and chief of staff…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sophomore Kylee Smith of the University of North Georgia has been voted the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year. She becomes the second NightHawk to earn this distinction, joining inaugural winner Courtney Poole (2015). Smith, who hails from Suwanee, Georgia, finished 2018 as the NCAA Division II leader…

Bank of America Merill Lynch sees a peak in global demand for crude oil around 2030, followed by a period of rapid decline as a result of the electrification of transportation. For the next decade or so, oil demand should continue to grow, although at a slower and slower rate. According to Bank of America…

Vancouver Coastal Health says it’s facing an “outbreak” of measles with nine cases in the city this month. The number of confirmed cases more than doubled from four earlier on Friday, when the health authority said all the infections involved three French schools. Two of the schools are connected by a door and the schools…

Venezuela is once again finding itself in the dark in another massive power outage, weighing further on the South American country that is struggling to maintain its oil output and oil exports amid US sanctions. Venezuela, in dire need of its oil revenues that are withering on the vine, may be home to the world’s…

TORONTO — The Bank of Montreal has hired former Liberal cabinet minister Scott Brison as its vice-chair of investment and corporate banking. BMO says the longtime politician’s tenure in the federal government, his knowledge of global economic issues and private sector experience will be an asset for its capital markets division. Brison will be based…