Fresh signs that the U.S. Federal Reserve is considering pulling back on efforts to support the U.S. economy rattled global markets Thursday.

BURLINGTON, Ont. -- Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz says Canadian consumers did their part for the economy by borrowing the country through the worst recession since the Great Depression and now it is the turn of businesses to start spending.

Verizon Communications Inc. is looking at a move into Canada's cellular telephone business, one of several possible new entrants whose arrival would salvage the federal government's ambitions for a fourth wireless player across the country.

HALIFAX - The Imperial Oil refinery in Halifax is being converted into a terminal operation. The company says in a news release today that it couldn't find a buyer for the facility after searching for a year.

TORONTO - Canada's growth outlook appears to be stronger than previously thought, thanks to an improving trade picture and the strength of corporate balance sheets, economists at the Royal Bank of Canada said Wednesday.

MONTREAL - Convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard is seen as a likely bidder to purchase retail assets from oil and gas giant Hess as it seeks to further boost its U.S.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The UNESCO world heritage committee is recommending that a monitoring mission be sent to Gros Morne National Park to assess fracking risks, saying it's seriously concerned about plans for potential oil exploration near the site.

TransLink is pitching regional road pricing as a means to generate up to $23 billion to maintain and upgrade Metro Vancouver's transit system over the next 30 years.

Premier Alison Redford made a high-profile pitch for new oil and gas development as the keynote speaker at a New York conference on energy independence today.

Calgary's parking authority said the number of tickets issued to drivers illegally parked in stalls reserved for the disabled has increased 19 per cent between 2010 and 2012.