National Business

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

ROMULUS, Mich. — The strike against General Motors by the United Auto Workers is playing out amid a corruption scandal inside the UAW that has caused distrust of the union leadership among many rank-and-file members.

ALBANY, N.Y. — There's a new push to ban those tiny plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel in hotel rooms across New York state as a way to reduce plastic waste. State Sen.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index closed lower Wednesday as oil and gold sectors fell and the U.S. Federal Reserve disappointed with its interest rate cut and guidance.

Apparently, Beyond Meat burgers don't go that well with Tim Hortons coffee, as the chain says it's dropping the alternative protein products at thousands of Canadian locations, just three months after introducing them.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (16,800.29, down 34.46 points.) Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA). Energy. Down 18 cents, or 2.62 per cent, to $6.69 on 9 million shares.

WASHINGTON — A sharply divided Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year but declined to signal that further rate cuts are likely this year.

LAVAL, Que. — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. wants to be one of the "key players" in the North American cannabis market by using its position in Canada — where use of the substance for recreational purposes is legal — to achieve this goal.

MONTREAL — All those checked bags, seating upgrades and onboard snacks you pay for on Air Canada flights are starting to add up for the company.

OSHAWA, Ont. — About 1,200 General Motors employees at the company's assembly plant in Oshawa, Ont., have been temporarily laid off because of a strike in the U.S., with more job cuts expected soon.