National Business

MONTREAL — The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers says Montreal-area home sales rose 14.2 per cent in March compared with the same month last year.

Some Canadians are feeling a little more optimistic about their debt with the prospect of interest rate cuts on the horizon, said MNP Ltd.

After five straight holds of the Bank of Canada's key interest rate that followed its hiking cycle of more than a year, economists say a rebound awaits the national housing market — but don't expect a big surge just yet.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Powerball player in Oregon won a jackpot worth more than $1.3 billion on Sunday, ending a winless streak that had stretched more than three months.

MIRABEL, Que. — Unionized employees at the Airbus assembly facility in Mirabel, Que., have rejected the company's latest contract offer in a vote earlier today.

TORONTO — Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: House resumes The House of Commons resumes sitting this week ahead of the federal budget on April 16.

TORONTO — Menu hacks rarely escape Meera Patel. The marketing director for fast-food chain Harvey’s keeps a growing list of ways customers mash together or transform menu items into something new.

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver-based non-profit Ocean Wise says underwater microphones will be used to help protect whales from collisions with ships off British Columbia's coast.

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) — The U.S. and China agreed to hold talks that will address a key American complaint about China's economic model, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Saturday on the second day of an official visit to China.

NEW YORK (AP) — Procter & Gamble is recalling more than 8 million bags of Tide, Gain, Ace and Ariel laundry detergent packets sold in the U.S. and Canada due to a defect in the products' child-resistant packaging.