National Business

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Ontario high school students will soon be able to spend most of their time in Grade 11 and 12 in an apprenticeship if they choose to participate in a new skilled trades program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

VANCOUVER — Canfor Corp. says it has signed a deal with an affiliate of Domtar Corp. to buy its El Dorado lumber manufacturing facility in Arkansas for US$73 million. The facility in Union County, Ark.

MONTREAL — CGI Inc. reported a second-quarter profit of $426.9 million, up from $419.4 million a year ago. The consulting firm says the profit amounted to $1.83 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, up from $1.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Fortis Inc. says it earned $459 million in its first quarter, up from $437 million in the same quarter last year.

EDMONTON — Engineering firm Stantec Inc. says it has acquired Hydrock, an engineering design firm based in England. Financial terms of the deal that closed on Tuesday were not disclosed.

TORONTO — Barrick Gold Corp. reported a first-quarter profit attributable to equity holders of US$295 million, up from US$120 million a year earlier. The gold miner, which keeps its books in U.S.

CHARD, Alta. — Raoul Montgrand, president of the Chard Métis Nation in northern Alberta, called a 200-square-foot camper trailer home for close to two years.

When Priyanka Chopra Jonas announced she was joining the production team of Barry Avrich’s new documentary “Born Hungry” in early April, it instantly boosted the Canadian film’s international profile.

TORONTO — Hudson's Bay Co. has announced layoffs as part of a "realignment" of its organizational structure. The company says fewer than 100 people are affected, representing less than one per cent of its workforce.