National Business

TORONTO — The Body Shop Canada Ltd. says it will close 33 stores and halt its e-commerce operations as it seeks to restructure under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

Canada's housing agency says it is ending the first-time homebuyer incentive program, which many had criticized as unhelpful. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

CALGARY — The Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) says February home sales were up nearly 23 per cent from last year as new listings rose. The board says sales totalled 2,135 units, while the volume of sales in dollars rose 41.3 per cent to $1.

DALLAS (AP) — Boeing is in talks to buy Spirit AeroSystems, which builds fuselages for Boeing 737 Max jetliners , including the one that suffered a door-panel blowout in January, according to a person knowledgeable about the discussions.

MONTREAL — AtkinsRéalis chief executive Ian Edwards announced the engineering firm is looking to sell its money-losing joint venture with Hitachi Energy after beating earnings expectations and notching a record services backlog last quarter.

CALGARY — MEG Energy Corp. is promoting Darlene Gates to the role of chief executive. The oilsands company says Gates, who is the company's chief operating officer, will take over the top job on May 1 when Derek Evans steps down from the role.

TORONTO — Despite an unseasonably warm winter, there's a chill across the Canadian retail landscape.

EDMONTON — CWB Financial Group reported its first-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its provision for credit losses rose. The Edmonton-based bank says it earned common shareholders' net income of $87.

TORONTO — Ontario's financial services regulator is making it easier for consumers to verify the credentials of financial advisers and financial planners.

EDMONTON — Health care and education came out ahead Thursday in a generally restrained Alberta provincial budget forecasting a paper-thin surplus that could easily go up in smoke.