TORONTO, March 11 (Reuters) – BlackBerry shares rose
12 percent on Monday, fueled by takeover speculation and news
that AT&T Inc will start selling the new BlackBerry Z10
touchscreen smartphone in the United States on March 22.

The CEO of China’s Lenovo Group Ltd told a French
newspaper on Monday that the personal computer maker might
consider an acquisition of Canada’s BlackBerry at some point in
the future.

TORONTO, March 6 (Reuters) – A purge of exploration-stage
mining companies seems inevitable over the next 18 months as
cash shortages threaten hundreds with extinction, de-listing or
bankruptcy, industry insiders say.

With the mining sector enjoying an extended bull run in
recent years, the ranks of explorers listed on Canada’s TSX
Venture Exchange – the world’s biggest market for start-ups in
the sector – has ballooned to over 1,300, accounting for almost
60 percent of all companies listed on the exchange.

TORONTO, March 5 (Reuters) – Leave it to the irreverent
Robert Friedland to brighten the mood of a mining conference in
the throes of a deep, collective depression.

The outspoken financier, known for his talent for picking
winners in a risky business, made a rare public appearance on
Monday to trumpet his latest venture, Ivanplats Ltd.

TORONTO, March 4 (Reuters) – A growing sense of caution
gripping the mining industry is having a big impact on
exploration service providers such as Major Drilling Group
International Inc, which posted a quarterly loss on
Monday and offered little hope of an early turnaround.

The mining sector’s new emphasis on austerity in the face of
stagnant metal prices has led to a sharp pullback in exploration
spending. Juniors and more established miners alike have delayed
or canceled exploration programs, clouding the outlook for Major
and its rivals for years.

TORONTO, March 4 (Reuters) – The war of words between
fertilizer maker Agrium Inc and its biggest shareholder,
Jana Partners, escalated on Monday with Agrium slamming the
hedge fund’s plan to split the company in a letter to investors
ahead of its annual meeting next month.

Calgary, Alberta-based Agrium, which has begun mailing its
proxy circular to shareholders ahead of the meeting on April 9,
said Jana’s plan is an “ill-conceived scheme” that will destroy
shareholder value.

TORONTO, March 4 (Reuters) – Major Drilling Group
International Inc reported a quarterly net loss on
Monday, as the financing crunch in the mining sector pushed
metal and mineral exploration companies to cut back and delay
drill programs.

Shares of the Moncton, New Brunswick-based company dropped
after the results. It also warned that volatility in the mining
sector would significantly affect revenue in the current
quarter.

TORONTO, March 4 (Reuters) – The war of words between
fertilizer maker Agrium Inc and its biggest shareholder,
Jana Partners, escalated on Monday with Agrium slamming the
hedge fund’s plan to split the company in a letter to investors
ahead of its annual meeting next month.

Calgary, Alberta-based Agrium, which has begun mailing its
proxy circular to shareholders ahead of the meeting on April 9,
said Jana’s plan is an “ill-conceived scheme” that will destroy
shareholder value.

TORONTO, March 3 (Reuters) – A three-year surge in
exploration spending in the mining industry is likely to come to
a grinding halt this year after running up against lackluster
metal prices and a sharp fall-off in financing for miners with
early stage exploration projects.

That is the conclusion of a new report which warns that
persistent uncertainty over global economic growth will crimp
the spending flow, especially for early-stage, entrepreneurial
explorers that are the industry’s lifeblood.

TORONTO (Reuters) – Rare earth producer Molycorp Inc (MCP.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is delaying its quarterly results and its annual report as it has yet to determine the size of a goodwill impairment charge that will be recorded in the fourth quarter, the company said on Thursday.

Molycorp, which last month warned of significantly lower-than-estimated revenue and cash flow for the first half of this year, said it expects the goodwill impairment charge to be “substantial,” sending its shares tumbling more than 9 percent in trading before the morning bell.

TORONTO, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Canadian securities regulators
want to change the rules on takeover defenses to make it more
difficult for hostile bidders to buy Canadian companies, aiming
to set up a national framework for dealing with corporate
raiders, according to regulatory officials and lawyers briefed
on the matter.

The plan, due to be published in draft form on March 14, is
designed to bring more coherence to Canada’s regulatory regime
after provincial regulators have issued contrasting rulings on
so-called “poison pill” defenses in recent takeover bids, the
sources said.