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OTTAWA — Canada's annual inflation rate was 1.9 per cent in November, Statistics Canada says. Here's what happened in the provinces (previous month in brackets):

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers stepped up their spending at retail stores last month, providing a boost to the economy in the early phases of the winter holiday shopping season.

MONTREAL — Clothing retailer Groupe Dynamite Inc. says it earned $40.4 million in its third quarter, up from $34.9 million in the same quarter last year.

TORONTO — A new poll suggests nearly a third of Canadians are planning to minimize their spending in the new year.

HALIFAX — The worst of Halifax's homeless crisis is over, says the city's new mayor, who wants to see encampments closed as quickly as possible — even as homelessness advocates vigorously disagree that the situation is improving.

VICTORIA — Human error during a fuel transfer at a fish farm off the west coast of British Columbia has resulted in a spill into the water of up to 8,000 litres of diesel.

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's abrupt departure from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet on Monday resulted in a mini cabinet shuffle, with Dominic LeBlanc stepping into the role.

OTTAWA — Mail is set to begin moving again on Tuesday after a month-long strike by Canada Post employees comes to a close, even as the union representing postal workers challenges the intervention in the labour dispute.

OTTAWA — In a career filled with fresh milestones, Chrystia Freeland is taking up another new role: backbench member of the governing Liberal party.

VICTORIA — A rare and historic water bomber that was on its final journey from British Columbia to a museum in Arizona was forced to make an emergency landing near Victoria due to mechanical issues.