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Pharma

Schering-Plough Canada expanding

POINTE-CLAIRE, Que. - Drug maker Schering-Plough Canada says it will invest $30.7 million to expand its Pointe-Claire production plant near Montreal, a plant which currently employs 330 people. The Montreal company said Monday the expansion of the plant will create 150 jobs during construction and create more jobs in the plant later. The expansion will increase annual production to 35 million units of Claritin syrup used to fight hay fever, the Aerius brand of antihistamines as well as liquids, creams and ointment for Canadian and U.S. markets. Financial aid from the Quebec and City of Montreal governments helped secure the investment.

Tech

Ciena interested in buying Nortel assets

TORONTO - Ciena Corp. (Nasdaq:CIEN) says it's in advanced talks to buy some of the assets of Nortel Networks, the former Canadian technology superstar that has been selling off its core assets to pay off its creditors. Ciena, which had been a smaller, less diversified rival to Nortel, announced Monday that it's interested in acquiring substantially all of the optical networking and carrier Ethernet assets of Nortel's Metro Ethernet Networks. The American company, based near Baltimore, Md., didn't say in its brief announcement what it expects to pay for the Nortel assets.

Load factor

WestJet improves, Air Canada slips

CALGARY - WestJet (TSX:WJA) said Monday that its flights had fewer empty seats in September compared with a year ago as the airline cut capacity compared with the same month last year. Air Canada (TSX:AC.B) reported a slight increase in the proportion of empty seats on its flights compared with a year ago as the number of travellers fell faster than the airline cut capacity. WestJet reported a load factor - or proportion of seats filled - of 77 per cent for September, up from 75.5 per cent a year ago. Revenue passenger miles increased 0.4 per cent year over year, while capacity, measured in available seat miles, fell 2.5 per cent over the same period. Air Canada reported a load factor of 79.7 per cent, including its regional partner Jazz (TSX:JAZ.UN), compared with 79.9 per cent in September 2008.

Media

Chicago Sun-Times left with one suitor

CHICAGO - The Chicago Sun-Times is left with just one offer after no one else stepped forward to buy the bankrupt newspaper. The newspaper's parent company, the Sun-Times Media Group, says a 5 p.m. Monday deadline came and went with no new bids. The storied newspaper that is rapidly running out of cash to stay in business is left with just the offer from hometown investor Jim Tyree. He insists workers agree to concessions before he'll seal the deal that could be the paper's last chance of survival. Several have already rebuffed him. The Tyree-led group has offered to pay US$5 million for assets of the parent company. The group would also assume about $22 million in liabilities.

Entertainment

Universal replaces top movie executives

LOS ANGELES - Universal Studios has replaced its two top movie executives in an apparent effort to reverse the box-office slump prompted by a series of costly commercial failures. Universal Studios president and chief operating officer Ron Meyer said Monday that Universal Pictures co-chairs Marc Shmuger and David Linde were stepping down. The two will be replaced with Adam Fogelson, who is the studio's marketing chief, and Donna Langley, the studio's president for production. Meyer says Langley will report to Fogelson as she continues to oversee all production. Shmuger and Linde were released following a summer of high-profile films that delivered disappointing returns, such as Land of the Lost and Funny People.

Announcement

Rich Ross new Disney chairman

LOS ANGELES - Disney Channels president Rich Ross has been named chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

The announcement Monday puts Ross in charge of worldwide production, distribution, and marketing for all of the entertainment giant's film labels, including Walt Disney, Touchstone, Miramax and Pixar. His appointment takes effect immediately and follows the abrupt resignation of Dick Cook three weeks ago.