Most actively traded companies on the TSX

Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (13,379.14, down 13.76 points):

Data Group Ltd. (TSX:DGI). Business services. Unchanged at 1.5 cents on 20.4 million shares.

Rubicon Minerals Corp. (TSX:RMX). Miner. Up six cents, or 85.71 per cent, to 13 cents on 18.6 million shares.

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (TSX:FM). Miner. Up 83 cents, or 13.26 per cent, to $7.09 on 13.6 million shares.

GeneNews Ltd. (TSX:GEN). Health-care. Down 7.5 cents, or 38.46 per cent, to 12 cents on 11 million shares.

Lake Shore Gold Corp. (TSX:LSG). Miner. Up 16 cents, or 8.74 per cent, to $1.99 on 10 million shares.

B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO). Miner. Up 15 cents, or 8.62 per cent, to $1.89 on 9.6 million shares.

Companies reporting major news:

Empire Company Ltd. (TSX:EMP.A). Retail. Down $3.94, or 14.72 per cent, to $22.83 on 4.2 million shares. The company has written down the value of its western business, primarily the Safeway chain, resulting in a loss of $1.36 billion in its latest quarter. Empire says the loss was largely due to a recognition that the long-term value of the Safeway business is lower than previously estimated.

TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP). Oil and gas. Down $1.57, or 3.19 per cent, to $47.63 on 4.5 million shares. Calgary-based TransCanada confirmed it is holding discussions about a possible takeover of a U.S. natural gas pipeline operator. The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources it said were familiar with the matter, reported that a deal with Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. could be worth more than US$10 billion.