OTTAWA—Canada’s economy picked up the pace of growth in the first three months of the year as businesses braced for the disruption of a bruising trade war with the U.S., though domestic activity weakened and hints at what lies in store in the new tariff era.

Rising heat, winds, and dry air sparked blazes in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, according to the country’s Department of Natural Resources.

There are 15 wildfires burning in Saskatchewan as of Friday, with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) classifying conditions in the province as extreme.

The intensifying blazes are also beginning to send hazardous smoke toward major cities in the United States.

Manitoba declared a state of emergency and urged thousands of people in northern and eastern parts of the province to evacuate on Wednesday, as wildfires spread in Central and Western Canada. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference that 17,

Global Payments said on Wednesday it would sell its payroll division, Heartland Payroll Solutions, to financial technology firm Acrisure for $1.1 billion, marking the payments company's latest attempt...