Jan 6 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** The crushing Alberta recession has wiped out more than C$4 billion ($3.02 billion) in value of downtown Calgary office properties, city assessors warned Thursday, with some suburban office landlords and retailers expected to see higher tax bills as a result. https://tgam.ca/2iiUbvC
** Penn West Petroleum Ltd PWT.TO said on Thursday it plans to spend C$180 million ($135.78 million) on operations this year, up from its previous estimate of C$150 million ($113.15 million), with the largest chunk earmarked for its Alberta Cardium operations. https://tgam.ca/2ij5kMM
** International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland portrayed Canada on Thursday as a global bulwark against populism and protectionism. While other countries build walls, Canada is opening its doors to trade and immigration, she said. https://tgam.ca/2iiYQ0w
NATIONAL POST
** Walmart (NYSE:WMT) WMT.N and Visa V.N have ended an acrimonious and public battle over fees that saw the retail giant refuse to accept Visa credit cards in its northern Ontario and Manitoba stores. In a brief statement Thursday afternoon, Walmart said it would allow customers in those regions to once again use Visa cards beginning Friday. A new report suggests that Canada would benefit from higher capacity of so-called "partial upgrading" technology, a process that would help oilsands players fetch a higher price for their product and ease longstanding pipeline woes. Growing U.S. production of tight oil and shale gas, combined with flat U.S. oil demand, is bad news for Canada, which will have no alternative export market until it builds new oil pipelines to the coasts and liquefied natural gas plants, and even faces new competition from U.S. imports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2017 energy outlook. ($1 = C$1.33)