The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended up 19.97 points, or 0.13 percent, at 15,191.36, with advancers and decliners evenly matched overall.

Goldcorp's fall, ending down 6.2 percent at C$16.07 as production at several sites missed expectations, bucked the trend among gold miners, a string of whom rose on positive earnings surprises.

Barrick Gold Corp, the world's largest gold miner by production, rose 2.9 percent to C$20.76, as investors cheered the news it had produced more gold than expected and lowered its costs.

Other rising bullion stocks included Detour Gold Corp, which surged 13.3 percent to C$15.66 as its profit beat estimates, and Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd, up 6.1 percent at C$12.46 after doubling its estimate of reserves at one of its sites.

Energy stocks were up 2 percent overall, with crude jumping to near eight-week highs as a much steeper than expected decline in U.S. inventories encouraged hopes the global crude glut would recede. [O/R]

Peter Imhof, a portfolio manager at AGF Investments, said Canadian energy stocks were still lagging recent gains in crude prices, in part weighed by a rising Canadian dollar.

Cenovus jumped 9.5 percent to C$10.89 after reporting a profit versus a year-ago loss and providing the divestiture update.

"That stock has been oversold the most because there was a terrible financing that happened" that led to a selloff, with the good news on the day providing the impetus for a bounceback, Imhof said.

West Fraser Timber Co Ltd gained 5.1 percent to C$65.84 after acquiring U.S. assets.

Uranium miner Cameco Corp gained 3.3 percent to C$12.96 after saying it had settled a U.S. tax dispute for a fraction of the original claim, which helped investors look past the company reporting a wider-than-expected quarterly loss.

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Paul Simao and Chris Reese)

By Alastair Sharp