
Ontario to allow alcohol on Pedal Pubs starting in July
The Ontario government has announced it will allow alcohol to be served on large quadricycles, better known as pedal pubs, starting on July 1.
The change would apply to pedal pubs with an alcohol license in Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ottawa and Windsor with room for twelve or more people, according to a news release from the Attorney General of Ontario issued Friday.
The province launched a 10-year pilot program for pedal pubs back in 2022, but they were not allowed to serve alcohol up until now.
The release says the move is meant to support small businesses and encourage local tourism in the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty
"Beginning this summer, Ontario is supporting a unique opportunity that will not only stimulate tourism and bring communities together, but also protect local jobs, our economy and small businesses across the province," Attorney General Doug Downey said in a statement.
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CTV News
33 minutes ago
- CTV News
MLSE head speaks after parting ways with long-time Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri. Here's what he said.
The head of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment spoke to reporters Friday after the Toronto Raptors' parent company parted ways with vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri. Ujiri joined the team's front office in 2013 and led the NBA's sole Canadian franchise to its first-ever championship in 2019. Here's what MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley said at news conference: 1:20 p.m. - Pelley addresses culture build by Ujiri 'Let's give Masai tremendous accolades for creating a brand and a culture, but, but the testament to that brand and the testament to a culture is how it lives once that individual is gone.' 'I believe that the culture and the brand that he has created will flourish because that's the way that he would have wanted it to flourish. But when you create a brand, when you create a culture, if it is mitigated when that individual is no longer involved, then the culture and the brand has not been created in the right way. 'And I believe that the way that he has built the brand and the way that he has created the culture is something that we as an organization at MLSE cherish and need now to build upon, and that will be something critical for the next president.' 1:17 p.m. - 'This was my decision' Pelley was asked if it was his decision to part ways with Ujiri or Edward Rogers', the executive chairman of Rogers Communications, which owns 75 per cent of MLSE. 'This, this was my decision, supported by the board.' 1:16 p.m. - Masai was told about the decision earlier this month 'We talked earlier at the beginning of this month. I think Masai is a professional. And so he took it as such,' Pelley said when asked how Ujiri took the news of the leadership change. 'And I think that Masai, no doubt, will be speaking in the coming days, and you can ask him that question directly.' 1:15 p.m. - General manager Bobby Webster will be considered as Ujiri's replacement 'Bobby will be a candidate, and we've already talked about that. So he will be interviewed, and I think the president of an NBA franchise is always appealing. So I don't think that we will have any challenges whatsoever.' 1:13 p.m. - Raptors will seek to replace Ujiri Unlike the recent departure of Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, who Pelley previously said is not being replaced, MLSE will look to find a new head of the Raptors. 'Now the question that has come over and over again is: we didn't bring in a new president for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but we are bringing in a new president for the Raptors. What is the difference? You may remember that during the news conference just a month ago, I talked about there not being a preset formula for structures for teams. Different teams have different structures, different needs, and they're in different areas of their evolution. And with the Toronto Maple Leafs one game from the conference final, and with Brad Treliving and the team moving forward, we didn't feel the need for a president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the evolution of where the Toronto Raptors are in the middle of a rebuild, we felt that we needed to bring in a president, and as a result, we will start that search immediately.' 1:11 p.m. - 'Change is inevitable' 'Change is inevitable, and what we really thought is, with the current status of our team and the foundation that Masai has built, that this was the time to make the change. The roster is in place. All our players are signed at the luxury tax limit. The front office is renewed, including General Manager, Bobby Webster, and we have great coaching stability led by Darko (Rajakovic).' 1:10 p.m. - 'Why now?' 'So why now? Why the timing now? So Masai and I spoke over a month ago, and he asked that if a change were to happen that it was post draft and that made the most sense not to disrupt the draft process.' 'You know, we were holding the ninth pick, a top 10 pick, and, of course, Masai, not only his area of passion, but his area of expertise, he's prolific when it comes to the draft, and we were grateful to have him as person with (general manager) Bobby (Webster) leading our draft.' 1:08 p.m. - 'Today is not an easy day' 'Today is not an easy day, but as you know, change is never easy.' 'Masai Ujiri has had a monumental impact on the Raptors and on our community during his 13 seasons with this organization. His legacy will be indelibly etched in our city in perpetuity, based on him playing such a significant role in bringing the 2019 NBA championship to our city, and also how he transformed our brand and worked through the Raptors to create a connection with so many fans in Toronto.' More to come...


CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
Venice expects to rake in over US$1.1 billion from Bezos-Sanchez wedding
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National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Masai Ujiri's departure marks end of a thrilling era for Toronto Raptors
Everyone knew a day would come when Masai Ujiri would no longer be the face of the Toronto Raptors. Article content But after a dozen years of the man being front and centre — and actually delivering on his oft-stated pledge that 'we will win in Toronto,' — it feels weird that Ujiri's time with the Raptors has come to an end. Article content Article content The news Friday morning was not completely out of left field, of course. Article content Toronto just missed the playoffs for the third season in a row and for the fourth time in five years, and Ujiri had expressed some frustrations about the wheels falling off in recent campaigns. Article content Plus, his biggest booster at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Larry Tanenbaum, will be forced to sell off his ownership stake by next summer, per when Rogers, Bell and Tanenbaum became co-owners back in the day. Article content Article content Edward Rogers and his company will get full control of the conglomerate at that time (Bell's decision to sell already has been approved and continues to progress) and, though reports of Rogers and Ujiri having a frosty personal relationship have been overstated, per multiple sources, the business side of the relationship was a different matter. Article content Ujiri got a massive financial haul in his last deal (which also made him vice chairman of the Raptors), but he also was closer to the glory years when it was signed. Based on the recent Raptors record, Rogers was unwilling to meet Ujiri's still notable price and he wasn't sure about the fit in the new world order of sports in Toronto, minus Tanenbaum, who has said Ujiri is 'like a son' to him. Article content Article content So, here we are. Article content Article content Though Ujiri had also been upbeat for many months now as a long-awaited rebuild and culture shift started to bear some fruit (he even popped in to talk to local media on draft night Wednesday for a few minutes, acting as if nothing was amiss), the franchise will now be steered by Ujiri's chief lieutenants Bobby Webster — who was hired away from the NBA front office — and Dan Tolzman, who Ujiri brought to Toronto from Denver. Article content Maybe his future is in politics or as a CEO of a large company. A major European soccer club once unsuccessfully tried to poach him.