Regina daycare looks to community to stay afloat
Prairie Lily Early Learning Centre in Regina is struggling financially, so they are turning to fundraising to stay operating. Its executive director joined The Morning Edition to talk about the uneven government funding model and their fundraising efforts.
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Globe and Mail
31 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Mayors in border communities call on Ottawa to boost support for duty-free shops
A group representing Canadian land border duty-free stores has released an open letter signed by 15 mayors from border communities, calling on Ottawa to provide more support for the shops. The strain on the Canada-U.S. relationship has led to a drop in border traffic, and the stores are struggling to stay afloat as a result, said Barbara Barrett, executive director of the Frontier Duty Free Association. The shops had previously faced down the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. Drew Dilkens, the mayor of Windsor, Ont., said that duty-free shops in his region are seeing a 40-per-cent drop in sales. The letter also says that many stores are reporting revenue losses of 60 per cent to 80 per cent in just the past few weeks. The letter urges the federal government to provide immediate liquidity for the hardest-hit stores; to issue a ministerial directive that would reaffirm the export status and remove regulatory uncertainty; and to align excise tax policy with the export status so stores can fairly compete with their U.S. counterparts. How a Canadian suit maker got slammed by Trump's China tariffs Ms. Barrett said they would need to figure out the specific details of the liquidity ask, but she pointed out that the industry is small and 'we don't need much.' Mike Bradley, the mayor of Sarnia, Ont., said 3,000 jobs at independently owned duty-free stores across Canada are at stake. 'The message is very, very simple – this is a crisis,' he said. 'This is not a fat cat industry. The people we've spoken to who have these particular operations across this country are ordinary working people who live in their community, employ people in their community, and give back to their community.' Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Globe and Mail
31 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
QB depth stretches far across CFL as season kickoff looms
Nick Arbuckle is again proving the importance of quarterback depth in the CFL. Arbuckle is expected to be the starter Friday night when the Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts visit the Montreal Alouettes. Incumbent Chad Kelly suffered a serious leg injury in last year's East Division final and was only recently cleared to practise. Kelly required surgery for a fractured tibia and fibula that occurred in Toronto's 30-28 win over Montreal. That thrust Arbuckle into Toronto's starting lineup for its Grey Cup showdown with Winnipeg and the veteran responded by earning MVP honours after passing for 252 yards and two TDs in the Argos' 41-24 victory. Kelly, the CFL's 2023 outstanding player, missed Toronto's entire pre-season and first nine regular-season games last year after being suspended by the league for violating its gender-based violence policy. Toronto went 5-4 before Kelly was reinstated with Cameron Dukes (4-4) and Arbuckle (1-0) under centre. Dukes was among the Argos' final cuts last weekend. Kelly has a stellar 20-5 record as a CFL starter, while Arbuckle has also made 25 career starts (10-15). But this development further illustrates the importance of quarterback depth for CFL teams. And it's a lesson many have taken to heart, as eight of the nine clubs have experienced backups on their roster. On Friday night, Davis Alexander will begin his first full season as Montreal's starter. But backing him up will be veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion with Toronto (2017, '22) who started last season with Edmonton. Alexander, 26, was 4-0 last season for Montreal when veteran Cody Fajardo was injured. But he's entering just his fourth CFL season and first as the Als' starter. Bethel-Thompson has 60 career CFL starts under his belt (27-33). And in '22, he led the CFL in passing yards (4,731) and TDs (23) as Toronto went on to capture the Grey Cup. Dru Brown begins his second season as Ottawa's starter and sports a 10-7-1 record. Dustin Crum and Tyrie Adams are both behind him, each having started for the Redblacks, although Adams suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first — and only — CFL start in 2023. Hamilton's Bo Levi Mitchell returns after leading the CFL in passing (5,451 yards) and TDs (32) last year. When the Tiger-Cats open their season visiting the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, Mitchell, 35, will look to become the fastest player in league history to earn 100 career regular-season wins. A win in Calgary would come in Mitchell's 141st career start, ahead of Hall of Famers Ron Lancaster (149) and Tracy Ham (151). Injuries limited Mitchell to six games in 2023, when rookie Taylor Powell made nine starts and added another last year. Nathan Rourke begins the season as B.C.'s starter. The CFL's top Canadian in 2022 rejoined the Lions last year after NFL stints with Jacksonville, New England, the New York Giants and Atlanta, splitting time with veteran Vernon Adams Jr. B.C. dealt Adams to Calgary, then signed veteran Jeremiah Masoli, who has made 59 career CFL starts (28-31). Tre Ford, 27, begins his first full season as Edmonton's starter. The 2021 Hec Crighton Trophy winner from Niagara Falls, Ont., signed a three-year extension with the Elks after posting a 9-9 record since being taken in the first round of the 2022 CFL draft by the club. Edmonton dealt Bethel-Thompson's rights to Montreal for the rights to Fajardo, the 2023 Grey Cup MVP. Fajardo, 33, is younger than Bethel-Thompson (36) and sports a tidy 43-29-1 record as a CFL starter. Adams will be tasked with returning Calgary to the CFL playoffs after it missed the post-season last year for the first time since 2004. The 32-year-old enters his ninth season in Canada (38-22 as a starter). But behind Adams are first-year CFL players P.J. Walker and Josh Love. Walker joined the Stampeders late last season on the practice roster after appearing in 21 NFL games (nine starts) from 2020 to 2023. Trevor Harris, 39, returns under centre for Saskatchewan and enters his 13th CFL season. But injuries have limited Harris to just 17 regular-season starts over the last two years. Behind Harris is Jake Maier, who made 45 starts over four seasons with Calgary (18-26-1) before signing with Saskatchewan this off-season. Zach Collaros, also entering his 13th CFL season, looks to lead Winnipeg to a sixth straight Grey Cup appearance and third victory. The 36-year-old American recently signed a one-year extension with the Bombers. But veteran Chris Streveler is expected to start when Winnipeg opens its season hosting B.C. on June 12. The CFL suspended Collaros for one game last month for failing to respond to an off-season drug-testing request. Streveler, 30, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 26-21 win over Saskatchewan on Sept. 7. He signed a one-year extension with the Bombers during the off-season and has made 13 career CFL starts (5-8).
Globe and Mail
31 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Quebec and Newfoundland's new energy deal sends strong message to U.S., Hydro‑Québec CEO says
The chief executive of Hydro‑Québec says a sweeping new energy deal with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is a signal to the United States that Canada can get 'big things done.' Michael Sabia was in St. John's, N.L., Tuesday, where he pitched the draft deal as a turning point in Quebec's relationship with Newfoundland and Labrador, and a step toward Canada becoming an 'energy superpower.' 'Let's be clear: Canada is under threat,' Sabia told a room full of representatives from Newfoundland and Labrador's energy industry. 'This is a time of real economic and political uncertainty. It's a time when Canadians need to work together to build the future,' he said. 'Ultimately, that's what this deal is about. It's about building now to secure Canada's energy future.' Sabia was speaking to the crowd at a conference held by Energy N.L., Newfoundland and Labrador's energy industry association. He was joined on stage by Jennifer Williams, president and chief executive of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. The two discussed an agreement in principle announced last year that would end a contract signed in 1969 that allows Hydro‑Québec to buy the lion's share of the energy from the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant at prices far below market value. The contract has long been a source of bitterness in Canada's easternmost province. The new arrangement would end the contentious deal 16 years early and see Hydro‑Québec pay for more power while developing new projects with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro along the Churchill River. Newfoundland and Labrador would also get more power from Churchill Falls. The memorandum of understanding has its critics. The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have been uneasy with the draft deal, demanding the Liberal government have it independently reviewed. The party also called for a halt to ongoing negotiations of final contracts, saying a proposed national energy corridor could bring better opportunities. Some in Newfoundland and Labrador have also wondered if Hydro‑Québec can be trusted and whether the province will truly get enough value for its resources. 'Show me a deal where there hasn't ever been skeptics,' Williams challenged when asked about those who have criticisms. Sabia addressed the tangled history of the provinces several times and said repeatedly that the new arrangement was 'balanced' and served the needs of both Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec. Both sides made concessions, he said, adding that the deal contained items neither side wanted. He refused to elaborate on what those were. Sabia said the agreement is the 'single most important signal we can send to the United States right now,' as long as it goes ahead as planned. Williams agreed the proposed projects need to proceed smoothly and quickly, repeating 'rigour and speed are not incompatible.' Both said they were heartened by signs from Prime Minister Mark Carney that he would speed up project approvals. Williams touted the deal's promised economic benefits, which includes $17 billion in revenue to the provincial treasury by 2041. Newfoundland and Labrador expects to be carrying a net debt of $19.4 billion by the end of the current fiscal year. 'We have to take this opportunity now,' Williams told reporters after the event. 'If we don't, something this momentous may not come again for a very long time, and who will we have to blame? We have got to take this moment on.' Officials hope to have final agreements hammered out next year. In the meantime, preliminary topographic and soil studies are expected to begin in Labrador this summer, Sabia said.
