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Australian PM says he stands by Toronto café owner in Vegemite fight with Canadian regulators

Australian PM says he stands by Toronto café owner in Vegemite fight with Canadian regulators

CBC15-04-2025

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A Toronto café chain fighting Canadian food regulators for permission to keep selling Vegemite now has the backing of the Australian prime minister.
Leighton Walters, an Australian-Canadian dual citizen who owns the Aussie-inspired Found Coffee chain in Ontario, was recently ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to remove $8,000 of Vegemite from his shelves and products.
After an inspection of a shipment he'd imported this winter, the CFIA deemed the Vegemite non-compliant with Health Canada regulations. Although it's a staple in Australian households, the yeasty spread is enriched with Vitamin B, which is only permitted in certain products in Canada.
Walters has stopped selling the product, but is still fighting the decision. After taking his story to the media last week and contacting the Australian Trade and Investment Commission for help, he's now garnered the support of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
At a news conference in Australia Tuesday, reporters asked Albanese if he had a message for Canada in response to the dispute.
"I stand with the Aussie café owner," Albanese said. "I love Vegemite. It's a good thing. I did hear the report on that. It's rather odd that they're letting Marmite in, which is rubbish, frankly."
Marmite, a similar yeasty spread made in the U.K. that's also enriched with vitamins, was explicitly deemed legal for import by the CFIA in a statement in 2020, after a shipment was mistakenly rejected.
Albanese didn't say whether he'd be contacting Canadian officials about the CFIA decision.
WATCH | Australian-Canadian café owner fighting regulators over Vegemite removal:
Australian owner of Toronto café chain fighting Ottawa to save $8K of Vegemite
16 hours ago
Duration 2:13
An Australian-inspired café chain in Toronto is fighting Canada's food regulation rules after the owner was forced to remove Vegemite from his shelves and menus. CBC's Tyler Cheese has the story.
The CFIA said in a statement Sunday that Vegemite is not prohibited for sale in Canada, but manufacturers must alter the product to make it compliant with regulations.
However, the CFIA isn't aware of any Vegemite product that is produced to be sold in Canada in compliance with Canadian regulations, according to the spokesperson.
Since all Vegemite products are enriched with vitamins, that would suggest the product should be prohibited for sale in Canada. Despite that, the product is available for purchase on Amazon Canada's website and at specialty retailers around the country.
A spokesperson for Health Canada said in an email that the addition of vitamins is limited to certain foods "to help ensure that Canadians get sufficient but not excessive amounts of certain nutrients in their diet."
Walters says he'd been selling jars of Vegemite and offering it on toast and in pastries at his cafés for five years before any issue arose.
Walters told CBC Toronto that CFIA has also ordered him to destroy the Vegemite he removed from his shelves. The agency's spokesperson denied that in an email Sunday, saying Walters was only ordered to remove the product from his shelves.

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Nova Scotia's ambitious 'Wind West' offshore energy plan gets support with conditions

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TORONTO, June 9, 2025 /CNW/ - Oxford Properties Group ("Oxford"), the global real estate arm of OMERS, and CT Real Estate Investment Trust ("CT REIT") (TSX: today announced, in partnership with Canadian Tire Corporation ("CTC") (TSX: CTC) (TSX: CTC.A), a transformative investment to retrofit the existing office buildings at Canada Square, a key midtown Toronto hub. This Canadian-led partnership includes a 550,000 square foot, 20-year office lease with CTC, demonstrating the enduring appeal of centrally located, transit-connected workplaces and representing a major investment in Toronto's urban core. The redevelopment project represents a combined investment of over $200 million by Canada Square co-owners Oxford and CT REIT. The two office towers at 2180 and 2200 Yonge Street will be retrofitted to deliver 680,000 square feet of highly functional and modernized office space, over 80% of which will be anchored by CTC. 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"Canada Square is a crown-jewel property and a generational asset, and this first step in its redevelopment allows us to begin to unlock its full potential," said Kevin Salsberg, President and CEO, CT REIT. "This major reinvestment exemplifies our commitment to enhancing our assets and providing reliable, durable and growing results for our unitholders. We're building for today while setting the stage for the decades to come." "This substantial investment at Canada Square is part of Oxford's deep conviction that well-located, high-quality, and sustainable workplaces that focus on the employee experience will continue to outperform," said Daniel Fournier, Executive Chair at Oxford Properties. "A company of Canadian Tire's stature signing a multi-decade office lease speaks to the trust our customers have in Oxford to create their ideal workplace. Not only is this an environmentally friendly approach to revitalizing one of the most transit-connected sites in the city, but it brings a substantial amount of employment to the neighbourhood and will benefit Torontonians for generations to come as we continue to advance our long-term plans for Canada Square." The office retrofit project is an important step towards the planned redevelopment of the 9.2-acre site into a vibrant, mixed-use addition to the community. Oxford and CT REIT continue to advance plans for the west side of the site that contemplate a significant amount of critically needed new rental housing and public open space in one of the city's most transit-connected nodes. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which reflect the current expectations of CTC and/or CT REIT management regarding future events and financial commitments concerning Canada Square. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release that address activities, events or developments that CTC and/or CT REIT or a third-party expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including with respect to the redevelopment of Canada Square and the assumptions underlying the same, are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Although CTC and CT REIT management believe that the forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information, estimates and assumptions that are reasonable, such statements are necessarily subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual actions and results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. For more information on the material risks, uncertainties, factors and assumptions that could cause actual actions and results to differ materially from current expectations, refer to section 14.0 (Forward-Looking Information and Other Investor Communication) of CTC's 2025 First Quarter Management's Discussion and Analysis and all subsections therein, available on the SEDAR+ website at and and section 5 (Risk Factors) of CT REIT's Annual Information Form for fiscal 2024, and sections 12.0 (Enterprise Risk Management) and 14.0 (Forward-looking Information) of CT REIT's Management's Discussion and Analysis for Q1 2025 and fiscal 2024, as well as CT REIT's other public filings, all of which are available at and at CTC and CT REIT do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by either of them or on their behalf, to reflect new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. ABOUT OXFORD PROPERTIES GROUP Oxford Properties Group ("Oxford") is a leading global real estate investor, developer and manager. Established in 1960, Oxford and its portfolio companies manage approximately C$80 billion of assets across four continents on behalf of their investment partners. Oxford's owned portfolio encompasses logistics, office, retail, multifamily residential, life sciences, credit and hotels in global gateway cities and high-growth hubs. A thematic investor with a committed source of capital, Oxford invests in properties, portfolios, development sites, debt, securities and real estate businesses across the risk-reward spectrum. Together with its portfolio companies, Oxford is one of the world's most active developers with over 70 projects currently underway globally across all major asset classes. Oxford is owned by OMERS, the Canadian defined benefit pension plan for Ontario's municipal employees. Learn more here. ABOUT CT REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST CT Real Estate Investment Trust ("CT REIT") is an unincorporated, closed-end real estate investment trust formed to own income-producing commercial properties located primarily in Canada. Its portfolio is comprised of over 375 properties totaling more than 31 million square feet of GLA, consisting primarily of net lease single-tenant retail properties across Canada. Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, is CT REIT's most significant tenant. For more information, visit ABOUT CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTC.A, TSX: CTC, "CTC") has been a proudly Canadian business since 1922. Guided by its brand purpose, "We are here to make life in Canada better," CTC has built an expansive national retail presence, exceptional customer brand trust and one of Canada's strongest workforces – employing, along with its local Dealers and franchisees, tens of thousands of Canadians. At its core are retail businesses, each designed to serve life's pursuits: Canadian Tire, offering products spanning Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive, and Seasonal & Gardening, bolstered by notable banners Party City and PartSource; Mark's, a leading source for casual and industrial wear; SportChek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts and Atmosphere, offering the best brands of active wear and gear; and Pro Hockey Life, a hockey specialty store catering to elite players. CTC's banners, brand partners and credit card offerings are unified through its Triangle Rewards loyalty program – a linchpin of CTC's customer-driven strategy. With nearly 12 million members, Triangle integrates first-party data to deliver valuable rewards and personalized experiences across nearly 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets. CTC also operates a retail petroleum business and a Financial Services business and holds a majority interest in CT REIT, a TSX-listed Canadian real estate investment trust. For more information, visit FOR MORE INFORMATION CT Real Estate Investment Trust: Investors: Lesley Gibson, (416) 480-8566, [email protected] Canadian Tire Corporation: Media: Stephanie Nadalin, (647) 271-7343, [email protected] Investors: Karen Keyes, (647) 518-4461, [email protected]

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