Latest news with #Canadiana
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Howard Levitt: Working for a foreign-owned company in Canada can be risky business
In this uncertain and rapidly evolving global economic climate, Canadians are turning inward more than ever and reevaluating their position within the new world order. We are buying Canadian, travelling Canadian, celebrating Canadian virtues and values; but amidst all of this rediscovered 'Canadiana,' millions of us continue to work for companies based in the U.S. or elsewhere. Working for a foreign-owned company in Canada can feel like being in a cross-cultural relationship — full of opportunity but rife with the potential for miscommunication, mismatched expectations, and even exploitation. From the aggressive pace of U.S. capitalism to the top-down rigidity of some Asian firms, foreign parent companies often bring unspoken assumptions about loyalty, etiquette, work ethic, and what's 'normal' at work — assumptions that may clash with Canadian values and laws. As the job market globalizes, especially in sectors like tech, finance, and energy, Canadian professionals must evaluate not just the job, who's really running the show — and from where. Is it Houston or Calgary? Toronto or Tokyo? The answer to this question is more important than you think, especially when evaluating whether you will be a fit with the organization. Ultimately, however, this boils down to your personality. How you communicate, set boundaries and deal with conflict can make or break your success in these cross-border environments. Some foreign firms reward traits that others might suppress. If you are conscientious and respect hierarchy, you might thrive at a Japanese or Korean-owned company — but expect little tolerance for dissent or work-life balance (though younger generations continue to make progress on these fronts). If you are assertive and goal-driven, an American-owned firm may fit — though loyalty may be one-sided. Those who value consensus and equity may find a better match in Canadian or European firms, where protected leaves and diversity policies are ingrained. Upbringing matters, too. If you grew up equating hard work with moral virtue, you may overlook red flags. If you were raised to value rights and boundaries, you might resist being overrun — but also face friction with hierarchical employers. Canada has one of the world's most employee-friendly legal systems, with strong human rights laws, generous severance standards under common law, and courts that award damages for bad-faith conduct. But if your real boss sits in Houston, Seoul, or Beijing, things get complicated. For example: In many U.S. states, firms often rely on 'at-will' employment terms, whereby companies may terminate your employment without notice or severance pay. This makes for easy terminations, but less reward for employee loyalty and service. While 'at-will' terminations do not exist in Canada, an executive or manager based in the U.S. may resist an employee's proper severance entitlements, even with sound legal advice. Japanese and Korean companies may nominally guarantee long-term employment, but workplace hierarchy often overrides individual rights, and legal recourse is rare due to social stigma in those countries. Canadian employees should be alive to such cultural dynamics, ideally prior to signing an employment agreement. In China, while labour laws exist, they are limited, pro-business and highly ineffective in addressing or resolving employee complaints. The blurry division of power between the government and the courts, coupled with an emphasis on social stability over individual rights, means many Chinese employers remain largely unchallenged by employee grievances and complaints. Recent cases show how these clashes play out in court: China Southern Airlines (2023): The company was chastised by a Canadian court for 'abusive, unfair (and) cruel' treatment of an employee in its effort to manufacture just cause for dismissal or force a resignation. The court sided with the Canadian airline employee, awarding significant damages and reinforcing the principles of Canadian law. Tesla Canada (2023): Workers were allegedly penalized for taking protected sick leave. U.S.–style expectations led to complaints and eventual Ministry of Labour intervention, which forced Tesla to revisit their internal policies. Samsung C&T: The company reportedly retaliated against whistleblowers following its breach of U.S. federal trade laws. Settlements followed, but only after regulatory investigation and prosecution. Some traits increase your risk when working for foreign-controlled firms: High trust in employers by Canadians may lead to under-documenting important conversations, failure to seek appropriate legal or HR advice and be caught offguard in a workplace dispute. Avoiding conflict may cause you to stay silent about questionable business practices. Extreme loyalty, or a predisposition to conformity or deference, can put an employee at risk of being taken advantage of. In contrast, employees who document, ask questions and seek employment law advice early are better protected, or at least better informed when it comes to dealing with these employers. Before accepting an offer from a foreign-owned company in Canada, ask: Who really makes the decisions — your local manager or someone overseas? Does the company follow Canadian legal standards around severance, leaves and discrimination? Is your employment contract governed by Canadian law? Does the local HR/legal team have real authority, or are they just enforcing foreign policies? Always review the contract with an employment lawyer. If it limits you to the minimum protections under the Employment Standards Act, that's a red flag. Your values should align with your employer's culture and legal commitments. The law can protect you — but it will not and cannot buffer every cultural mismatch. Choose employers whose expectations respect both your rights and your personality. Because in the end, who you work for speaks volumes about who you are. Howard Levitt is senior partner of Levitt LLP, employment and labour lawyers with offices in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. He practices employment law in eight provinces and is the author of six books, including the Law of Dismissal in Canada. Jarret M. Janis is head of the Alberta office of Levitt LLP. 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CTV News
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Newfoundland man publishes patriotic word-search puzzles
From Canadian sights-to-see to songs or meals, Nick Cranford is putting Canadiana on the map. Gros Morne, Peggy's Cove, Banff. Trailer Park Boys, Anne Murray, Michael J. Fox. They're all Canadian and they're all words to seek and circle in Nick Cranford's word search books. From Canadian sights-to-see to songs or meals, the 27-year-old from St. John's, N.L. is putting Canadiana onto the page and in the process, putting his stamp on his family's publishing business. 'I felt it was my duty,' he said, noting Canadian's love and pride for their country has deepened recently. 'I am happy to play my small part in making this country great.' Cranford's grandfather started Flanker Press, based in St. John's, more than 30 years ago in the family living room. But it was his late great-grandmother who inspired him to create a word search book. 'I noticed one of her absolute favourite things to do, was doing word searches,' he said. His 'great-nan,' who lived into her nineties, always had a pile of them. 'They were her breakfast, lunch and dinner.' Nick Crawford Nick Crawford and his 'great-nan' But there was no Newfoundland & Labrador-specific word search puzzle book, said Cranford. In the summer of 2023, he decided to change that. His first book became a template for others. He highlighted sights to see, such as Cape Spear, Signal Hill and Terra Nova. He created a Newfoundland-centric puzzles with themes like Jigg's Dinner, a traditional Newfoundland dish, Mary Brown's and home brew. Then there are Newfoundland words and pieces of local communities such as retirement homes, churches, businesses and parks. Next came Nova Scotia, Alberta, P.E.I., Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Cranford has made a word search book for Toronto and Ontario and recently published one for New Brunswick with pages dedicated to Acadian words and tourist destinations such as Hopewell Rocks and Fundy National Park. Crack open Alberta's puzzle book and you'll find puzzles on the Oilers, Flames, Banff and Nickelback. His Manitoba puzzle will send searchers to scan pages about the Forks, Churchill and The Guess Who. He's sold more than 50,000 copies of his books so far. Cranford was always planning to complete his collection by publishing more province-specific word search books, but the recent surge patriotism urged him to speed up his printing deadline. 'I want to strike while it's hot,' he said. He aims to complete a Quebec, B.C. and a Canada-centric puzzle book by Canada Day. The territories will come next.
Global News
15-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Winnipeg company ‘will never forget' history making Hudson's Bay striped items
For four generations, the family behind Winnipeg garment maker Freed & Freed International has worked with the fabric of our nation, crafting police regalia like the scarlet tunics worn by the RCMP and uniforms for Canada's Olympic teams. But there's another sliver of Canadiana the family considers itself lucky to have handled: the Hudson's Bay stripes. Freed & Freed is one of a few companies that has made products bearing the Bay's iconic green, red, yellow and indigo motif that dates back to 1779. Its creations include full-length wool coats, puffer mittens and sleeping bags. 'It's a prideful moment to be able to say that we got to be a part of true Canadian history because that's what we consider it to be,' said Marissa Freed, president of the company her great grandfather started in 1921. 'They've just been around forever and we got to touch that and be part of it and it's a huge feather on our hats that we will never forget.' Story continues below advertisement Freed has been thinking about her family's journey with Hudson's Bay a lot since the 355-year-old retailer announced in March that its finances had become so strained it had to file for creditor protection. The liquidation of all 80 Bay stores and 16 run under its Saks banners followed as did a search for buyers to keep some semblance of the business alive. With often broken escalators, quiet stores and a succession of staffing cuts, the moves were not entirely unexpected but Freed was still 'shocked' when the news broke because her company's dealings with Hudson's Bay seemed to be moving along as they usually did. She had even received purchasing orders from the business for Stripes products she designed for this upcoming fall. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'On their side, their team was told to continue to move forward, so they were really pretty much left in the dark as much as we were,' Freed said. 'When someone is going to file (for creditor protection), they don't go around telling everybody.' Freed imagines her business will take 'a bit of a hit' because of the Bay. Court records show the company is owed $12,295 from the retailer. But Freed & Freed has plenty of other contracts to tide it over. It makes many government uniforms and produces items for 'a lot of the well-known high-end outerwear brands that you'd be familiar with,' Freed said, declining to name them. Story continues below advertisement The company first brokered ties with Hudson's Bay in the '70s, when Freed & Freed was making London Fog apparel sold by the retailer. When Freed took the helm of the company about 16 years ago, she started cold calling clients, including Hudson's Bay, to find ways to drum up business. 'Shockingly, I got an email back,' she recalled. 'I think they had just got the first Olympic contract and if I'm not mistaken, at that point in time, they were looking for somebody to domestically produce their wool jacket that they were giving … the athletes. I, obviously, was very interested.' Despite Hudson's Bay losing the Olympic contract in 2021 to Lululemon Athletica Inc., Freed & Freed's relationship with the department store blossomed and it started making striped merchandise. There were striped mittens, snowsuits and even baby bunting bags. Many of the items were designed by Freed & Freed, others came with direction from the Bay. Most took more than a year to make it to shelves. While the Hudson's Bay wool point blankets produced by A.W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd. subsidiary John Atkinson in England remained the most famed products, many of Freed & Freed's creations sold out or made the pages of fashion magazines. Even with Hudson's Bay collapsing, Marissa Freed is hopeful this won't be the end of her family's connection to the brand. Story continues below advertisement She wants to see Hudson's Bay find a buyer for the stripes amid the 17 bids for assets it recently received. If a new custodian for the motif is secured, she's willing to help return the stripes to shelves. 'I don't know if that's wishful thinking … In a dream world, somebody does intervene and somebody realizes the stripes could be sort of this diamond in the rough, if you will,' she said. 'It's a real loss in history if we don't see it through.'
Hamilton Spectator
15-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Winnipeg company ‘will never forget' history making Hudson's Bay striped items
For four generations, the family behind Winnipeg garment maker Freed & Freed International has worked with the fabric of our nation, crafting police regalia like the scarlet tunics worn by the RCMP and uniforms for Canada's Olympic teams. But there's another sliver of Canadiana the family considers itself lucky to have handled: the Hudson's Bay stripes. Freed & Freed is one of a few companies that has made products bearing the Bay's iconic green, red, yellow and indigo motif that dates back to 1779. Its creations include full-length wool coats, puffer mittens and sleeping bags. 'It's a prideful moment to be able to say that we got to be a part of true Canadian history because that's what we consider it to be,' said Marissa Freed, president of the company her great grandfather started in 1921. 'They've just been around forever and we got to touch that and be part of it and it's a huge feather on our hats that we will never forget.' Freed has been thinking about her family's journey with Hudson's Bay a lot since the 355-year-old retailer announced in March that its finances had become so strained it had to file for creditor protection. The liquidation of all 80 Bay stores and 16 run under its Saks banners followed as did a search for buyers to keep some semblance of the business alive. With often broken escalators, quiet stores and a succession of staffing cuts, the moves were not entirely unexpected but Freed was still 'shocked' when the news broke because her company's dealings with Hudson's Bay seemed to be moving along as they usually did. She had even received purchasing orders from the business for Stripes products she designed for this upcoming fall. 'On their side, their team was told to continue to move forward, so they were really pretty much left in the dark as much as we were,' Freed said. 'When someone is going to file (for creditor protection), they don't go around telling everybody.' Freed imagines her business will take 'a bit of a hit' because of the Bay. Court records show the company is owed $12,295 from the retailer. But Freed & Freed has plenty of other contracts to tide it over. It makes many government uniforms and produces items for 'a lot of the well-known high-end outerwear brands that you'd be familiar with,' Freed said, declining to name them. The company first brokered ties with Hudson's Bay in the '70s, when Freed & Freed was making London Fog apparel sold by the retailer. When Freed took the helm of the company about 16 years ago, she started cold calling clients, including Hudson's Bay, to find ways to drum up business. 'Shockingly, I got an email back,' she recalled. 'I think they had just got the first Olympic contract and if I'm not mistaken, at that point in time, they were looking for somebody to domestically produce their wool jacket that they were giving ... the athletes. I, obviously, was very interested.' Despite Hudson's Bay losing the Olympic contract in 2021 to Lululemon Athletica Inc., Freed & Freed's relationship with the department store blossomed and it started making striped merchandise. There were striped mittens, snowsuits and even baby bunting bags. Many of the items were designed by Freed & Freed, others came with direction from the Bay. Most took more than a year to make it to shelves. While the Hudson's Bay wool point blankets produced by A.W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd. subsidiary John Atkinson in England remained the most famed products, many of Freed & Freed's creations sold out or made the pages of fashion magazines. Even with Hudson's Bay collapsing, Marissa Freed is hopeful this won't be the end of her family's connection to the brand. She wants to see Hudson's Bay find a buyer for the stripes amid the 17 bids for assets it recently received. If a new custodian for the motif is secured, she's willing to help return the stripes to shelves. 'I don't know if that's wishful thinking ... In a dream world, somebody does intervene and somebody realizes the stripes could be sort of this diamond in the rough, if you will,' she said. 'It's a real loss in history if we don't see it through.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg company ‘will never forget' history making Hudson's Bay striped items
For four generations, the family behind Winnipeg garment maker Freed & Freed International has worked with the fabric of our nation, crafting police regalia like the scarlet tunics worn by the RCMP and uniforms for Canada's Olympic teams. But there's another sliver of Canadiana the family considers itself lucky to have handled: the Hudson's Bay stripes. Freed & Freed is one of a few companies that has made products bearing the Bay's iconic green, red, yellow and indigo motif that dates back to 1779. Its creations include full-length wool coats, puffer mittens and sleeping bags. 'It's a prideful moment to be able to say that we got to be a part of true Canadian history because that's what we consider it to be,' said Marissa Freed, president of the company her great grandfather started in 1921. 'They've just been around forever and we got to touch that and be part of it and it's a huge feather on our hats that we will never forget.' Freed has been thinking about her family's journey with Hudson's Bay a lot since the 355-year-old retailer announced in March that its finances had become so strained it had to file for creditor protection. The liquidation of all 80 Bay stores and 16 run under its Saks banners followed as did a search for buyers to keep some semblance of the business alive. With often broken escalators, quiet stores and a succession of staffing cuts, the moves were not entirely unexpected but Freed was still 'shocked' when the news broke because her company's dealings with Hudson's Bay seemed to be moving along as they usually did. She had even received purchasing orders from the business for Stripes products she designed for this upcoming fall. 'On their side, their team was told to continue to move forward, so they were really pretty much left in the dark as much as we were,' Freed said. 'When someone is going to file (for creditor protection), they don't go around telling everybody.' Freed imagines her business will take 'a bit of a hit' because of the Bay. Court records show the company is owed $12,295 from the retailer. But Freed & Freed has plenty of other contracts to tide it over. It makes many government uniforms and produces items for 'a lot of the well-known high-end outerwear brands that you'd be familiar with,' Freed said, declining to name them. The company first brokered ties with Hudson's Bay in the '70s, when Freed & Freed was making London Fog apparel sold by the retailer. When Freed took the helm of the company about 16 years ago, she started cold calling clients, including Hudson's Bay, to find ways to drum up business. 'Shockingly, I got an email back,' she recalled. 'I think they had just got the first Olympic contract and if I'm not mistaken, at that point in time, they were looking for somebody to domestically produce their wool jacket that they were giving … the athletes. I, obviously, was very interested.' Despite Hudson's Bay losing the Olympic contract in 2021 to Lululemon Athletica Inc., Freed & Freed's relationship with the department store blossomed and it started making striped merchandise. There were striped mittens, snowsuits and even baby bunting bags. Many of the items were designed by Freed & Freed, others came with direction from the Bay. Most took more than a year to make it to shelves. While the Hudson's Bay wool point blankets produced by A.W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd. subsidiary John Atkinson in England remained the most famed products, many of Freed & Freed's creations sold out or made the pages of fashion magazines. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Even with Hudson's Bay collapsing, Marissa Freed is hopeful this won't be the end of her family's connection to the brand. She wants to see Hudson's Bay find a buyer for the stripes amid the 17 bids for assets it recently received. If a new custodian for the motif is secured, she's willing to help return the stripes to shelves. 'I don't know if that's wishful thinking … In a dream world, somebody does intervene and somebody realizes the stripes could be sort of this diamond in the rough, if you will,' she said. 'It's a real loss in history if we don't see it through.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
