Latest news with #Cormier
Ottawa Citizen
10 hours ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Statistics Canada to end more than 140 workers' contracts this fall
Statistics Canada will scrap the contracts of 142 employees by Oct. 8 as part of cost-cutting measures. Article content The federal department confirmed the workers impacted have term, casual, part-time and secondment agreements. Article content Article content 'Exceptions to the new measure will be made only where essential to avoid significant impacts on the delivery of a program or service to Canadians, such as for the upcoming Census of Population and certain critical data collection roles,' said Jada Cormier, a spokesperson for Statistics Canada said, in an emailed statement. Article content Article content Some student hirings will continue at Statistics Canada 'in areas facing workforce gaps,' Cormier added. Article content Article content Other departments and agencies in the federal public service continue to bleed temporary workers as public service leadership scrambles to find savings. Article content Over the past year, thousands of temporary workers at the Canada Revenue Agency and Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee Canada have had their contracts ended as the federal government has tried to rein in the size of its workforce. Article content The federal public service ballooned to 367,772 individuals in 2024, from 257,034 in 2015. Last year, the public service saw a reduction of almost 10,000 jobs, according to the latest Treasury Board data. Article content Under Prime Minister Mark Carney, the federal government is set to launch a three year spending review, seeking to cut up to 15 per cent across most departments, agencies and crown corporations. Article content The review involves a 7.5 per cent cut in 2025-26, 2.5 per cent in 2026-27 and 5 per cent in the 2027-28 fiscal year. Article content
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘I stopped drinking coffee:' Maritimers react to Atlantic Canada worse food inflation rates
Once again, Atlantic Canada finds itself among some of the worst food inflation rates in the country. According to analysis from Dollarwise money experts, food prices across Canada went up 3.4 per cent between May 2024 and May 2025. But data shows New Brunswick's rate increased by a nation-high 3.7 per cent, with P.E.I taking fifth place at 3.4 per cent. 'At some point it was Nova Scotia, last year was P.E.I. and now it's New Brunswick. Unfortunately, Atlantic Canadians are not necessarily spared by some of the breaks that you would find in central Canada or even in western Canada, ' says Sylvain Charlebois, Dalhousie University food professor. 'The Atlantic is typically more expensive than any other regions in the country, with the exception of the North, of course, because the Atlantic is remotely located. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia faced a decrease in its food inflation rate, and sits at 2.7 per cent. But overall food prices continue to affect how and what people buy at the grocery store. According to the report, the price of coffee has increased by 20 per cent, fresh or frozen beef by 12.7 per cent and potatoes by 9.6 per cent. 'The price is ridiculous. I stopped drinking coffee, and I've pretty much weaned myself off tea, too. So, there are things I cut out just because of the price,' says one Halifax grocery shopper. Janick Cormier, Restaurants Canada's Atlantic vice-president, says restaurants have also felt the impact of food price increases. 'The profit margins are already thin in the restaurant industry. But they're getting thinner. Because of the rising cost of operating. And then, on the other hand, consumers are faced with the exact same increasing costs, and they're being hit with an affordability crisis. So, they're not going to restaurants as often as they used to,' says Cormier. 'And when they do come, they're buying the less expensive item on a menu.' Both Cormier and Charlebois say the ongoing threat of U.S tariffs has an impact on the stability of the industry. 'I think we're about to hit the tariff conundrum and see higher prices in different parts of the store as a result of President Trump's tariff game,' says Charlebois. 'Until we know for sure if there's going to be a delay again, the anxiety remains in the air because indeed, if there are tariffs on both sides of the border on these products, it will be felt across the board,' says Cormier. 'We're hopeful that these tremendous increase in prices that we've seen in the last few years will start to stabilize, or else it will have devastating impacts on our industry. And we employ 1.2 million Canadians. If people start closing their doors, we're going to feel it throughout the entire Canadian economy,' she says.
Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
Halifax optometrist's murder leaves co-workers shaken as killer gets life sentence
A Nova Scotia man has been sentenced to a mandatory term of life in prison, with no chance of parole for 25 years, in the shocking stabbing death of a man inside a downtown Halifax optometry office in 2021. Cymon Cormier, 28, was found guilty of first-degree murder in June, after a judge rejected his defence that he was not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder (NCRMD). The attack, which was described in Justice Christa M. Brothers's decision as 'frenzied' and 'relentless,' claimed the life of 55-year-old Tony Nader, an optometrist who had at one time been in a relationship with Cormier's mother. The court previously heard how Nader was assisting a customer on Dec. 30, 2021, at a Brunswick Street optometry office when Cormier walked in and began stabbing him. Story continues below advertisement 'Something that nobody could have anticipated, could have seen coming. And it really had a profound impact on everyone, ' said Nova Scotia Crown attorney, Scott Morrison. 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 Nader's former co-worker, Victoria Peterson, recounted the attack in her victim impact statement. She wrote that even now, the sound of sirens still gives her chills as she remembers that morning when she stood between Nader and the front door, waiting for help to arrive. Nader later died in hospital. View image in full screen Tony Nader, 55, was fatally stabbed at work at an optometry office in Halifax in December 2021. He is being remembered by friends and family as a devoted family man who loved music. Dominic Nader/Facebook She wrote that Nader will always be remembered as 'that rare type of person who brought warmth to everyone he encountered.' 'I can't imagine someone less deserving of what happened to him,' she added. Story continues below advertisement The court heard how Nader was a proud husband and father of two, who was described by friends as kind, compassionate and witty. He was also a lifelong musician and had worked at Insight Optometry for 25 years. 'I think Mr. Cormier offered a few different justifications for what he did that day, what was motivating him,' said Morrison. 'But in terms of what the bottom-line motivation was for Mr. Cormier — I think that will be almost impossible to ever prove.'
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier fires back at Jon Jones over UFC weigh-in show assumption
Daniel Cormier is over Jon Jones assuming he's always the topic of conversation. The latest chapter of the never-ending saga between Cormier in Jones stems from the UFC 318: Morning Weigh-in Show, where Cormier responded to the rapid-fire question: If you were to fight your enemy anywhere or a random place, where would it be? "I kind of want the ability to kill him, so I'd like to do it at my house," Cormier said on the show. Dan Hellie followed up by asking who Cormier would be fighting. Paul Felder quipped, "I think we know." Cormier laughed, and Hellie added, "Does it rhyme with Mon Mones?" The panel's laughter continued, and Cormier clarified by stating, "I don't dislike Jon Jones, I think he's fine." Jones caught wind of the moment, and fired off a couple of messages on X (formerly Twitter) in reaction to the moment. "DC said he wants to kill me at this house," Jones wrote. "I already buried him twice in the Octagon. Third time I'm bringing a shovel." Jones continued in response to someone who attempted to clarify that Cormier did not state that directly. "A blind man can see the mansion I own in Daniel's head," Jones wrote. "I just didn't realize how deep his hate still runs. Those ass whoopings must've left more than bruises, I feel like I'm the most painful thing that ever happened to that man's life. Emotional damage." Cormier took time out to respond to Jones' messages in a video posted to his YouTube channel. "I never once said Jon Jones was the person I was speaking about," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "I never said it! Go back and watch the clip. I never once mentioned his name. ... Not true! I never said I wanted to kill him at my house." Cormier acknowledges that his peers on the panel were referencing Jones and the laughter that came along with it, which may have really been the reason Jones was set off. "Maybe Jon doesn't like people laughing when talking about him," Cormier said. "But a lot of the behaviors lately have a lot of people laughing about him and not with him." As Cormier continued to defend his position as an analyst who is required to discuss the fight world, including talking about all things Jones, he explained that he probably wouldn't bring Jones' name up if it wasn't his job. The UFC Hall of Famer admits the losses to Jones "sucked," but he's moved on and made peace with the results. "We can't fight, so why would I let you occupy space in my head?" Cormier said. "I'm doing great. My life is awesome. I do a job where I talk about the news. You have been the news. ... I never said him. People assume I was talking about Jon Jones, but what about maybe that I was talking about a guy that made my childhood ridiculous. Maybe it was someone else. Maybe it was somebody that I just don't like outside of fighting. You don't know. Only an insecure person would go immediately, 'He's talking about me.' No. Maybe I wasn't – but maybe I was. You don't know – but again, I didn't say a name on purpose." Cormier also found it a step too far for Jones to state that he was the most painful thing that had happened in his life, as he has experienced significantly larger losses in his personal life. "You can't say that you're the most painful thing that's happened in a person's life when they've lost a child," Cormier said. "That's the craziest thing in the world. You say I'm the most painful thing that's happened in a person's life, and they've lost a child – or their father got murdered – but again, he knows that. That's why you know you're dealing with a different type of human being."
CTV News
6 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Moncton names street to honour baseball hero Rheal Cormier
The City of Moncton is set to celebrate the life and legacy of Rheal Cormier, a hometown baseball hero, this weekend at the Paul 'Tubby' Melanson Tournament by naming a street in his honour. The crack of the bat will carry extra meaning at the tournament on Sunday, as the New Brunswick baseball community remembers Cormier, the former MLB pitcher from Cap-Pele, who passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer. Randy Steel, a coach with the Capital District Islanders U13 team from Prince Edward Island, said the tournament is special. 'It's an outstanding tournament. It's been running for a lot of years and there's a big ceremony for Rheal Cormier this weekend.' The street naming is a tribute to Cormier's impact on the sport. 'I think the kids look up to see that a player from Atlantic Canada made it to the top league,' Steel said. Cormier spent sixteen seasons in the major leagues, playing for teams like Philadelphia, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Montreal, and Boston. However, his journey to the big leagues began in New Brunswick. Ralph Chambers, founder of the Moncton Mets, a longtime teammate, coach, and friend, recalls Cormier's rise from senior baseball in Moncton in '86 to the majors. 'You knew he was going to be a good one,' Chambers said. 'We had a coach in Rhode Island who was able to help and actually got down to the Rhode Island Community College… and from there he got signed by the St. Louis Cardinals.' Chambers noted that Cormier, who also represented Team Canada, never forgot his roots. 'It was so special in the baseball community, especially in New Brunswick, because here was one of our own making it to the top. And then to stay there and have the remarkable career that he did, it was just fantastic.' Chambers Remembers Red Deer Chambers shared a specific memory of Cormier's talent on display for the Moncton Mets during the senior national tournament in Red Deer, Alberta in 1987: 'The tournament was a little different. 2 or 3 team divisions, [Rheal] pitched one of the games and he didn't have his outing that we all thought he was capable of…. He was disappointed. I was coaching that year and he asked for the ball back that very next game, and he took it and he was incredible…He had the best stuff that we saw, he ended up winning the bronze medal game for us and pitched a complete game…When he was dominating we knew he was at a level that we don't see around here too often.' Moncton Minor Baseball says many of Cormier's family and friends will attend the street sign unveiling. Chambers hopes the street naming will inspire young players. 'Those kids that drive on that street every time they're going to the ballpark, some of them may not know who he is. Once they see and start asking their parents and grandparents, they will certainly know who Rheal was and what he meant to baseball.' For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
