Latest news with #Perrault
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Berkshire, Brookline dub their post-merger brand Beacon
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. Massachusetts-based Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp will take the name 'Beacon' when they merge, the companies announced last week. The $1.1 billion merger, proposed in December, is expected to close this quarter, subject to regulatory approvals, the companies said Wednesday. That aligns with a time frame Brookline CEO Paul Perrault noted in the bank's second-quarter earnings call last month. Perrault told analysts July 24 he hoped the merger would close as early as September. 'The Beacon Bank name reflects our desire to be a reliable guide in financial decision-making, helping clients reach their goals with clarity, confidence and trust,' Perrault said in a statement Wednesday. The name Beacon also boasts a strong association with Boston – particularly, the city's historic Beacon Hill neighborhood. 'We wanted a name that conveyed guidance, strength, and the promise of stability, core principles that the legacy institutions upheld for generations and that are essential to the combined organization," Gary Levante, Berkshire's chief communication and sustainability officer, told American Banker in an email last week. The logo, too, intentionally nods to Beacon's predecessors. The top half of the stylized B is gold – a callout to Berkshire's signature color – while the lower half is Brookline blue. 'Our new name honors the legacy of Berkshire and Brookline while looking toward a bright and ambitious future,' Berkshire Chair David Brunelle said in a statement. 'While the name is changing, we remain dedicated to offering trusted financial solutions and local expertise. We look forward to our new company delivering the enhanced capabilities that come from the combined institution's scale and operational strength.' Beacon will trade on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol BBT. The banks expect systems integration in the first quarter of 2026. As announced in December, Brunelle will serve as chair of the combined company, while Perrault will be CEO. The combined bank is expected to count $24 billion in assets – nearly evenly split at this point. Brookline, with $11.6 billion in assets, reported a $22 million profit in the second quarter. That's up 34% from a year earlier. Berkshire, with roughly $12 billion in assets, reported quarterly net income of $30.4 million, a 26.7% increase from last year. 'Our merger of equals will create a powerful financial institution with deep local roots, a broad, complementary footprint and a strong commitment to its employees, clients, stockholders and communities,' Perrault said Wednesday. Recommended Reading TD, BMO adjust their timelines for First Horizon, Bank of the West deals Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Montreal Gazette
17-06-2025
- Health
- Montreal Gazette
Santé Québec, Health Ministry squabble as heart patients die on wait lists
By Aaron Derfel A record three dozen Quebecers have perished from sudden death since the start of the year while waiting for their heart operations, even as the Health Ministry and Santé Québec squabble over jurisdiction and resources, The Gazette can reveal. Despite repeated warnings since last year from the leaders of the provincial associations of cardiologists and cardio-thoracic surgeons about abnormally long wait times for heart operations, no new targeted actions have been taken to address the crisis by either the ministry or Santé Québec. 'We've heard nothing from Santé Québec,' Dr. Bernard Cantin, president of the Association des cardiologues du Québec, said in an interview, alluding to the Crown corporation that was set up on Dec. 1, 2024 to run the province's $65-billion-a-year public health system. 'We've received no news whatsoever.' In April, the association did hold discussions with a representative from Santé Québec, who was 'very open' but who pointed out that 'it's a fight between the ministry and Santé Québec,' Cantin recalled. 'He said it's a very difficult relationship between them. But we're now stuck in the middle of that.' Dr. Louis Perrault, president of the Association des chirurgiens cardio-vasculaires et thoraciques du Québec, agreed that bureaucratic infighting between the health ministry and Santé Québec have made matters worse for heart patients. 'Sadly, the Ministry of Health has stalled the whole thing,' Perrault said. 'We had made recommendations to fix the problem that were supposed to be put in place last June. But by last September, nothing happened. That's when the ministry started talking about, ' Oh, Santé Québec is taking over. So we're not doing anything.'' 'Last December, we wrote a letter of introduction requesting a meeting with (Santé Québec CEO Geneviève) Biron, and it took four months before they answered,' Perrault added. 'We obviously were following up every month. It was complete silence. And then finally in April we got someone on the phone from Santé Québec who is in charge of all of physical health, but it's a mammoth job and he's got no staff. So we had trouble getting answers and nothing is being done.' 'Things are getting worse because they're not organized,' Perrault added of Santé Québec. 'They're understaffed. They're overwhelmed and they don't know what to do, and they have to contend with making $1.5 billion in cuts. So we've seen it in the hospital. The cardiologists don't have access to the same technology. The bean counters tell them they can't do more volume, you have to decrease your volume or you can't have that brand new catheter that performs better.' Marianne Paquette, a spokesperson for Santé Québec, declined to comment about the concerns raised by the two doctors' associations, referring The Gazette instead to the Health Ministry. Meanwhile, an official with the ministry suggested the physicians' dire warnings may be motivated, in part, by their negotiations with the government over remuneration and working conditions. However, The Gazette has verified through the government's own statistics that the problem of lengthy wait times for cardiac patients has grown markedly worse since 2019 — years before the latest round of negotiations. For example, a dozen patients died while waiting for their heart operation during a six-month period in 2019, when cardiac surgeons first sounded the alarm about the problem. That compares with 37 sudden cardiac deaths for the most recent six-month period. What's more, the number of heart patients waiting beyond the medically acceptable delay of 90 days for surgery has increased steadily. On March 31, 2024, the rate was 53.2 per cent. That compares with nearly 62 per cent for the corresponding date this year, for a total of 774 cardiac patients who are now at heightened risk of sudden death. In addition, the number of patients on the wait list for electrophysiology — in order to install a pacemaker for the heart — has surged from about 3,000 three years ago to nearly 5,000 today, with 85 per cent waiting past medically acceptable delays. 'It's a scandal,' Perrault said. 'We're a G7 nation. People are dying on wait lists. This should not be happening.' As Cantin explained: 'In cardiology, we're fighting against sudden death. So depending on the intervention that's needed, it's safe to do it within two months. We know we may lose some people on the wait lists but that impact should be minimal. What's happening now, though, is that with almost two-thirds of patients not getting operated within the allotted time, you just increase the risk of sudden death. And now that's what we're seeing.' The administrative tug-of-war between the Health Ministry and Santé Québec would appear to validate the objections that critics have made about the new organization creating an unnecessary parallel bureaucracy that would only slow down the delivery of medical care. Health Minister Christian Dubé created Santé Québec with the goal of streamlining bureaucracy, entrusting the Crown corporation with negotiating with the unions and running the network on a daily basis, leaving the ministry in charge of so-called strategic planning. Both Cantin and Perrault attributed the lengthy delays for heart surgery to a severe shortage of perfusionists, the technicians who run the heart-and-lung machines. At present, there are 70 for the whole province, and they said Quebec needs 90 for the system to function smoothly. 'I'm director of the perfusionist program at the Université de Montréal and our graduates are leaving for Ontario, for Alberta, for the United States,' Perrault noted. 'Our perfusionists are the lowest-paid in Canada. A lot of people are quitting the profession, taking an early retirement because when the teams are incomplete the work becomes so hard. So much of their work is on call. People don't like the lifestyle.' As a consequence, when a perfusionist is not available, a heart surgeon is left with no choice but to postpone an operation at additional cost to the system. Marie-Claude Lacasse, coordinator of media relations at the Health Ministry, confirmed the government is 'concerned about reports of deaths directly associated with the lack of perfusionists.' 'The (Health Ministry) is aware that the needs are great and that solutions must be found,' Lacasse said in an email. At the same time, however, she disputed that the root problem may be a shortage of perfusionists. 'According to the data ... the unavailability of a perfusionist is the reason given in less than 1 per cent of surgical cancellations,' she added. 'We invite the unions to send us this data so that the appropriate follow-up can be done properly and quickly. Discussions are still underway with the unions representing perfusionists, notably involving the Treasury Board.' Audrey Noiseux, Dubé's press attaché, also appeared to downplay the concerns by the doctors' groups, suggesting this may be a bargaining tactic. 'The information reported is worrying,' she said, adding that 'one thing is clear: we, too, are very concerned about surgical waiting lists.' Still, Noiseux emphasized that 'we are negotiating with the federation of medical specialists, and that discussions are currently underway with the perfusionists' union, so we will remain cautious in our comments. That said, we cannot continue to give more money for the same results. With Santé Québec, we will continue to do everything we can to reduce waiting lists, and everyone has a role to play.'
Boston Globe
17-06-2025
- Boston Globe
Hiker, 70, dies after ‘medical event' on trail in White Mountains, authorities say
The Army National Guard was called, as Perrault was almost three miles from the nearest road, authorities said. Shortly after, a Blackhawk helicopter and crew took off from their hangar in Concord, authorities said. At the same time, Appalachian Mountain Club personnel and Conservation Officers began hiking to the location of the incident on Valley Way Trail. Advertisement Around 3:15 p.m., the Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter picked up Perrault and took him to an ambulance at the Gorham Municipal Airport in Gorham, N.H., authorities said. Gorham medics, police, and firefighters helped during the response. Perrault was later pronounced dead 'despite the best efforts of all involved,' authorities said. Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CHL Hosts Meet The Coaches Press Conference Ahead of Memorial Cup
Earlier today, London Knights Head Coach Dale Hunter took part in a pre-tournament press conference alongside the Head Coaches of the other three participating teams. The panel consisted of Hunter, Willie Desjardins (Medicine Hat), Gardiner MacDougall (Moncton) and Joël Perrault (Rimouski). Each of the coaches answered questions fielded by members of the media generally responding in jovial and upbeat fashion. These are four star-studded coaches whose shelves are weighed down by some serious hardware. In 2022, MacDougall won the Memorial Cup in spectacular fashion as the Head Coach of the Saint John's Sea Dogs. He'd only been with the team for a few short weeks prior to the tournament. While Desjardins has not won a Memorial Cup, he has won multiple medals on the international stag,e coaching Team Canada at various levels. Perrault is the least decorated of the quartet, though he is also the youngest of the four coaches. MacDougall was especially complementary of Perrault praising him and Rimouski for battling through injuries in the QMJHL Finals. Hunter is by far the most decorated coach in this group. Not only has he won two Memorial Cups, he's also the winner of five OHL Championships which ties him for the most in OHL history. He and the Knights are the favourite to win the Memorial Cup this year, largely based on the fourteen returning London players who made it to the finals of last year's tournament. Hear from Dale Hunter (@LondonKnights), Willie Desjardins (@tigershockey), Gardiner MacDougall (@monctonwildcats) and Joël Perrault (@oceanicrimouski) at the 2025 #MemorialCup Meet the Coaches press conference! 🎙️ — Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 22, 2025 Despite being the favourites, Hunter emphasized how difficult it is to win the Memorial Cup. The Knights cruised through the OHL Playoffs, dropping only one game on their way to their second straight J. Ross Robertson Cup. They were undefeated going into the OHL Finals. Twenty years ago, Hunter won the Memorial Cup in London by defeating the Rimouski Oceanic in the final. That team included veteran Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry as well as former Ottawa Senator Marc Methot. The two teams will rematch in London's second game at the tournament. This time the Oceanic will look to take a win on home ice. One question directed towards Desjardins focused on WHL superstar Gavin McKenna making his first appearance at the Memorial Cup. The young star averaged more than two points per game during the WHL playoffs, scoring nine goals and adding 29 assists in 16 games. As the coach of the host team, Perrault fielded quite a few questions. In a heartfelt moment, he told reporters that the bracelet he wears around his wrist is a token given to him by his daughters who made it for him during his first year in Rimouski. The Oceanic will kick off the tournament tomorrow evening against Medicine Hat. The game is set to start at 7:00 p.m. The OHL representatives will start their tournament the following evening with a contest against Moncton. The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elections Canada boosts access to security at polling locations due to ongoing 'tensions'
OTTAWA — Elections Canada says it has boosted availability of security at polling locations in light of ongoing 'tensions' caused by the Israel-Hamas conflict and the historic trade war with the United States. Elections Commissioner Stéphane Perrault said on Monday that his organization is ready to deliver a 'secure and accessible' federal election on April 28. As part of that effort, he said the organization was already working to secure the necessary polling locations, extending its 'vote on campus' program to roughly 1.4 million students for a first ever federal election and expanding voting options for Indigenous and northern communities. He also told reporters that the organization preventatively pre-approved security spending for returning officers (who administer the elections in each of the 343 federal ridings) to protect polling locations and offices if needed. That's a change from previous elections, where returning officers had to request approval for security expenses as the needs arose, which slowed down the process. 'In the last election, we saw that there were some tensions — just in case people have forgotten, this was the pandemic election — and there were tensions in that election. We were in pandemic measures, and then we saw that at the polls,' Perrault said. 'This time around, rather than having to do a case-by-case approval as we go, we provided initial budgets for returning officers based on their assessment … whether security is needed,' he added. Carney promises tax cut, calls Poilievre 'Canadian Trump' at campaign launch The 'Century Initiative' is the talk of the campaign, but what is it? Senior Elections Canada officials said during a background briefing to reporters that while the COVID-19 pandemic is over, societal tensions remain in the current 'context of uncertainty.' During the 2021 vote, Elections Canada reported a handful of disruptions among the tens of thousands of polling stations across the country. 'Obviously, we were inspired by the context in 2021 during the pandemic,' the official said. 'To avoid certain administrative delays, and in the current context with the tensions related to Hamas and Palestine and the United States, we're acting prudently,' said one official. 'We're allowing returning to use their judgement to ensure the safety of voters at polling stations and at their offices,' he added. Perrault said the election is estimated to cost $570 million, roughly the same amount as the previous one. He said his organization is looking to hire 200,000 people to work a total of 16,000 polling locations on April 28. Another major difference from 2021 is that Elections Canada will only place polling stations in long-term care homes on election day instead of multiple days leading up to April 28. National Post cnardi@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.
