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In this issue...

• Quebec toddler dies as bouncy castle carried away by wind, sparking call for more regulations

• Big Brother Canada being rebooted by CTV and Crave in 2027 following demise at Global in 2024

• By the numbers X 10 + 1

• CBC Radio's Under the Influence: A tribute to Joe Sedelmaier

• Heated Rivalry fleece worn by character Shane Hollander sold out in 10 minutes after going on sale!

• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news

• Father's Day is Sunday, June 21

• Trivia: Did you know?

• Quotes of note

• Check out these delicious recipe compilations from Brian Cormier

• Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group

Quebec toddler dies as bouncy castle carried away by wind, sparking call for more regulations

A recent community party in Quebec was struck by tragedy recently as a bouncy castle was taken away by the wind, causing the death of a three-year-old girl. A freak accident? Not really. This has happened before... a lot! Just check YouTube and you'll see many videos of these things being taken away by the wind - often with children still in them.

Article excerpt: "The death of a three-year-old girl after a bouncy castle was swept up by the wind in Montreal is raising questions about the safety of the devices and the lack of regulation.

The toddler, identified by her father as Ava Ciampini, was among 11 people injured when an inflatable structure, set up in a park in Montreal’s LaSalle borough, was blown away Sunday afternoon. 

Around the time of the incident, gusts of wind of 50 km/h were reported by Environment Canada. 

Despite the popularity of inflatable games at parties and festivals, CBC News has confirmed the Quebec government has no regulations governing their rental.

The regulatory gap exists despite a number of weather-related bouncy castle incidents across the globe."

It's pretty clear after a number of incidents that there are regulatory and design changes needed. Would them being staked down work? A strong wind would rip those out easily, I think. Perhaps the solution is water-filled bases to provide enough weight for stability.

Check out this CNN video from nine years ago of bouncy castles being taken away by the wind - and no, the weight of the children wasn't enough to stabilize them.

Read: Quebec girl’s death highlights lack of regulations for bouncy castles.

Big Brother Canada being rebooted by CTV and Crave in 2027 following demise at Global in 2024

If you love Canadian reality television, yesterday was a great day with the news that Big Brother Canada will be returning in 2027 after being cancelled in 2024. CTV and Crave will be taking over the franchise from Global, which - in my opinion - never knew what to do with the show. Cancelled - uncancelled - cancelled again.

Article excerpt: "Bell Media announced today that, following a deal with Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay Entertainment, it will bring future seasons of Big Brother USA to Canadian audiences beginning Summer 2027. With the acquisition of the US series, Bell Media also announced it has ordered a new season of Big Brother Canada for Crave and CTV. 

From Entourage, the team behind French-language Québécois series, Big Brother Célébrités, and produced in association with Crave and CTV, Big Brother Canada is set to begin production Spring 2027 in Montreal. Canadian TV personality Andrea Bain, co-host of CTV’s The Social, is confirmed as the host for the new season, with casting details to be announced at a later date.  

'Big Brother is one of the most iconic and beloved formats around the world and we are thrilled to have it take up residency at Bell Media,' said Justin Stockman, VP, Global Content, Bell Media. 'Further strengthening our alliance with our production partners at Entourage and distribution partner at Banijay Rights, we look forward to delivering Canadian audiences more of the eventful and unforgettable competitive social gameplay they love with a new season of Big Brother Canada.'" 

The quality of Global's production was excellent. The competitions were high quality - and the show was definitely kinder and gentler than the U.S. version. I hope CTV keeps up the quality level of production and that new host Andrea Bain will connect with fans right away. Former host Arisa Cox and Big Brother Canada go together like Julie Chen and Big Brother USA, so there will be an adjustment for fans. As one of them, I hope it goes well and that the show will be a big success!

Crave will also be the streaming home for all past seasons of Big Brother Canada. Hopefully, the move will breathe new life into the franchise.

Read: Bell Media becomes head of household with order of Big Brother Canada for Crave and CTV and acquisition of future seasons of Big Brother USA, beginning in 2027.

By the numbers X 10 + 1

• 1. 4 ways the happiest couples spend their weekends

• 2. 5 Costco gadgets that fix problems you didn't know you had

• 3. CNET: Top 5 best VPN service for 2026

• 4. 7 new features coming to your phone with the June 2026 Android Drop

• 5. Lego announces 12 Smart Play Pokémon sets

• 6. 12 ways to make your garden more climate resilient

• 7. 13 soccer movies and TV shows to watch so you can pretend you know what’s going on during the FIFA World Cup

• 8. CNN: 20 Amazon products our readers loved buying in May

• 9. 23 years after a Boeing 727 vanished at sunset, these clues show how it seemingly disappeared from Earth

• 10. British Columbia: Man who used "sexsomnia" as defence for sexual assault ordered to pay victim $200K

• Bonus: Canadian Living: 31 recipes to cook in June

CBC Radio's Under the Influence: A tribute to Joe Sedelmaier

The June 4th episode of CBC Radio's Under the Influence with host Terry O'Reilly looked at the professional legacy of Joe Sedelmaier (shown in photo) who passed away on May 8, weeks shy of his 93rd birthday. He was an American film director who was also known for his now-iconic work in television advertising.

• June 4, 2026 - Joe Sedelmaier Tribute: "This week, we pay tribute to one of the greatest commercial directors in the ad business. You may not know the late Joe Sedelmaier by name, but you certainly know his work. He directed the famous 'Fast Talking Man' ad for FedEx and a landmark commercial for Wendy’s that contained the line 'Where’s the beef?' I did several commercials with Sedelmaier, and he kicked me off the set of my own commercial once. It’s a great story." Click here to listen to the episode.

Under the Influence airs Thursdays and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on CBC Radio One; Tuesdays at 4 p.m., Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on Sirius XM Channel 169. The show is also available as a podcast through your favourite podcast provider. Click here for the show's on-demand audio archive.

Heated Rivalry fleece worn by character Shane Hollander sold out in 10 minutes after going on sale!

Remember that Team Canada fleece worn by Hudson Williams' character Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry? If you've watched the show or are into pop culture, of course you do. Even Prime Minister Mark Carney got into the fun - wearing the actual fleece from the show at a publicity event.

Well, they finally went up for sale... and they sold out in 10 minutes. Ten!

Article excerpt: "Missed out on snagging your own Shane Hollander Team Canada Fleece from Heated Rivalry? You aren't alone.

Almost as soon as Crave's breakout hockey romance debuted, it launched a frenzy over the Team Canada zip-up fleece worn by Hollander, played by Canadian Hudson Williams. The character wears the white zip-up during the Sochi Olympic scenes in the show's second episode.

The hotly anticipated fleece went on sale Tuesday at 12 p.m. ET. Within 10 minutes, it had completely sold out, Province of Canada, the Canadian brand behind the release, told CBC News in an email on Wednesday.

The fleece, available exclusively on the store's website, retails for $356 Cdn and is expected to ship to customers in October. Ten per cent of the net profits will go to You Can Play, a non-profit focused on 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.

The NHL and NHL Players' Association will be matching donations up to a combined total of $50,000."

Expect to find those items going for a fortune on eBay after their shipped in October. The ones there now are knock-offs.

Read: Want the Heated Rivalry Team Canada fleece? Well, it's already sold out.

Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news

• 1. Peabo Bryson, timeless tenor of Disney ballads and R&B legend, dead at 75 (see photo)

• 2. Tim Hortons to shut down credit card program in October, company says

• 3. Cricket Canada’s membership within international body suspended immediately

• 4. Claude Lemieux, former Canadien and four-time Stanley Cup champion, dead at 60

• 5. Idris Elba still isn't James Bond, but he's now a knight

• 6. Ottawa: Guilbeault resigns as MP, says he’ll fight climate change outside of government

• 7. CBS News fires veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley after clash with new leadership

Father's Day is on Sunday, June 21

Father's day is fast approaching on Sunday, June 21! Here are some links to help you get ready to celebrate all things Dad!

• 1. 8 best watches to gift Dad this Father’s Day

• 2. 12 Father's Day tech gifts your Dad will actually use - starting from under $30

• 3. 19 last-minute Father’s Day gifts you can order on Amazon

• 4. 26 Father’s Day gifts that are a hit every time

• 5. 28 of the best practical Father’s Day gifts he’ll wish someone had given him sooner

• 6. 28 luxury Father’s Day gifts that are worth the splurge

• 7. The 51 best Father’s Day gifts for every Dad in your life

• 8. Father’s Day gifts under $100 that he’ll actually use

• 9. Elle Canada: The most stylish Father’s Day gifts to give this year

• 10. GQ's Father’s Day Gift Guide, according to a father

Trivia: Did you know?

I hate to ruin Christmas for you in June, but better you know now than in December, right? There weren't necessarily three wise men who brought gifts to Baby Jesus. While they were indeed mentioned in the Bible, people assumed there were three because of the number of gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh. The actual number of wise men, however, is not specified in the Bible.

Quotes of note

• 1. "I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom."

- Umberto Eco (1932-2016), Italian novelist (see photo)

• 2. "A choir is made up of many voices, including yours and mine. If one by one all go silent then all that will be left are the soloists. Don’t let a loud few determine the nature of the sound. It makes for poor harmony and diminishes the song."

- Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

• 3. "He who sings scares away his woes."

- Cervantes

• 4. "Someone once said that every man is trying to live up to his father's expectations or make up for their father's mistakes...."

- Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

• 5. "That was when the world wasn't so big and I could see everywhere. It was when my father was a hero and not a human."

- Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger

• 6. "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

- Dr. Seuss

• 7. "Don’t tempt the scorpion if you don’t want to get stung."

- Colleen Hoover, It Ends with Us

• 8. "Let's pray that the human race never escapes Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere."

- C.S. Lewis

• 9. "I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"

- Ernest Hemingway

• 10. "I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal."

- Ernest Cline

Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group

In June, the group walks in Mapleton Park with meetup in the Rotary Park Lodge parking lot just off Mountain Road in Moncton.

The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.

About this newsletter

Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.