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In this issue...

• Axe the tax! Build the homes! Stop the crime! Ban the media! Wait... what? Poilievre bans media from travelling with his campaign during next federal election.

• Buy Canadian! But... is Tim Hortons actually still Canadian?

• By the numbers X 10 + 1

• CBC Radio's Under the Influence: No new episode this week

• A guide to election polls during Canada's federal election

• New release: The Hump Day Collection - Volume 1

• Buy them now! Acadian Recipes and More - Volumes 1, 2 & 3, and Forgotten Recipes - Volume 1

• The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night will be held on Monday, March 24

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

• Enjoy the outdoors this winter with the Greater Moncton Walking Group

... and trivia, quotes and more!

Axe the tax! Build the homes! Stop the crime! Ban the media! Wait... what? Conservatives ban media from travelling with campaign in next federal election.

As Canada enters another general election - its 45th - the Conservatives are breaking with tradition and will not be allowing media to travel with them to events. The decision is being widely (and rightfully) criticized as limiting access to Canadians of the goings-on of their campaign.

Article excerpt: "The Conservative party is breaking from tradition and will not be allowing media onboard planes and buses to cover Pierre Poilievre’s election campaign.

In an email Tuesday, national campaign director Jenni Byrne said costs for travel have 'risen considerably,' as has the capacity for digital and remote access to public events.

Byrne also said in recent years, media outlets have chosen to tag staff from local bureaus to cover events rather than fly journalists from Ottawa across the country for the entire duration of the campaign.

Byrne said her team wants to stress that the campaign will ensure 'strong, fair, and equitable media access.'

For decades, federal election campaigns for the main political parties have provided seats on leaders’ tours, with the media organizations paying the party for the travel and other fees, so that journalists can access events, ask questions to hold leaders to account and closely observe the campaigns."

Byrne's assertion that the party's decision will cut costs is a complete and utter lie. The media pay for their travel and always have. There was never a free ride. Secondly, stops in small communities will be very difficult for the media to cover because of a huge reduction in local journalism assets. Crowd sizes (yes, they matter) will also be more difficult to determine.

With that said, with fewer media around covering the campaign, it will be more difficult to know when major gaffes are made. Let's hope media outlets and networks resist using Conservative campaign video fed "as-is" to them by the campaign. You can be sure it will only show the party in the best light.

This will backfire on them completely. It is not the sign of a confident campaign.

Many people are critical of Prime Minister Mark Carney's bristly reaction to certain media questions, but give credit where credit is due. He's not banning media from travelling with the Liberals on the campaign. The same goes for the NDP. Even the Bloc Québécois are offering a media bus.

Read: Poilievre won’t allow media to travel with him on election campaign.

Buy Canadian! But... is Tim Hortons actually still Canadian?

I thought that Tim Hortons was basically a Brazilian company, but it seems like things have changed over the years. Originally a wholly Canadian company, of course, ownership has varied over the years.

Article excerpt: "Tim Hortons was founded in 1964 by longtime Toronto Maple Leafs player Tim Horton, and was later taken over by Nova Scotia-born Ron Joyce after Horton's death in 1974.

In 1995, the business was bought by American burger chain Wendy's, but the two companies went their separate ways in 2006.

In 2014, Tim Hortons became part of Restaurant Brands International. This is where the idea of Tim's being Brazilian comes from. Restaurant Brands International's largest shareholder was the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital.

In 2014, at the time of the takeover, 3G held 47 per cent of the voting power in Restaurant Brands International, but that has slowly decreased over time to 26 per cent as of Dec. 31, 2024.

Today, Canadian banks such as Toronto Dominion, Bank of Montreal, National Bank and Royal Bank, as well as Canadian institutional investors such as the CPP Investment Board, cumulatively hold a stake comparable to 3G, according to Michael Oliveira, the director of communications for Tim Hortons.

'We understand how this 'Brazilian-owned' narrative evolved over time but it's simply not accurate,' he said in an email.

Restaurant Brands International's financial documents show that U.S.-based Capital World Investors has the next largest percentage of voting power, at about 9.5 per cent, and U.S.-based Pershing Square Funds has about 6.5 per cent."

Well, I'm not exactly sure how Canadian percentages rack up in all those numbers among various shareholders, however the suggestion that it's Brazilian-owned is clearly not accurate today.

With 64% of Tim Hortons' restaurants worldwide located in Canada and employing 100,000 people, it's safe it say that the personality of the chain is definitely Canadian - as mentioned in the article. Furthermore, the chain's headquarters are located in Toronto with 400 employees.

While Canadians scrutinize the ownership of the products and services they're buying, when it comes to Tim Hortons, it may be complicated, but I think we're good.

Read: Is Tim Hortons Canadian?

By the numbers X 10 + 1

• 1. The top 3 things couples fight about The top 3 things couples fight about

• 2. 5 ways the pandemic changed us for good, for bad and forever

• 3. Our 8 best houseplant and gardening tips from the past 25 years

• 4. 2 astronauts stuck in space for 9 months have returned to Earth

• 5. 14 best comfort foods to celebrate spring's fresh flavours

• 6. 43 pantry organization and storage ideas that will save time and space in the kitchen

• 7. 71 Canadian fiction books to read in spring 2025

• 8. I'm an ex-Amazon VP who's viewed 10,000 resumes in my career. Here are the top 6 mistakes I've seen and how to fix them.

• 9. Harvard says tuition will be free for families making $200K or less

• 10. Statistics Canada says population rose to 41,528,680 at Jan. 1 as growth slowed

• Bonus: Here are 8 photography winners with disabilities who show the world their perspective

A guide to election polls during Canada's federal election

It's official! Canada is now in a federal election campaign. If you're a political junkie like me, here's a rundown of some of the best places to keep track of the coming onslaught of opinion polls and seat projections.

The number of seats in the House of Commons is moving from 338 to 343, so the number required for a majority government is now 172, where it was previously 170.

Polling aggregators (excellent resources but slower to respond to fast-moving momentum):

• 338 Canada

• CBC Poll Tracker

Polls (daily and otherwise):

• Liaison Strategies National Daily Tracking Poll

• Abacus Data

• Leger

• Nanos

• Angus Reid Institute

• Ipsos

• Mainstreet Research

• Ekos Politics

Ongoing updated list of polls:

• Wikipedia opinion polling for the 2025 Canadian federal election

CBC Radio's Under the Influence: No new episode this week

This week's episode of CBC Radio's Under the Influence series with host Terry O'Reilly was a repeat from last season. A new episode will air next week.

Click here for the show's website and here for the show's podcast archive.

New release: The Hump Day Collection - Volume 1

I'm thrilled to announce that The Hump Day Collection - Volume 1 is now available for purchase through Amazon in ebook or paperback (300+ pages) format. The book contains 75 updated and revised Hump Day stories that ran for many years in a local newspaper. I've been asked many times to put these in book format, so I'm hoping you'll like it! For ebook lovers, the book is part of the Kindle Unlimited subscription-based program from Amazon. To purchase today:

• Chapters (Dieppe NB location)

• Amazon Canada: amzn.to/4gckiQX

• Amazon USA: amzn.to/3CnKfiF

Buy them now! Acadian Recipes and More - Volumes 1, 2 & 3, and Forgotten Recipes - Volume 1

My three volumes of Acadian recipe books (English and French) and Forgotten Recipes - Volume 1 are out now and make a great addition to your recipe book library or a gift for someone else! They are available on Amazon Canada, Amazon USA and in some local retail outlets in Southeastern New Brunswick:

• Chapters (Dieppe) (Volumes 1-3, Forgotten Recipes)

• Le P'tit Coin Acadien Poutine Râpée (Bouctouche) (Volumes 1-3)

• Jean Coutu Pharmacy (Champlain Street, Dieppe) (Volumes 1-3)

• Monument-Lefebvre (Memramcook) (Volumes 1-2)

The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night will be held on Monday, March 24

The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night of the 2024-2025 season will be held at St. Louis Bar & Grill, 1405 Mountain Road, Moncton, on Monday, March 24, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person (cash only). Facebook event listing: bit.ly/4hIvvKF.

Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.

It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m. sharp and is usually over by 8 p.m. Everyone welcome!

Please note that restaurant reservations are NOT available for this event. First come, first served. Limited seating of approximately 50 guests.

Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).

Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated more than $20,000 to Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Children's Wish Canada and Krista Richard's Community Sports Program, among others.

The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club gratefully acknowledges the kind and generous sponsorship of our restaurant partner, St. Louis Bar & Grill.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a no telephone rule at these events. The answers cannot be researched except among discussion with your team members.

The remaining Trivia Night schedule for 2024-2025 is as follows:

• Monday, March 24, 2025

• Monday, April 28, 2025

• Monday, May 26, 2025

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

• 1. U.S. officials cracking down on people trying to bring valuable eggs across the border

• 2. Hudson’s Bay to liquidate all but these 6 stores starting Monday

• 3. Non-sufficient funds fee will be limited to $10 in Canada starting next year

• 4. Europe and Canada are eyeing alternatives to American-made fighter jets. Here’s why.

• 5. Vancouver International Auto Show removes Tesla over safety concerns

• 6. Ben & Jerry's boss "ousted over political activism"

• 7. "World's ugliest animal" is New Zealand's fish of the year

Trivia: Did you know?

With the recent resignation of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister of Canada, there are now six living former prime ministers:

• Joe Clark (1979-1980)

• Kim Campbell (1993)

• Jean Chrétien (1993-2003)

• Paul Martin (2003-2006)

• Stephen Harper (2006-2015)

• Justin Trudeau (2015-2025)

Quotes of note

• 1. "Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!"

- Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Lakota leader (1831/1837-1890) (shown in photo)

• 2. "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming."

- Pablo Neruda

• 3. "Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed."

- Walt Whitman

• 4. "Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems."

- Rainer Maria Rilke

• 5. "In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."

- Mark Twain

• 6. "If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."

- Tallulah Bankhead

• 7. "I have never been hurt by what I have not said."

- Calvin Coolidge

• 8. "If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle."

- Hillary Clinton

• 9. "What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?"

- W. Clement Stone

• 10. "A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don't have a top for it."

- Jerry Seinfeld

Enjoy the outdoors this winter with the Greater Moncton Walking Group

In March, the group is walking on the Northwest Trail in Moncton. Meet-up is in the parking lot of YMCA Moncton North located at 70 Twin Oaks Drive.

In April, the group will be walking in Rotary Park, Dieppe, with meet-up in the Rotary Lodge parking lot located at 505 Melanson Road.

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.