In this issue...
• Sobeys' parent company says sales of U.S. products dropping
• Time to get moving on a new residence for Canada's prime minister
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Political campaign songs
• Young people are staying on Facebook - if they are at all - because of Marketplace
• 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!
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Sobeys' parent company says sales of U.S. products dropping
If you've been watching the news lately - and it's difficult to tune out with everything going on - you'll know that Canadians are turning their backs on American-made products in grocery stores and at other retailers whenever possible. Many have reported that American products are going unsold and being left on shelves. In fact, Empire - the parent company of a number of grocery store chains - has announced that it's not just our imagination. Shoppers are indeed abandoning U.S.-made products.
Article excerpt: "Empire Co. Ltd.’s CEO says the grocer is seeing sales of products from the U.S. 'rapidly dropping' as shoppers look to support the Canadian economy and avoid the potential effects of tariffs.
'We have heard loud and clear from our customers that they want Canadian products,' said Michael Medline on a call discussing the company’s third-quarter results.
About 12% of Empire’s products are sourced from the U.S. in a normal year, said Medline - but this is not a normal year.
'This 12% number has been decreasing over the last year and will continue to as we shift our supply to meet our customers’ growing demand for Canadian and non-American products,' he said.
Empire, which owns multiple banners across the country including Sobeys and FreshCo, has a roster of good alternatives in most categories, said Medline, but produce is the hardest to replace.
'In Canada, in the winter, we do not always have viable alternatives,' he said."
Some people are placing American-made products back on the shelves upside down in order to show their discontent, but that only makes more work for store staff. I won't be doing that.
Read: Sales of U.S. products "dropping" at Empire-owned grocers amid tariff uncertainty.
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Time to get moving on a new residence for Canada's prime minister
Canada is one of the few developed countries without a reasonably decent residence for its head of government. For a number of years, now, 24 Sussex Drive - the traditional residence of the sitting prime minister - has been shuttered because of maintenance issues. On his way out the door, now-former prime minister Justin Trudeau has made a plea to fix the issue once and for all.
Article excerpt: "As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepares to leave office, CBC News has learned that one of his final acts is an attempt to settle the problem of 24 Sussex Drive, the official - and long vacant - residence of Canada's prime minister.
In a letter to Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Trudeau asks the minister to develop a proposal with options for a new official residence for the prime minister by January 2026.
The prime minister asks Duclos to set up an advisory committee that would weigh in on the location, cost, functionality and security requirements of the new residence.
Trudeau sent a separate letter to Public Safety Minister David McGuinty asking him to support the process, as his department would help with security planning."
This is not a cheap venture, but considering the national importance of the position and the residence's role in hosting dignitaries, it's time to finally get this done. If we're screaming all over the world that we're a sovereign country and deserve to exist, we need to fix this issue. It's a bit rinky-dink to let this situation continue.
Read: Trudeau proposes way forward on 24 Sussex problem during final days in power. Related: National Capital Commission - 24 Sussex Drive.
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Young people are staying on Facebook - if they are at all - because of Marketplace
If you're of a certain age, you're probably on Facebook, but young people have largely abandoned the social media network in favour of other platforms. The one thing keeping young people on Facebook, though, is Marketplace, where items are bought and sold.
Article excerpt: "Meta’s Facebook’s influence remains strong globally, but younger users are logging in less. Only 32% of U.S. teens use Facebook today, down from 71% in 2014, according to a 2024 Pew Research study. However, Facebook’s resale platform Marketplace is one reason young people are on the platform.
'I only use Facebook for Marketplace,' said Mirka Arevalo, a student at Buffalo University. 'I go in knowing what I want, not just casually browsing.'
Launched in 2016, Facebook Marketplace has grown into one of Meta’s biggest success stories. With 1.1 billion users across 70 countries, it competes with eBay and Craigslist, according to BusinessDasher.
'Marketplace is the flea market of the internet,' said Charles Lindsay, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Buffalo. 'There’s a massive amount of consumer-to-consumer business.'
Unlike eBay or Etsy, Marketplace doesn’t charge listing fees, and local pickups help avoid shipping costs, according to Facebook’s Help Center.
'Sellers love that Marketplace has no fees,' said Jasmine Enberg, VP and Principal Analyst at eMarketer. 'Introducing fees could push users elsewhere.'"
I'm not a fan of Marketplace, but I've used it in the past with success. It's definitely a good place to buy and sell. (I guess I'm not a fan because I don't buy and sell a lot of stuff online other than through Amazon with my books.)
Read: How Facebook Marketplace is keeping young people on the platform.
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CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Political campaign songs
Last week's episode of CBC Radio's Under the Influence series with host Terry O'Reilly looked at the impact - both positive and negative - of political campaign songs.
• March 13, 2025 - Orchestrating Elections: Political Campaign Songs. Synopsis: "This week, we take a look at one of the tools of political marketing - the campaign song. Politicians have used songs going all the way back to at least the 1700s. Sometimes the songs are written expressly for the political party or candidate. Sometimes, politicians co-opt pop songs. And sometimes, pop artists have a major problem with that." Click here to listen to the episode. Click here to read the episode's website post.
Click here for the show's website and here for the show's podcast archive.
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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
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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)
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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
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Trivia: Did you know?
According to the Government of Canada, one of the major etiquette mistakes many people make after hearing O Canada! - the national anthem - is that they applaud and cheer. In the current international political climate, I think that etiquette rule will be pretty much ignored for the time being.
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Quotes of note
• 1. “If there's a pro-Canadian, or someone who's a real proud Canadian, I am. Nobody in Canada would want a united Canada more than me.”
- Terry Fox, athlete and humanitarian (1958-1981) (see photo)
• 2. "Whether you're trying to learn in hockey or trying to learn in life, I've always tried to be observant and tried to learn more, tried to evolve, whether it's as a hockey player or as a person. With each year, I try to do that."
- Sidney Crosby
• 3. “You have to make every day count toward your dream.”
- Connor McDavid
• 4. "No one remembers the guy who goes out and does an adequate job."
- P.K. Subban
• 5. "The most worthwhile thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others."
- Robert Baden-Powell
• 6. “I am a kind of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.”
- J.D. Salinger
• 7. "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls."
- Pablo Picasso
• 8. "Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes."
- Jim Carrey
• 9. "If I had to name my greatest strength, I guess it would be my humility. Greatest weakness, it's possible that I'm a little too awesome."
- Barack Obama
• 10. "We believe that to err is human. To blame it on someone else is politics."
- Hubert Humphrey
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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.
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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.
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