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CVS and Walgreens pharmacy staff plan 3-day walkout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

New York (CNN) — Employees at some of the largest drugstore chains in the United States are staging a new series of walkouts across the country Monday to demand the companies fix what employees say are harsh working conditions that make it difficult for them to safely fill prescriptions, and which could put the health of their customers at risk.Walgreens and CVS employees are mostly not unionized, which makes a largescale walkout difficult to execute. Staff and organizers in multiple states confirmed to CNN that the walkouts have begun and will take place through November 1, but it remains unclear how widespread the action is.Workers at Walgreens and CVS have previously staged walkouts in Arizona, Washington, Massachusetts and Oregon in September and early October. Those work actions closed a handful of pharmacies briefly, and slowed business at several others. At the time, Walgreens told CNN the impact has been “minimal.”Shane Jerom...

Bruins notebook: Danton Heinen nearing a deal?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

There was no official signing by the end Monday’s morning skate, but it appears as though Danton Heinen’s long wait for a contract is coming to an end.Heinen took the first shift as the fourth line left wing in the morning skate, at the end of the skate, he was awarded with the center stretch to stick taps all around. It certainly seemed as if somehting was in the works.Heinen has been with the B’s on a tryout agreement since the start of training camp but, because of some salary cap constraints, the club had not been able to sign him. That appears to be changing, and a Heinen addition would give coach Jim Montgomery a player he could plug in throughout the lineup.“His versatility is really important he can play both wings adeptly as well and he understands whatever line he’s put on, what the expectation is of the role he’s going to play,” said coach Jim Montgomery, who coached Heinen at the University of Denver.This is would be Heinen’s second go...

Protesters condemn Quebec plan to double tuition for out-of-province students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

MONTREAL — Protesters are marching in downtown Montreal to condemn the Quebec government’s plan to double university tuition for students from other provinces. Protest organizer Alex O’Neill, who grew up in Montreal and studies at McGill University, says out-of-province students can’t afford to pay the $17,000 the government wants to charge them next year. Many participants at the protest, which stretched the length of two city blocks, wore purple, the colour of Bishop’s University, in Sherbrooke, Que., the province’s only English-language university outside Montreal. Sophia Stacey, president of the university’s student association, says she worries Bishop’s will be forced to close if tuition for non-Quebec students is dramatically increased.The Quebec government says the measure is partially motivated to protect the French language by reducing the number of English-speaking people in Montreal. Catherine Bibeau-Lorrain, president of Union ét...

Labour shortages: Quebec to fast-track training for some in-demand construction jobs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

QUEBEC — The Quebec government is offering paid fast-track training programs for workers in skilled trades that are most in demand in the province’s construction industry. Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters today he hopes to train anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000 new carpenters, excavator operators, heavy machinery operators, refrigeration technicians and tinsmiths — workers who make things with sheet metal.He says the province is launching one-time accelerated training programs in which students in those specific trades will receive $750 per week to obtain a professional studies certificate.Those who enrol could be eligible for scholarships of between $9,000 to $15,000 upon graduation.The Quebec government will also be increasing the capacity of the diploma programs in electricity, plumbing and heating beginning in January.Legault says the new fast-track programs, which will cost $300 million, are necessary for the province to complete major projects, such as new scho...

Smoke’s Poutinerie founder and CEO Ryan Smolkin dead at 50

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

AJAX — Smoke’s Poutinerie Inc. says the founder of the fast-food chain has died.The company attributed the Sunday death of 50-year-old Ryan Smolkin to unexpected complications from a recent surgery.Smolkin started the Ajax, Ont.-based brand in 2009, calling himself the company’s chief entertainment officer. Under his leadership, Smoke’s locations cropped up all over Canada and the brand expanded into the U.S.Prior to Smoke’s, Smolkin owned a branding and design company that counted Nike, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Molson Breweries and Corus Entertainment as clients.Smoke’s president and chief operating officer Mark Cunningham will take on Smolkin’s role.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2023.The Canadian Press

B.C. coalition seeks ‘critical’ crackdown on violent retail crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

VANCOUVER — A group of more than 30 British Columbia retailers, trade associations and other organizations is calling for a co-ordinated government response for repeat offenders they say are behind a wave of theft, vandalism and violent crime.The Save Our Streets coalition says the need for immediate action is “critical” to meet threats to staff safety, rising security costs and the community impact.The group says federal and provincial governments can’t succeed by addressing “singular aspects” of the problem, such as drug decriminalization, policing resources or mental-health reform.Members of the group include retailers London Drugs, Lululemon and Save-On Foods, as well as the Surrey Board of Trade and Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. Karen Kuwica with the Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association says the problems cover the entire province.The group says retailers are facing growing losses from theft, and that added to increased security is costing an av...

Canada to deport Montreal man facing death sentence in Egypt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

OTTAWA — An Egyptian refugee claimant in Montreal says the Canadian government is deporting him to face a death sentence at the hands of the Egyptian legal system.Ezzat Gouda has been ordered to return to Egypt by Nov. 1, despite claims that he will be persecuted and killed in Egypt because of his political affiliations in the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolution.Gouda had already been arrested without charges several times by the time he helped establish the Freedom and Justice Party, which was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood group and came to power following the country’s 2012 elections.In 2013, Egypt’s army chief seized power in a military coup against the elected party’s government, and since then, Egyptian authorities have arrested thousands of the party’s members and Muslim Brotherhood supporters after labelling them as terrorists. Gouda says he showed Canadian officials court documents that prove he has been sentenced to death in Egypt, but w...

Wickenheiser calls for neck protection at ‘every level’ after Johnson’s death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

Hayley Wickenheiser is calling for mandated neck protection at “every level in hockey” after former NHL player Adam Johnson died from a cut by a skate blade during a game in England on Saturday.Wickenheiser is a four-time Olympic women’s hockey gold medallist who completed medical school after her playing career and currently works as an assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs.She posted to X platform, formerly known as Twitter, that the risk is far too great not to wear neck protection, even if it doesn’t pass the “cool factor.”Neck guards are not mandatory in the NHL. The Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League mandate players to wear neck guards.READ MORE: American hockey player dies after ‘freak accident’ during game in EnglandHockey Canada also requires players registered in minor or women’s hockey to wear neck protection.Winnipeg Jets interim head coach Scott Arniel says he expects the NHL to look into...

Canada expands drug strategy to prevent more overdoses, provide additional services

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

The federal government is expanding its drug and substance use strategy to try to save more lives and provide more services to people disproportionately affected by Canada’s overdose crisis.The Public Health Agency of Canada says the drug landscape has changed with an increasingly toxic supply since the strategy was first developed in 2016. It also says the COVID-19 pandemic revealed gaps in the government’s approach and the need for a more holistic, integrated response. The strategy’s priorities include funding more community-based programs for prevention, treatment and support.It also includes support for law enforcement, including training on stigma amongsubstance users, and testing out an overdose monitoring tool.  The government has also announced that $21 million from the federal budget will be used to fund 54 harm reduction projects across the country. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2023.Canadian Press health coverage receives...

Mississauga transit bus driver charged in fatal June crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:50 GMT

A Mississauga (MiWay) transit bus driver has been charged after a “complex” months-long investigation into a multi-vehicle collision that claimed the life of a 50-year-old woman and injured eight others.It happened on the morning of June, 8, 2023, at the intersection of Derry and Rexwood roads in Mississauga.At the time, Peel Regional Police Const. Sarah Patten said the transit bus “was the first initial contact in the collision,” which forced a chain reaction.“It’s my understanding that quite a few vehicles were stopped at a red light facing eastbound on Derry Road at Rexwood Road, at which time the transit bus continued through, causing the collision,” Const. Patten said at the scene.The driver of the bus, Baljeet Dhaliwal, 49, of Brampton, was arrested on October 26. She’s facing a single count of dangerous operation causing death.With files from Lucas Casaletto