In
What we are watching in
"Any increase at this very vulnerable time for our industry is just another blow while we're down," said Brenda O’Reilly, the owner of multiple restaurants and a brewery in
"It's like death by a thousand cuts."
Bar and eatery operators across
"Many of us haven't recovered from the pandemic and now they want to raise this tax," she said. "It's hard to get blood out of a turnip. We'll see more restaurant closures if this goes ahead."
The federal beverage alcohol duty is set to increase 6.3 per cent on
Alcohol excise duties are imposed at the manufacturing level and adjusted annually based on inflation.
While the duty is separate from provincial liquor board fees and sales taxes, it ultimately filters down to higher prices for consumers, said CJ Hélie, the president of Beer Canada.
The automatic annual tax increase is a long-standing irritant for the beverage industry, but was "digestible" when inflation was around two per cent, Hélie said.
But this year's adjustment is more than triple the usual increase and should be reconsidered given the state of the industry, he said.
At the retail level, the higher alcohol duty is expected to range from about penny on a can of beer to much more on a bottle of spirits.
The
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Also this ...
The pomp and circumstance of a presidential visit will give way today to a series of talks about green energy, migration and
Prime Minister
Dignitaries from the
Biden and Trudeau plan to then have a bilateral meeting in the Prime Minister's Office.
That is to be followed by an extended chat between Biden and senior Trudeau cabinet ministers in the room where they typically craft major policy decisions. It is possible that some of Biden's own cabinet ministers will join the discussion.
The presidential flight included at least 18 officials and aides, including State Secretary
Shortly before
Biden and Trudeau are to then cross the street in front of Parliament Hill and hold a press conference at the Sir
Senior
First lady
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What we are watching in the
A leak of what was believed to be hundreds of gallons of water containing tritium was discovered this week from a temporary fix at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, where 1.5 million litres of water with tritium leaked in November,
The plant about 61 kilometres northwest of
There was a monthslong delay in announcing the initial leak that raised questions about public safety and transparency, but industry experts said there was never a public health threat.
The new leak, announced a day after
"While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately,'' said
After the first leak was found in November,
However, monitoring equipment indicated Wednesday that a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater. Operators discovered that, over the past two days, the temporary solution was no longer capturing all of the leaking water,
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that occurs naturally in the environment and is a common by-product of nuclear plant operations. It emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel far and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the
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What we are watching in the rest of the world ...
The test this week came as
The North Korean report came hours before South Korean President
The testing of the purported "nuclear underwater attack drone'' was part of a three-day exercise that simulated nuclear attacks on unspecified South Korean targets, which also included cruise missile launches on Wednesday.
KCNA said that the drills were supervised by North Korean leader
The drone is named "Haeil,'' a Korean word meaning tidal waves or tsunamis. The North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper published photos of Kim smiling next to a large torpedo-shaped object at an unspecified indoor facility, but didn't identify it.
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On this day in 1975 ...
The beaver became
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In entertainment ...
Paltrow and
In a trial that Judge
The proceedings have delved deep into the 76-year-old Sanderson's medical history and personality quirks, with attorneys questioning whether his deteriorating health and estranged relationships stemmed from the collision or more innate phenomenon, like aging or anger problems.
Sanderson claims Paltrow recklessly crashed into him while the two were skiing on a beginner run at
Lawyers for Paltrow, an actor-turned-lifestyle influencer, spent much of Thursday raising questions about Sanderson's mentions of her wealth and celebrity as well as his "obsession'' with the lawsuit.
The first three days of the trial through Thursday featured testimony from medical experts, Sanderson's personal doctor, a ski companion and his daughter, who said she noticed post-concussion symptoms less than a year after the accident and realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Paltrow's attorneys have cast doubt on Sanderson's medical experts and asked about whether his prior remarks suggest the lawsuit could be an attempt to exploit her fame and celebrity. Her lawyers Thursday asked Sanderson's daughter whether her father thought it was "cool'' to collide with a celebrity like Paltrow, the Oscar-winning star of "
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Did you see this?
The stay at the Corinthia London hotel became the subject of public debate last fall when media honed in on the details of the
But Trudeau's office and Global Affairs Canada did not respond to questions last month about who stayed in the expensive river suite, which features a butler service.
Opposition MPs on the government operations committee asked for a copy of all receipts and invoices associated with the trip last month.
The room was booked on
In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office says hotel prices surged significantly ahead of the funeral, and many
The hotel's website currently lists the suite at
A night in the river suite next month would come out to more than
Documents released through access-to-information requests note that the booking was for a three-bed suite. The hotel's website says it has one king-sized bed but there are "connecting rooms available on request.''
The prime minister and his wife were the only two who stayed in the suite, his office said.
In November, Conservative Leader
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published
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