UK Grocer Co-op Suffers Hacking Attempt, Shuts Down Some Systems
Co-op recently experienced attempts to gain unauthorized access to some systems, forcing it to take safety measures that had a 'small impact' on some back office and call center services, a spokesperson said by email Wednesday.
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here's what Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors really get paid
Some Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors were able to earn tens of thousands of dollars on top of their official municipal salaries in 2024, according to a Postmedia News analysis. They did so by serving as board members of local and federal organizations, including Metro, TransLink and the Municipal Finance Authority, among others. Outside board payments added at least $2.4 million to city council salaries in 2024 — nearly 16 per cent of the total. The final cost to residents? At least $11.1 million by Postmedia's tally. And at least $4.2 million of that went to Metro's nearly two dozen mayors. To gather the data, Postmedia scoured websites and emailed staff at nearly two dozen local and federal agencies, as well as the municipalities themselves. While technically public, the data wasn't always easy to come by. It took several days to collect. For New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine, the lack of transparency is a concern. New West, along with Richmond, recently passed legislation requiring city councillors to publicly report all compensation, including fees for serving as board members. They're the first municipalities in the province to require such reporting. 'It's not that difficult if you put your mind to it,' Fontaine said. 'Look at members of Parliament, members of the legislative assembly. With one click you can find out exactly how much they are remunerated in any given year. That is completely unavailable at the municipal level. I think it's an oversight.' Fontaine thinks the B.C. government should introduce legislation mandating similar reporting provincewide. On Wednesday, Metro held the first meeting of its governance committee, formed to implement recommendations from a Deloitte Canada report that reviewed the regional authority's management. During the meeting, the subject of remuneration came up repeatedly, with Coun. Lisa Muri of the District of North Vancouver calling it the 'elephant in the room.' Several directors expressed frustration over public complaints about compensation paid to mayors or councillors serving on boards at multiple organizations. They noted Metro already eliminated double meeting fees and made other pay changes recommended during the review. They stressed that the regional authority has no influence over who sits on boards at other agencies, like TransLink, or how much they're paid. Board chairwoman and Vancouver Coun. Lisa Dominato suggested the board could consider asking the province to pass legislation mandating municipal council members publish comprehensive pay information each year. In 2024, eight Metro mayors earned more than B.C. Premier David Eby, who earned $227,000. MLAs in B.C. have a base salary of $119,532.72, with top-ups for additional responsibilities. In contrast, the best-paid council member in 2024 in Metro was Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who earned a total of $380,000. In addition to a $243,000 salary from the City of Richmond, Brodie earned $51,000 from Metro, $58,000 from TransLink and $28,000 from the Municipal Financial Authority of B.C. (MFA), which provides low-cost financing to B.C. municipalities. The second-highest paid was Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley. He earned at least $358,000 in 2024, including $73,000 from Metro, $48,000 from TransLink and $1,000 from the MFA — on top of his $235,000 salary. He is the current chairman of Metro's board of directors. Last March, Burnaby Coun. Richard Lee proposed creating and making public an annual financial report that would detail all payments received by Burnaby council members, similar to what recently passed in New West and Richmond. No other council member supported the motion. At the time, Hurley told Burnaby Now that Lee's proposal was 'a waste of staff's time.' Lee disagreed, citing the value of transparency and accountability. 'If the staff can contribute a few hours getting the data and put it on the website then I think the public will be well-served,' Lee told Postmedia. He supported an idea presented in the report of capping either total compensation or the number of boards councillors could sit on. He said it was important for the public to see that councillors 'have enough time to digest the materials for meetings,' saying sometimes directors are given 'whole binders' to read. 'The mayor is a full-time job, sometimes more than that,' he said. 'So in addition to that, if you assume duties in TransLink and Metro Vancouver and other boards than I think there are some concerns. 'Can the person handle that?' Lee said he would likely wait and see if the province would implement a provincewide program before resubmitting his original motion. Staff at Hurley's office said the mayor was out of the country and didn't know if he was responding to media requests. Other council members who took home some of the highest outside compensation in 2024 included Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, who earned $106,000 on top of his $194,000 city salary; City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan, who earned $83,000 above her $177,000 salary; and Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who earned $76,000 on top of her $187,000 city pay. The median (middle) pay of a council member in Metro in 2024 was $78,000, though that ranged from a low of $17,000 in Belcarra to a high of $145,000 in Vancouver. Related B.C. Public Sector Salaries Database: Find out how much public servants make B.C. cuts Metro Vancouver developers a break from soaring fees, backstopped by $250 million in federal cash ngriffiths@
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Let's hope Kathy Hochul took notes as investors poured $100 billion into Pennsylvania for AI projects
Let's hope Gov. Kathy Hochul was paying attention Tuesday as President Donald Trump joined the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh, underscoring his solid commitment to US growth — and prosperity. Investors are dumping a whopping $100 billion into AI-related initiatives, and New Yorkers would love to get a piece of that — but Hochul's anti-business policies are getting in the way. One major lesson from the summit: AI dominance is inextricably linked to energy because servers and data farms require a lot of constant, reliable electricity. Advertisement Other industries, too, are highly sensitive to energy prices and reliability. And states like Pennsylvania understand that economic growth is inseparable from responsible extraction of natural resources, in large part to produce the power industry needs. That's why major companies are pouring tens of billions of dollars into the Keystone State's new AI initiatives. Advertisement Yet in New York, if you look across the state line at our neighbor from the economically anemic Southern Tier, it's hard not to feel a twinge of regret: While the shale revolution has sparked an economic resurgence in Pennsylvania, New York has banned fracking, which is needed to harvest the region's natural gas. Since then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned fracking in 2015, the Southern Tier has lost out on tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity. Yet Hochul hasn't lifted a finger to reverse it; rather, she openly supports depriving New Yorkers of the kind of windfalls Pennsylvanians are enjoying thanks to fracking. (And she plans to run on New York's 'affordability' crisis?) Advertisement This is no small-potatoes issue: A study by the Heritage Foundation comparing neighboring counties along the states' border found that annual household incomes in New York are $27,000 lower than those in Pennsylvania. That's a lot of mortgage and car payments. Indeed, where Trump and Pennsylvania actively encourage business, including in the energy industry, Hochul & Co. never stop looking for ways to discourage it — especially when it comes to energy. New York has nixed gas hook-ups and pipelines, and its leaders aim to electrify everything, in the farcical hope that renewables (wind and solar power) can one day provide enough juice. Advertisement Hochul has even sought to punish energy companies: The 'Polluters Pay' law she signed in 2024 actually pins the blame for 'heatwaves' and 'coastal storms' on companies for the 'crime' of selling gas in New York since 2000. (Never mind that it's always been perfectly legal to do so.) Those companies must contribute $3 billion per year to a state-run Superfund. (Want some fries with that shakedown?) Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's similarly sued the energy industry, essentially, for having caused global warming. The case was laughed out of court. Meanwhile, Hochul's climate mandates drive up the cost of energy not just for homeowners but companies that need it. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters But energy woes aren't businesses' only gripe about New York: The state also slaps firms — and their employees — with some of the highest taxes in the nation. And the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York, Zohran Mamdani, vows to raise them further if elected. No wonder the Empire State is ranked by the Tax Foundation as second-to-worst for its business climate. Advertisement No wonder New York, particularly upstate, suffers while states like Pennsylvania thrive. Hochul and her fellow Democrats could bring that prosperity to New York in a flash: Just end the fracking ban. Get realistic about fighting climate change. Stop hiking taxes. Ease up on regulations. Alas, they have no desire to do any of that. The far-lefties, like Mamdani, want just the opposite. Unless New Yorkers get new leadership, they'll simply have to sit back and watch in envy as their neighbors prosper — while they don't.
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Miami Herald
One of Colorado's Top Wealth Advisors, Robert C. Smith, Co-Author's New Book To Help Retirees Save
CENTENNIAL, CO / ACCESS Newswire / July 16, 2025 / Retirees face a myriad of obstacles to retiring successfully. Retire On Your Terms is a new book for successful professionals, business owners, widows and other retirees who want to take full control of their financial future and retire with confidence. It was written to expose the myths, mistakes, and blind spots that can derail even the most diligent retirees. Drawing on decades of real-world experience, the book offers readers a clear, personalized roadmap to reduce taxes, protect their wealth, and create a reliable income plan that supports their unique retirement lifestyle. "Retirement should be about freedom, not fear," says financial educator, author and wealth advisor, Robert Smith. "This book is about helping retirees reclaim control - on their terms - by exposing industry myths and offering real solutions that most advisors never talk about." The book includes real life client stories, including how affluent retirees unknowingly fall victim to outdated advice, overly complex financial products, and tax traps that erode their wealth. Readers will discover proactive strategies to optimize retirement income, reduce future tax liabilities, and achieve clarity through comprehensive, coordinated planning. Retire On Your Terms is more than a traditional retirement planning book. It offers:
