
Is it time for Canada to build its own car?
With U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to upend Canada's automotive industry, some say it's time for a homegrown solution. For The National, CBC's Nick Purdon looks at what it would take to have an industry-leading Canadian car company.
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National Post
15 minutes ago
- National Post
Thunderbird Entertainment Announces New President of Atomic Cartoons
Article content VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC – THBRF) ('Thunderbird' or the 'Company') is pleased to announce Joel Bradley has been promoted to the role of President of Atomic Cartoons ('Atomic'), the animation arm of the Company, effective as of July 1. As President of Atomic, Bradley will report to Jennifer Twiner McCarron, who will continue to serve as CEO of Atomic and Thunderbird Entertainment, as well as Chair of Thunderbird's Board of Directors. Article content In his new role, Bradley will lead the business development and production departments across Atomic, and play a central role in the executive leadership team to support the vision, mission, and values of Atomic's people-first culture. In addition to his new responsibilities, Bradley will continue to be responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic management of Atomic, including the advancement of a strong technical and creative production pipeline that delivers against the Company's business strategy. This includes overseeing a team of close to 1,000 creative and production staff to ensure a consistent flow of high volume, high quality projects to partners around the world. Article content 'Joel is a highly respected leader who brings a great mix of creativity, production expertise, and unwavering dedication to our teams,' says Ms. Twiner McCarron. 'He's been instrumental in growing our kids and family business, and his passion for supporting and uplifting team members is an invaluable asset. Joel embodies all of the key attributes we value at Atomic, including leading with kindness, compassion, and empathy. Over the years, he has helped elevate our studio creatively to build the artist-friendly, collaborative culture we are proud to be known for. This is a well-deserved promotion and I'm excited to see what the future holds for our Company as a result of Joel's promotion.' Article content An accomplished industry veteran with two decades of industry experience, Bradley first joined Atomic in 2013 from Pixar Canada as a production coordinator. Over the years, he has served in every production role in the studio, including production manager, line producer, supervising producer, and most recently, head of production. He has amassed a number of award-winning producing credits to his name since joining Atomic, including the BAFTA Award-winning Hilda and the Daytime Emmy Award-winning The Last Kids on Earth. Additional notable credits include Legend of Three Caballeros, 101 Dalmatian Street and the Peabody Award-winning Molly of Denali. 'I'm lucky to work with an extremely talented group of artists, creators and producers, all of whom inspire me every day,' says Bradley. 'It is a true privilege to take on the role of President of Atomic and I look forward to building on its already great legacy. Atomic's people-first culture and drive to make excellent cartoons is what originally attracted me to the studio. I want to continue to help our teams learn, grow and be curious, and am very excited to be part of what's to come.' Article content Investor Relations Update Article content Bristol Capital's investor relations contract with Thunderbird concluded on June 30, 2025, and will not be renewed. Thunderbird extends its sincere thanks to the team at Bristol Capital for their dedication and support over the past five years. Article content For information on Atomic, visit For more information on Thunderbird Entertainment Group and to subscribe to the Company's investor list for news updates, go to Article content About Atomic Cartoons Article content Atomic Cartoons is an internationally renowned, award-winning animation studio with offices located in Vancouver, Ottawa and Los Angeles. Known for an artist-driven culture that attracts, retains and promotes the best talent in the business, Atomic develops and produces high-end animated content that spans preschool, comedy, action-adventure, adult and commercial genres, and everything in between. The animation studio has developed a stellar global reputation for its ability to translate big brands like LEGO, Star Wars, My Little Pony, Cocomelon and many more into top-notch animation, while also developing high-quality original Atomic productions like The Last Kids on Earth, Rocket Saves the Day and Mermicorno: Starfall. Atomic is B Corp certified and a BC Benefit Company. For more information, visit Article content About Thunderbird Entertainment Group Article content Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a global award-winning, full-service production, distribution and rights management company, headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Los Angeles and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for the world's leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters. The Company develops, produces, and distributes animated, factual, and scripted content through its various content arms, including Thunderbird Kids and Family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird Unscripted (Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird Scripted. Productions under the Thunderbird umbrella include Mermicorno: Starfall, Super Team Canada, Molly of Denali, Kim's Convenience, Highway Thru Hell, Boot Camp and Sidelined: The QB and Me. Thunderbird Distribution and Thunderbird Brands manage global media and consumer products rights, respectively, for the Company and select third parties. Thunderbird is on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: Article content Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information Article content This news release includes statements containing 'forward-looking information' for purposes of applicable securities laws ('forward-looking statements'). Forward-looking statements are indicated by the use of words such as 'anticipate', 'continue', 'estimate', 'expect', 'forecast', 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'project', 'should', 'believe', 'intend', or similar expressions. Article content Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; product capability and acceptance; and other factors set out in the 'Risks and Uncertainty' section of the Company's management discussion and analysis for the period ended March 31, 2024. The foregoing is not an exhaustive list. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to Thunderbird or that management believes to be less significant may also adversely affect the Company and the assumptions and estimates relied upon in connection with making the forward-looking statements contemplated herein. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact Article content Article content Article content Article content

CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
Laws and regulations coming into effect in Ontario on July 1
Several laws, regulations, and changes in Ontario are taking effect on Canada Day, from disability payments to fuel tax. Here's a look at some of the notable new rules in force on July 1: Pedal pubs Starting July 1, so-called 'pedal pubs' will be able to sell liquor on board thanks to amendments to the Liquor Licence and Control Act. The large 'quadricycles' are designed to transport 12 or more passengers between restaurants, bars, and wineries. Disability payments Ontario is amending regulations under the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works acts to 'fully exempt Canada Disability Benefit payments from being considered as income.' This means monthly payments will not be reduced, and users of the programs will not lose access to health benefits provided through social assistance. Gas tax cuts The Ford government will remove the 4.3 cents per litre provincial tax on propane for licensed road vehicles. It will also make the temporary cuts to the provincial tax on gas and fuel permanent. Introduced in 2022, the 5.7-cent per litre cut was set to expire on June 30. Minimum wage for gig workers Starting July 1, digital platform workers who provide rideshare, delivery, or courier services will be entitled to a regular minimum wage of $17.20 per hour for active time, which is the time between accepting a trip request and completing it. In a release, Uber Canada says for each 2-week pay period, they will compare driver earnings-excluding tips-to the guaranteed minimum amount they'd earn for their active time. If they earn less than the guaranteed minimum, Uber says they will top up their pay. New workers from any industry will also see some regulation changes. The provincial government says employers with 25 or more employees will be required to provide new hires with written job information including the employee's pay rate and initial anticipated hours of work, before their first day on the job. Expanding nursing practices The province will now allow nurse practitioners to order and apply a defibrillator and a cardiac pacemaker, order and perform electrocoagulation, complete and sign Mandatory Blood Testing forms, and certify death in more circumstances. FIFA ticket sales In advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to Toronto, Ontario is making amendments to the Ticket Sales Act so that FIFA and partner agencies outside of Canada can sell World Cup tickets in foreign currencies. Justice system changes Ontario is amending the Statutory Powers Procedure Act to 'allow tribunal cases to be reassigned if the original adjudicator or panel cannot reach a decision or complete a hearing within a reasonable time frame.' The province says this is being done to speed up decision-making timelines. RV licensing Anyone hoping to drive an RV will see amended regulations that will create two licensing options: drivers can get a Class G, E or F driver's licence for RVs between 11,000 and 14,000 kilograms, and a restricted Class D driver's licence for RVs over 14,000 kilograms. Horticultural grants The provincial government will provide a one-time $1,500 grant to mark the 100th anniversary of horticultural societies. The province says the grant will also be awarded retroactively to horticultural societies that have already reached their 100th anniversary.


National Post
22 minutes ago
- National Post
FIRST READING: What Canada did right
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Article content MAIN STORY Article content Canada is not doing particularly well at the moment — on everything from per-capita GDP to crime rates to basic affordability we're in a bit of a decline. In fact, the author of this piece wrote a whole book about it: Don't Be Canada. Article content But that isn't to say there isn't still much to be proud of with Canada. While invocations of Canadian greatness usually stick to a few clichéd tropes about snowmobiles, the Canadarm and medicare, Canada's contribution to human progress goes far beyond that. Article content Article content There isn't a lot of glamour in Canadian food production. Prestige produce like avocados or exotic fruits generally come from other places. But it's a different story when it comes to churning out gargantuan quantities of cheap calories. Millions of people around the world will have their stomachs filled today thanks to Canada, and that's been the case for more than a century. Article content Canada is the primary supplier to India of peas of lentils; two of the country's most critical food staples. Canola, one of the world's most ubiquitous cooking oils, has Canada right in the name (it stands for 'Canadian oil low acid'). Article content Article content Canada is now the world's third largest exporter of wheat (behind only Russia and the European Union), and it got that way thanks in part to a Canadian-invented strain of wheat, Marquis, that's been called 'one of the greatest triumphs in Canadian agriculture.' Article content Article content The Royal Canadian Mint will routinely churn out special-edition coins that are unlike anything else on earth. There was that black toonie issued to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Canada was the first country in the world to have coloured coins in general circulation, and also the first glow-in-the-dark coins. Article content Canada has such a good coin-making reputation, in fact, that the Mint has coin contracts with 80 other countries. If you're travelling in Australia, Argentina or the Philippines, among others, you're likely handling currency that originated in Winnipeg. Article content