CTV National News: Country music festival boosting P.E.I.'s economy
Maria Sarrouh on how Atlantic Canada's biggest country music festival is providing an economic boost to P.E.I., with added benefits for local food security.
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National Post
19 minutes ago
- National Post
Hudson's Bay hearing on lease deal adjourned as B.C. billionaire Ruby Liu appears without lawyer
Article content Liu said she intends to hire a new lawyer. She was previously represented by both Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Miller Thomson but has parted ways with each. Article content Gavin Finlayson, a Miller Thomson lawyer, appeared in court to confirm he was no longer representing Liu, but did not say why. Article content Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse later, Liu said she had been dropped by her lawyer 'all of a sudden' on Sunday after a disagreement over whether his firm should be paid $3 million more to represent her. Article content Liu said her legal counsel was the topic of a letter she sent Osborne, but declined to offer further details. Osborne had advised her during the court session that parties are not to communicate with the judge outside of the hearing. Article content Article content Osborne pressed Liu to find a lawyer in part because it will help her navigate the Bay's creditor protection case, which began in March, when the retailer admitted it was unable to cover bills and had no hope of finding lender support. Article content A sales process uncovered no one willing to buy the business, so it liquidated all 80 of its stores and 16 Saks locations. Article content The company got 12 bids for 39 leases but chose Liu to buy 28 because the terms she offered were 'the most favourable.' Article content A copy of the agreement she entered with the Bay was given to the court over the weekend but sealed. Prior filings, however, show Liu made a deposit of $9.4 million, which would equate to a purchase price of $94 million for 25 leases. Article content A package prepared by Liu's former lawyers and obtained by The Canadian Press early June shows she told landlords she could open stores within 180 days of receiving leases and would pour millions into rehabilitating properties. Article content Article content Landlords almost immediately panned her plans, saying she doesn't have the suppliers, financing or retail management experience to run a department store. Article content Bay lawyer Ashley Taylor told Osborne there has since been 'an ongoing dialogue' between Liu and stakeholders. David Bish, who represents Cadillac Fairview, disagreed and said the landlords remain 'deeply concerned.' Article content 'This is the hill to die on for landlords,' Bish said. Article content To aid in the Bay's wind down, Restore wants the court to appoint a 'super monitor' to subject the department store chain to even more oversight. If the court doesn't agree, Restore suggests appointing Richter Consulting Inc. as a receiver. Article content The Bay argued it doesn't need more oversight because it's properly governed. It maintains the Liu deal is the best shot it has at recovering more cash for creditors. Article content Pathlight Capital LP, one of the Bay's other lenders, supports the Liu transaction but won't finance the extra time it could take to close the deal. Article content Meanwhile, the monitor said more oversight may be appropriate at some point. It's prepared to step up, when necessary. Article content Its report also revealed the Bay has several other lease deals in the works. One has been reached with a landlord wanting to buy its own lease for less than $250,000. Another is with an unnamed party wanting seven leases. Article content
CTV News
23 minutes ago
- CTV News
Seth Rogen, Catherine O'Hara among Canadians earning multiple Emmy nominations
Catherine O'Hara, a cast member in "The Studio," arrives at the premiere of the Apple TV+ series on Monday, March 24, 2025, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Chris Pizzello Seth Rogen and Catherine O'Hara are among the Canadians racking up multiple Emmy nominations this year. Both received nods for Rogen's Apple TV Plus cringe comedy 'The Studio,' which broke records Tuesday with 23 Emmy nominations — the most ever for a comedy series in its first season. That beats the record set in 2021 by 'Ted Lasso,' also from Apple, which scored 20 nominations in its debut year. Rogen earned nominations for best lead actor in a comedy series, best directing and best writing. The satire stars the B.C. native as the boss of a struggling Hollywood studio, juggling corporate pressures with his dream of making genuinely good movies. Toronto's O'Hara, meanwhile, earned two nominations — one as best supporting actress in 'The Studio,' and another for a guest role in HBO zombie drama 'The Last of Us.' Rogen will compete in the lead actor category against Martin Short, who snagged a nomination for his role in 'Only Murders in the Building.' The Hamilton, Ont. native plays frazzled theatre director Oliver Putnam in the Hulu comedy, starring opposite Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. This is the fourth time he's received an Emmy nod for the role. Quebec City's Jessica Lee Gagné collected two nominations for her work on Apple TV Plus' series 'Severance,' which has a leading 27 nominations. Gagné is up for best cinematography for an hour-long series, and best directing for a drama series. The Apple TV Plus thriller revolves around employees at enigmatic company Lumon Industries who undergo a procedure splitting their consciousness between their work selves and personal lives. Gagné directed the episode 'Chikhai Bardo,' in which the show's lead character Mark, played by Adam Scott, drifts in and out of disorienting memories of his late wife, Gemma, whose mysterious connection to Lumon lies at the heart of the show's larger conspiracy. Meanwhile, Toronto-born 'Saturday Night Live' boss Lorne Michaels received six nominations for several incarnations of the sketch comedy series, including best writing for a variety series and best scripted variety series for NBC's 'Saturday Night Live.' 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' is also in the running for best writing for a variety special and best live variety special. Michaels also scored nominations for best live variety special for Peacock's 'SNL50: The Homecoming Concert' and best emerging media program for Meta Quest's 'SNL 50th The Anniversary Special: Immersive Experience.' Other Canadian nominees include Graham Yost, who earned a nod for best drama series as executive producer of spy thriller 'Slow Horses,' and comic Robby Hoffman, who's competing for outstanding guest actress in a comedy for her breakout role as an office manager in 'Hacks.' The 77th Emmy Awards will broadcast live from Los Angeles on CTV on Sept. 14. Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
CBC
26 minutes ago
- CBC
Kitchener partners with local startup to lay groundwork for autonomous shuttles
The City of Kitchener has partnered with a local startup to prepare for the potential use of autonomous shuttles in the city's downtown. GeoMate Inc., which is located in downtown Kitchener, creates high-definition maps that are used by autonomous vehicles. The tech company approached the city to create an AI-driven map to provide up-to-date information about on-going construction projects, road closures and future infrastructure projects to autonomous vehicles. "We are kind of taking mapping to the next level with the city and we're mapping all of the key infrastructure that will be needed for autonomous vehicles in the future," said Robert MacGregor, director of partnerships at GeoMate inc. The project is funded by the provincial government through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network. The goal is for Kitchener to one day have autonomous shuttles downtown that will better connect residents to the LRT and public spaces. Brian Bennett is the manager of business development for the city and says the partnership with GeoMate will see city staff provide data and in-kind services in exchange for the mapping. He says the project gives the city "an opportunity to be at the forefront around new innovation, especially with respect to autonomous vehicles. It allows us and gives us an opportunity to be a test bed for autonomous vehicles by automotive manufacturers going forward." How the maps are made The process for creating a map begins with GeoMate Inc. taking aerial photos of the city. The photos are then processed through the company's in-house AI that has been trained to identify key features in transportation networks. These include things like crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes, lane changes and traffic lights. Factors like weather events can be added in real-time as they occur. Kitchener will provide the data about locations of road closures and construction projects that will then be added to the map. MacGregor says GeoMate started as a company that looked at how accessible sidewalks were for people in wheelchairs and with other mobility devices. Now, the company collects data that covers factors like how pedestrian and bike-friendly a part of the city is as well as how accessible a sidewalk is. This is done through a system MacGregor calls a "walking score" which is a rating from zero to 100 that indicates how pedestrian-friendly a location is, based on how close it is to places like grocery stores, schools, parks and restaurants. Testing site and shuttle services MacGregor hopes this project will bring autonomous vehicle testing to Kitchener. "The end goal is to make Kitchener the premier spot for automotive testing. We do a lot of work with automotive companies and a lot of that work happens in countries that aren't Canada," he said. MacGregor says the reason Kitchener is such an ideal spot for testing is because of its large tech hub, tight urban core, proximity to different types of infrastructure and the fact that it gets all four seasons. "For companies looking to test their solutions in the winter, for companies looking to, you know, test it in that slushy fall, spring season, Kitchener offers a really good place to do that," he said. Bennett says they see other practical uses, including shuttles that could move people from LRT and bus stops to other destinations. "We're looking at it from an opportunity to [have] autonomous shuttles downtown between our various structured parking facilities to businesses within the downtown or from the Borden Street LRT station to The Aud during events that are taking place," he said. The city is intrigued by autonomous shuttles, he added because they allow for "more flexibility and more frequency" than a traditional bus or shuttle. MacGregor adds that the maps have applications beyond autonomous vehicles. "These maps are also good for things like robot delivery. They are also just really good at identifying transportation barriers," MacGregor said. Full-fledged autonomy still years away The map is expected to be completed sometime next year. As for when autonomous vehicles will start being used in Kitchener, MacGregor says that the answer is complicated. With the Ontario government and the federal government, there are certain restrictions in place around autonomous driving," he said. MacGregor added that the regulations still allow for new technology to be developed while keeping people safe. "We're not just saying, 'Hey, put your autonomous vehicles on the road and let's see how it goes.' like some other places in North America might be," he said. Bennett says there's no timeline from the city's perspective but their hope is that automotive manufacturers see what they're doing and start planning their future research and development in Kitchener, growing the local economy. He noted before any testing were to take place in the city, though, there would be public consultations. "We want to ensure the safety and security of both the users of the vehicles as well as the general public going forward. So we would ensure that the appropriate safety measures are implemented and in place before this launches," Bennett said. Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco already allow the autonomous ride-haling service Waymo to operate on their roads. MacGregor says he is more focused on testing in the near future. "For Ontario, I think we're a couple years away from full-fledged autonomy on the road. But we will see people start to test these vehicles sooner than later," he said.
