Latest news with #LukeJohnson
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour's ‘ludicrous' state-funded restaurants plan sparks backlash
Labour's plan to launch state-funded restaurants has sparked a backlash from hospitality chiefs who have branded the move 'anti-business'. Hugh Osmond, a serial restaurant entrepreneur who co-founded Pizza Express, said plans for government-backed Second World War-style diners were a 'ludicrous idea', arguing the restaurants would 'cost a lot of money, provide absolutely terrible food and, in the end, fail'. Luke Johnson, restaurant entrepreneur and chairman of Gail's, said the industry was already 'highly competitive', adding: 'The very idea that state-backed restaurants could operate more efficiently than the private sector is surely a bad joke.' Ministers this week said they were trialling new state-funded restaurants that would serve meals for as little as £3 in Nottingham and Dundee. The diners, which have received £1.5m of taxpayer funding, will resemble the subsidised civic kitchens of the 1940s. Peter Kyle, the Science and Technology Secretary, said the aim was to 'actively explore the best ways to get healthy food into the mouths of those who need it'. The trial could lead to the launch of similar schemes if successful. While the restaurants are targeted at poor households who struggle to access nutritious food, Anna Chworow of Nourish Scotland, which is behind one of the schemes, told the i paper the restaurants were 'aimed at everybody – the way a bus, library or public park is'. It suggests state-backed restaurants could compete against private businesses. Mr Johnson said: 'Politicians and civil servants should focus on their core activities like defence, law and order and education – and run them more effectively, rather than ludicrous displacement activity like 'state-sponsored diners'.' It comes as many restaurants struggle to stay afloat in the wake of the Government's tax raid earlier this year. Tough times for hospitality Figures have suggested that more than one in 10 restaurants are at risk of closure this year following the Chancellor's decision to raise National Insurance contributions and push up the minimum wage in April. More than 4,000 restaurants were forced to shut last year. UKHospitality has estimated that the Budget has cost the industry as much as £3.4bn extra each year. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, urged ministers to turn their attention to easing pressures for existing restaurants rather than setting up state subsidised rivals. She said: 'You've got a third of the sector operating at a loss. The key thing here is the Government should focus more of its attention and resources on tackling the underlying causes of that. 'Fundamentally, the better way to help will be to get out of the way, and not add extra costs and regulatory burdens like packaging taxes, tourism taxes, employment taxes.' It comes amid concerns that further regulation is on the horizon. The Telegraph recently revealed that Labour is drawing up plans to compel large restaurant chains and fast food giants to cut diners' calories. The proposals are being looked at as part of a broader obesity strategy launched by the Government, which will also set new targets for supermarkets to stop shoppers buying so many sugary and salty snacks. Under the new plans, large chains and fast food giants are expected to have to report how many calories customers consume on average, and show how they have reduced that number. Ms Nicholls last month said the sector had been 'totally blindsided' by the plans. Phil Thorley, boss of Kent pub chain Thorley Taverns, said ministers needed to 'give publicans and restaurateurs a chance'. He said: 'Hospitality has been hit hardest by the National Insurance contributions and the increase in national minimum wage and the Government is now trying to run restaurants. They can't run the country.' The boss of a restaurant group that operates dozens of locations across the country told The Telegraph: 'This is just another example of an anti-business government making ill-thought-through decisions. Ultimately this will cost the very people they are trying to help by reducing employment prospects in a sector that employs so many people.' Another described the state-funded restaurants plan as 'totally ridiculous' and said it would 'cost a lot of money, be utterly s--- and fail miserably'. A Government spokesman said: 'This is a complete misrepresentation of this project – which is a limited-time research pilot, exploring ways of getting low-cost nutritious food to those who need it most, to help people live healthier lives. 'The Government is backing hospitality businesses and permanently cutting business rates, including for restaurants, to help ease the pressure on the sector and help it grow as part of our Plan for Change.'
NBC Sports
08-07-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Gayle Benson will join Saints delegation in France
The NFL's effort to expand its global audience includes big-picture initiatives and team-by-team efforts. Via Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Saints are spreading the word to France, with a delegation that includes linebacker Demario Davis. Owner Gayle Benson will join the group later in the week, to attend a game of the Paris Musketeers. 'During her visit, she will meet with top French CEOs, politicians, cultural leaders and ambassadors with one goal in mind: promoting the state of Louisiana and the city New Orleans,' Saints spokesman Greg Bensel told Johnson in a statement. The Musketeers, who play in the European League of Football, have a strategic partnership with the Saints. The Saints also hold NFL marketing rights in France. Which makes sense, given the strong French influence over Louisiana. The NFL has yet to stage a regular-season game in France. If/when it happens, the Saints will undoubtedly be involved.
Black America Web
07-07-2025
- Business
- Black America Web
Home Depot's DEI Removal Has Activist Group Calling For Boycott
Source: Luke Johnson / Getty Another day, another company rightfully facing consequences for abandoning its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The latest company facing a potential boycott is none other than The Home Depot. According to Newsweek, People's Union USA founder John Schwartz has called for a 31-day boycott against the home improvement retail store for quietly removing their DEI initiatives from their website. People's Union USA is a non-partisan activist group focused on 'economic resistance, corporate accountability, and real justice for the working class.' 'We the people have had and seen enough. So this July, we make a different kind of noise. We stop shopping with them, we stop funding the systems that don't serve us. And we shift our energy to small businesses, to local shops, to the people who actually care. Because we are the economy,' Schwartz said in a video posted to Instagram. 'For over 45 years, our business success has been driven by our eight core values, including respect for all people and taking care of our people. We're proud to have a culture that welcomes everyone, and we believe it helps us achieve our business goals by supporting associates, building relationships and fostering innovation,' Home Depot said in a statement sent to Newsweek. It appears Home Depot has rebranded its DEI program to the more generic 'WeAreTHD.' A look at its website shows very little in terms of DEI commitments or even the word diversity. The most I could find was the 2024 racial equity assessment that highlighted its prior commitment to DEI and a stat revealing that 58 percent of its new hires were 'ethnically diverse.' It feels more than a bit self-serving for Home Depot to keep up the report and statistics while erasing any public support for DEI. The pullback from DEI initiatives has proven to have adverse consequences for several businesses this year. Target is among the most notable as it went from being a brand favored by Black and queer consumers to one no one seems to be rocking with. The company wasted no time announcing it would be ending its DEI initiatives shortly after President Trump took office. The move sparked outrage among consumers and activist groups nationwide. Dr Jamal Bryant was the first to call for a boycott of Target and it appears to have taken hold as foot traffic has steadily been down in Target stores throughout the year. In May, the company reported a drop in quarterly sales during an earnings call. The boycott has proven so successful that other companies have begun listing consumer boycotts as potential sales risks for investors. What makes the companies pulling back from DEI initiatives look so bad is that we've seen several companies stand ten toes down on DEI and face little to no consequences. In fact, a recent poll revealed that companies who maintain their DEI initiatives actually have better reputations. Costco announced it'd be keeping its DEI initiatives and has seen sales grow this year. Apple similarly announced that its shareholders voted to keep its DEI programs, which predictably sent President Trump into a hissy fit, but no legal action has been taken against the company. While the Trump administration has made a big show of cracking down on DEI in universities and colleges, it hasn't taken nearly as an aggressive stance against private business. Considering that the administration ostensibly wants to be seen as 'pro-business' (one look at the big, horrifying bill shows they certainly aren't pro-worker), one has to wonder if Trump is all bark no bite when it comes to regulating DEI in private businesses. If the last six months have revealed anything it's that the only people actually tripping over DEI are the weirdos in the White House and trolls online. If companies want to avoid boycotts and a potential loss in sales, they should continue to embrace DEI and not abandon it. SEE ALSO: Poll Shows Companies Maintaing DEI Intiatives Have Better Reputations Survey: High-Level Business Execs Say DEI Is Necessary SEE ALSO Home Depot's DEI Removal Has Activist Group Calling For Boycott was originally published on
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Inspired by son's dream, local father cycles for hospice
A local father is honouring his late son and raising money for the community in the process. Dan Johnson will be cycling from Vancouver, B.C. back to his home in Port Dover over the summer to honour his son Luke who died of cancer at the age of eight, and to raise money for a soon-to-be-built community hospice in Norfolk-Haldimand. The journey was born out of the Johnson family's experience of having to use an out-of-town hospice for Luke when he was in his final days. 'We were in the Stedman Community Hospice in Brantford and it was absolutely top-notch,' said Dan. 'We don't have a palliative care centre in our community where we live. We have 120,000 people in our two counties of Norfolk and Haldimand, yet we don't have a hospice for us,' Dan added. 'So, our options in palliative care would just be in the hospital, and that's not a good experience for people… It's going to be a last earthly home for people that are in that phase of life and it's going be just an amazing environment.' Why cycling across the country? Dan said his journey really started about two weeks before Luke died, they were reading about Terry Fox who he said was a hero to his son. 'He [Luke] asked 'what happened to Terry, why did he stop running?' We explained to him what happened and that was the moment that he, for the first time that he connected the dots the fact that he [Luke] was going to die from his disease,' said Dan LUKE JOHNSON Luke Johnson (Source: Submitted) 'And as an eight-year-old boy in the moment, we saw him connect the dots in his mind. It was the worst imaginable time for my wife and I. He looked at us in the eyes and he said, 'Well, I'm going to run across Canada one day,' just like that matter of fact, he was going to do it,' Dan added. He said Luke wanted to keep living to love his family and to be with his friends, there was no quit, even when he knew he was facing death. 'He still in his mind was absolutely committed to live. And so that's why we're going across Canada.' The journey On Sunday, the Johnson family will fly to Vancouver and on July 1, Dan will start his 53-day journey home from Stanley Park. His wife Jill and his two kids, Hosanna and Pearce, will follow along in an RV until they arrive back home near the end of August. If all goes according to plan, Dan said he hopes to come through Port Huron around Aug. 20 or 21. He'll then bike through Exeter where his brother, sister-in-law and their kids live, and then on to Port Stanley and back home to Port Dover. Dan plans to cycle anywhere from 130 to 150 kilometres a day, and he said he welcomes anyone who wants to join, to ride with him for any portion of the journey to help get him home. Not a stranger to adversity To be able to do the bike ride, Dan has had to overcome injury. In November 2023, when Luke was still alive, Dan qualified for the Boston Marathon, a race Luke ultimately wouldn't get to watch. Still committed to completing it, Dan ran the marathon on April 21, 2025, what would have been Luke's ninth birthday. At kilometre 17 of the race, Dan stepped on a water bottle on the course and broke his ankle. 'I convinced a paramedic to tape it up. Against their desire to do so, they wanted to get me to the hospital, but I said I said I'm finishing this race in honor of my son. That's why I'm here.' DAN JOHNSON - LUKE JOHNSON - JUNE 2025 Dan Johnson is pictured with his son Luke in November 2023, after finishing a race that qualified him for the Boston Marathon. (Source: Submitted) Dan said he's still recovering from the April injury, and by no means is he 100 per cent. 'But you know what, that's life,' he said. 'You know we're never 100 per cent, and that sort of life and he [Luke] persevered. He believed that he could still do it, [fight cancer] he never gave up. He never quit he kept fighting, he persevered. So, I think I was meant to step on that water bottle because that's just going to be part of the story.' When he thinks about how Luke would react to his summer mission and his goal to raise funds for a hospice in his community, Dan said, 'Luke wouldn't be sitting, he would be going and that's why we have to do this project, because I don't know, we just have to go and do it. We're going to honor Luke and we're going to do it just the way he would. It will be Luke Johnson riding that bike and Luke Johnson getting all the credit for everything.' DAN JOHNSON - BOSTON MARATHON - JUNE 2025 Dan Johnson was injured while running the Boston Marathon on April 21, 2025. (Source: Submitted) The Norfolk-Haldimand Community Hospice will be built in Jarvis, Ont. near Highway 6 and Highway 3, on 10 acres of donated land. Executive Director Andrea Binkle told CTV News they hope to have a shovel in the ground by the end of 2025. Architects have said it will take 18-24 months for the building to be completed and ready for occupancy. The 16,000 square foot facility with 10 beds has a budget of $14 million. According to Binkle, just over $4 million has been raised so far from community and private donations.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Live like Luke: A journey to help bring a hospice to Norfolk-Haldimand
A local father is honouring his late son and raising money for the community in the process. Dan Johnson will be cycling from Vancouver, B.C. back to his home in Port Dover over the summer to honour his son Luke who died of cancer at the age of eight, and to raise money for a soon-to-be-built community hospice in Norfolk-Haldimand. The journey was born out of the Johnson family's experience of having to use an out-of-town hospice for Luke when he was in his final days. 'We were in the Stedman Community Hospice in Brantford and it was absolutely top-notch,' said Dan. 'We don't have a palliative care centre in our community where we live. We have 120,000 people in our two counties of Norfolk and Haldimand, yet we don't have a hospice for us,' Dan added. 'So, our options in palliative care would just be in the hospital, and that's not a good experience for people… It's going to be a last earthly home for people that are in that phase of life and it's going be just an amazing environment.' Why cycling across the country? Dan said his journey really started about two weeks before Luke died, they were reading about Terry Fox who he said was a hero to his son. 'He [Luke] asked 'what happened to Terry, why did he stop running?' We explained to him what happened and that was the moment that he, for the first time that he connected the dots the fact that he [Luke] was going to die from his disease,' said Dan LUKE JOHNSON Luke Johnson (Source: Submitted) 'And as an eight-year-old boy in the moment, we saw him connect the dots in his mind. It was the worst imaginable time for my wife and I. He looked at us in the eyes and he said, 'Well, I'm going to run across Canada one day,' just like that matter of fact, he was going to do it,' Dan added. He said Luke wanted to keep living to love his family and to be with his friends, there was no quit, even when he knew he was facing death. 'He still in his mind was absolutely committed to live. And so that's why we're going across Canada.' The journey On Sunday, the Johnson family will fly to Vancouver and on July 1, Dan will start his 53-day journey home from Stanley Park. His wife Jill and his two kids, Hosanna and Pearce, will follow along in an RV until they arrive back home near the end of August. If all goes according to plan, Dan said he hopes to come through Port Huron around Aug. 20 or 21. He'll then bike through Exeter where his brother, sister-in-law and their kids live, and then on to Port Stanley and back home to Port Dover. Dan plans to cycle anywhere from 130 to 150 kilometres a day, and he said he welcomes anyone who wants to join, to ride with him for any portion of the journey to help get him home. Not a stranger to adversity To be able to do the bike ride, Dan has had to overcome injury. In November 2023, when Luke was still alive, Dan qualified for the Boston Marathon, a race Luke ultimately wouldn't get to watch. Still committed to completing it, Dan ran the marathon on April 21, 2025, what would have been Luke's ninth birthday. At kilometre 17 of the race, Dan stepped on a water bottle on the course and broke his ankle. 'I convinced a paramedic to tape it up. Against their desire to do so, they wanted to get me to the hospital, but I said I said I'm finishing this race in honor of my son. That's why I'm here.' DAN JOHNSON - LUKE JOHNSON - JUNE 2025 Dan Johnson is pictured with his son Luke in November 2023, after finishing a race that qualified him for the Boston Marathon. (Source: Submitted) Dan said he's still recovering from the April injury, and by no means is he 100 per cent. 'But you know what, that's life,' he said. 'You know we're never 100 per cent, and that sort of life and he [Luke] persevered. He believed that he could still do it, [fight cancer] he never gave up. He never quit he kept fighting, he persevered. So, I think I was meant to step on that water bottle because that's just going to be part of the story.' When he thinks about how Luke would react to his summer mission and his goal to raise funds for a hospice in his community, Dan said, 'Luke wouldn't be sitting, he would be going and that's why we have to do this project, because I don't know, we just have to go and do it. We're going to honor Luke and we're going to do it just the way he would. It will be Luke Johnson riding that bike and Luke Johnson getting all the credit for everything.' DAN JOHNSON - BOSTON MARATHON - JUNE 2025 Dan Johnson was injured while running the Boston Marathon on April 21, 2025. (Source: Submitted) The Norfolk-Haldimand Community Hospice will be built in Jarvis, Ont. near Highway 6 and Highway 3, on 10 acres of donated land. Executive Director Andrea Binkle told CTV News they hope to have a shovel in the ground by the end of 2025. Architects have said it will take 18-24 months for the building to be completed and ready for occupancy. The 16,000 square foot facility with 10 beds has a budget of $14 million. According to Binkle, just over $4 million has been raised so far from community and private donations.
