Latest news with #PatrickArmstrong
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund donates AED defibrillator in memory of fallen London firefighter
Byron Woods Montessori School received a defibrillator from the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund, a charity that donates AED defibrillators in memory of law enforcement, fire, paramedic, and military members killed in the line of duty. Patrick Armstrong started the fund in honour of his beloved friend and fellow OPP officer, Dave Mounsey, who was killed in the line of duty in 2006. 'He and his partner Brenda raised money to donate a defibrillator to the local fire department and, unfortunately, didn't live to see that donation,' said Armstrong. 'Myself and some like-minded individuals came together to continue that last act of kindness towards the community.' Patrick said the fund has saved seven lives since 2009. 'We're here to donate our 216th defibrillator.' said Patrick. 'This one is in memory of Donald Varey, who was captain at the London Fire Department.' Donald's children say they know their father would be 'proud' and 'happy' to know he is still helping save lives today. 'He'd be humble about it and not make a big deal,' said Chris Varey, Donald's son. 'But he'd be very grateful for lifesaving measures available to people in a time of need,' added Shelley Bhabha, Donald's daughter. Armstrong said through the donation, Donald's legacy will live on. 'All these professions are about saving lives and being there at the right time and that's what a defibrillator is,' said Armstrong. 'It may sit on a wall for two or three years and all of the sudden when it's needed it jumps in.' While the hope is that it is never needed, the device will continue to save lives and honour those who gave theirs.
CTV News
14-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
New real estate platform aims to create ‘more value for the home seller'
Sorry, we're having trouble with this video. Please try again later. [5006/404] Listing agents and home sellers have traditionally been brought together through referrals, advertising, cold calls and hours of online research. Those systems are outdated and inefficient, says Patrick Armstrong, head of the new Canadian real estate platform Hyyve. Hyyve, which launched earlier this month, connects homeowners with a network of agents who, through a bidding system, compete against each other for the right to create the property's listing. 'When we looked at the residential real estate value chain, everything starts with (a) listing,' Armstrong, Hyyve's CEO and co-founder, told BNN Bloomberg in a Monday interview. 'You can't sell your home without a listing, agents cannot earn commissions without a listing, and you can't get onto the MLS (multiple listing service) without a listing, so for us the listing really has value.' Agents using traditional means of finding listings often struggle to secure solid leads, Armstrong said, adding that returns on their time and capital investment as well as conversion rates are typically low. 'So, we wanted to reimagine how this process starts. What (Hyyve) does is we allow home sellers to post their listing, we'll call it a pre-listing… and they would put it on the platform and solicit bids from agents,' he explained. 'Agents then come into the platform and there's two components to this bid; there's an upfront payment, so how much they are willing to give the homeowner in cash upfront, and more importantly there's a comprehensive sales plan, so how the agent plans on selling your home' Armstrong said that because agents are in competition with each other, they are forced to showcase their value upfront in order to be selected, allowing homeowners to find the best agent for them. 'They're really going to put their best foot forward and bring their A-game to the table. We take all of those bids, and we display it to the home seller in a dashboard where they can really look at these bids and make performance and data driven decisions,' he said. '(That's) instead of what traditionally has happened through referrals. Just because your sister sold a home with an agent five years ago doesn't mean that referral is the best agent or the best agent for you.' By ensuring that a homeowner finds the best listing agent for them and their situation, it maximizes the chance that the home is sold for the highest price possible, said Armstrong, adding that agents have an additional incentive to sell the home since they made an upfront deposit to the seller. Armstrong acknowledged that referrals are still an important part of a listing agent's business but said that Hyyve will allow homeowners to compare a referral to other agent proposals before making a final choice. 'In any sales business, a referral is typically found business, so when a salesperson gets a referral, they don't necessarily come to the table with all the perks and value and their best foot forward that they would in a competitive environment,' he argued. 'What we're saying is you can get a referral and then you can use our platform to benchmark that referral against top agents that want to represent you.' Armstrong said that since launching, Hyyve has delivered on its goal of creating more value for home sellers, while also driving innovation from agents. 'Competition drives better performance, so because agents are now looking and seeing that they are not a referred agent and that they have to earn this business, they're putting creativity at the forefront and they're putting more effort into the listing,' he said. 'All that translates into more value for the home seller. We intend on helping the home seller get the best chance to maximize the final sale price of their home.'
Bloomberg
11-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Plurimi's Armstrong on European Equities, Inflation Risk
Plurimi Wealth Chief Investment Officer Patrick Armstrong discusses the potential impact of US tariffs on Europe. "I think the EU has got enough clout that any deal will not basically get rid of European manufacturing," Armstrong tells Bloomberg Television. He also talks about inflation risks linked to US President Donald Trump's tariff policy. "Everything Trump's putting in place apart from deregulation is inflationary." (Source: Bloomberg)
Business Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Europe: Shares tumble as Israel-Iran conflict escalates
EUROPEAN shares closed lower on Friday (Jun 13) as Israel's wide-scale strike against Iran triggered a broad market selloff, with investors rushing to safe-haven assets amid an already uncertain trade environment. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.9 per cent, briefly hitting its lowest level in three-weeks. The index also marked its fifth consecutive declining session and longest losing streak since September 2024. Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories. The news sent global risk assets lower and investors moved into traditional safe havens like the dollar and gold. Though Washington said it had no part in the attack, US President Donald Trump, Israel's main ally, suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting a US ultimatum in talks to restrict its nuclear programme. Most regional stock bourses finished in the red, with Germany's DAX ending 1.1 per cent lower after data showed German inflation eased to 2.1 per cent in May, confirming preliminary data. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up 'If this is over quickly, we'll see a fairly quick recovery and the markets basically are discounting the possibility that this drags out,' said Patrick Armstrong, chief investment officer at Plurimi Wealth. 'Our view is that it probably will be very short lived because Iran isn't in a position to respond meaningfully, given the power dynamics between the two countries', he added. Most Stoxx sub-sectors clocked losses, with auto stocks leading declines, down 2.2 per cent. Travel and leisure also dropped 2 per cent – with airline operators ICAG, Lufthansa and Ryanair among the biggest laggards as many airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan and crude oil prices surged. Energy stocks advanced 0.6 per cent as crude oil prices jumped close to 6 per cent on worries about a disruption in Middle East oil supplies. Shipping groups Maersk advanced 4.2 per cent and Hapag-Lloyd gained almost 1 per cent, respectively, as analysts flagged upside risks to freight rates amid the supply disruptions. Defence companies also jumped, with Germany's Rheinmetall up 2.7 per cent and UK's BAE Systems adding 2.9 per cent. A measure of European volatility also shot up to its highest level since May 26. The benchmark index Stoxx 600 posted a weekly decline, as investors were unimpressed by the outcome of US-China talks earlier this week, and had doubts over an EU trade deal with the US before Trump's Jul 8 tariff deadline. REUTERS
Business Recorder
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
European shares tumble as Israel-Iran conflict escalates
European shares closed lower on Friday as Israel's wide-scale strike against Iran triggered a broad market selloff, with investors rushing to safe-haven assets amid an already uncertain trade environment. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.9%, briefly hitting its lowest level in three-weeks. The index also marked its fifth consecutive declining session and longest losing streak since September 2024. Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories. The news sent global risk assets lower and investors moved into traditional safe havens like the dollar and gold. Though Washington said it had no part in the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel's main ally, suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting a U.S. ultimatum in talks to restrict its nuclear programme. Most regional stock bourses finished in the red, with Germany's DAX ending 1.1% lower after data showed German inflation eased to 2.1% in May, confirming preliminary data. 'If this is over quickly, we'll see a fairly quick recovery and the markets basically are discounting the possibility that this drags out,' said Patrick Armstrong, chief investment officer at Plurimi Wealth. 'Our view is that it probably will be very short lived because Iran isn't in a position to respond meaningfully, given the power dynamics between the two countries'. Most STOXX sub-sectors clocked losses, with auto stocks leading declines, down 2.2%. Travel and leisure also dropped 2% - with airline operators ICAG, Lufthansa and Ryanair among the biggest laggards as many airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan and crude oil prices surged. Energy stocks advanced 0.6% as crude oil prices jumped close to 6% on worries about a disruption in Middle East oil supplies. Shipping groups Maersk advanced 4.2% and Hapag-Lloyd gained almost 1%, respectively, as analysts flagged upside risks to freight rates amid the supply disruptions. Defence companies also jumped, with Germany's Rheinmetall up 2.7% and UK's BAE Systems adding 2.9%. A measure of European volatility also shot up to its highest level since May 26. The benchmark index STOXX 600 posted a weekly decline, as investors were unimpressed by the outcome of U.S.-China talks earlier this week, and had doubts over an EU trade deal with the U.S. before Trump's July 8 tariff deadline.
