[picard102]

We have one: Allan Gardens

As well as the Toronto Botanical Garden, Rosetta McClain Gardens, Evergreen Brick Works, Kew Gardens, etc.

 

[MisterF]

"No dogs allowed, no encampments, no booze or smoking, the gates close at sunset".

We clearly have gardens like the Halifax one, just not without people in them some don't like. Which you have a lot more of in a city 5 times the size.

It's not really the size of the city that's the issue. It's our collective failure to address the problems with homelessness, mental illness and addiction. You can have big cities where these problems are minimal if they're dealt with effectively, which they're not in Canada.

 

[Admiral Beez]

We have one: Allan Gardens

No. Allan Gardens is a botanical conservatory placed in an otherwise nondescript park, beautiful in its own right, but that is not a public garden in the guise of Halifax's or those in London, UK such as, St James’s, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. A big difference is that these parks have gardeners to grow and maintain the plants (rather than just mow the grass) and close at dusk, plus the Halifax garden does not allow dogs. If you're unsure of how this differences, I can only recommend a trip to Halifax. I fell for the park when I was there last month, and could only wish we had the same in Toronto.

 

[Mihairokov]

If you're unsure of how this differences, I can only recommend a trip to Halifax. I fell for the park when I was there last month, and could only wish we had the same in Toronto.

I've been to both and the sort of differences you've pointed out really aren't all that big of a deal. picard listed other parks that Toronto has to supplement Allan which Halifax does not have a supply of. I don't believe Halifax has cherry blossoms in the same way that High Park has, for example.

It feels to me as if you only enjoyed Public Gardens in Halifax because it was bereft of people you and your family seem happy to hyperfixate on no matter the time or place.

 

[Admiral Beez]

It feels to me as if you only enjoyed Public Gardens in Halifax because it was bereft of people you and your family seem happy to hyperfixate on no matter the time or place.

No, one of the best parts of the Halifax gardens is that anyone can visit. It's totally free. In my world travels, any gated park that closed at night, was dog-free, with dedicated gardeners and sights likes those in Halifax would have an entry charge. For example, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington charges $10 per adult, while Butchart Gardens in Victoria charges an enormous $43. That's the beauty of the Halifax Public Gardens, in that everyone, of any means can enjoy the park. While much larger at 400 acres (161 hectares), High Park is a good comparison, if only it were downtown and less of a natural forest. On your point above, I admit I'm no fan of how as a society we abandon our homeless, addicted and mentally ill to the streets and of how this impacts everyone else's enjoyment and safety. Perhaps I do mention this too often, as you suggest, but do I want to visit George Hislop Park, for example without seeing people shooting up fentanyl and crashed out on the playground equipment? Yes. A lot of this falls to the federal and provincial governments, the former filling our municipal shelters with asylum claimants that should instead be housed by the feds, and the latter for not seeing the issues as a public health crisis that could be addressed through healthcare and permanent supportive housing. Hopefully PM Carney will meet his stated commitment to build supportive housing sooner than later.

 

[Mihairokov]

No, one of the best parts of the Halifax gardens is that anyone can visit. It's totally free.

Allan Gardens is also free.

For example, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington charges $10 per adult, while Butchart Gardens in Victoria charges an enormous $43

Neither of these examples are in Toronto, which features many parks free of charge.

That's the beauty of the Halifax Public Gardens, in that everyone, of any means can enjoy the park. While much larger at 400 acres (161 hectares), High Park is a good comparison, if only it were downtown and less of a natural forest.

So is the issue is that it isn't downtown? High Park satisfies everything that Public Gardens does...

On your point above, I admit I'm no fan of how as a society abandon our homeless, addicted and mentally ill to the streets and of how this impacts everyone else's enjoyment and safety.

Right, but hopefully you see the issue of mentioning this issue as "crazy people, junkies, and beggars" in each and every thread on this forum.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Sour news for pickle lovers: Bick's pickles no longer stocked at some Canadian retailers​

From https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/sour-news-for-pickle-lovers-bick-s-pickles-no-longer-stocked-at-some-canadian-retailers-1.7605005

It's kind of a big dill.

Popular pickle brand Bick's, which is made only for the Canadian market, is no longer on the shelves of some Canadian retailers, a consequence of the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States.

While it's a jarring change for many shoppers, it may push consumers to buy more homegrown options and there could be other ripple effects that affect Canadian jobs and businesses.

At several Safeway grocery stores in Edmonton, a sign on the shelf reads "Bick's pickles are currently unavailable as an unfortunate impact of tariffs. We are pleased to offer a selection of alternatives for your shopping convenience."

Parent company Sobeys did not respond to several requests for comment.

Pickles caught in tariff war​

"We're sad to hear that Bick's is embroiled in this tariff dispute," said Steven Oakland, the CEO of TreeHouse Foods Inc., which owns the Bick's brand.

After the U.S. slapped tariffs on Canadian goods in March, the Canadian government retaliated with a long list of counter tariffs, among them a 25 per cent tariff on "cucumbers and gherkins."

"I think a lot of retailers feel that 25 per cent tariff makes them just too expensive frankly," Oakland said, adding that retailers started reaching out to him with cost concerns at the start of the trade war.

"The food business is a low-margin, high-volume business. And so there isn't 25 per cent either on the retailer side or the manufacturing side. So that has, in some cases, really inhibited the retailers' availability to justify carrying them."

Oakland estimates that Bick's is still available in 70 per cent of the Canadian retail environment but said the company has been doing outreach to try and change the Canadian counter tariff, including reaching out to the governor of Illinois.

'An intertwined business'​

Bick's began as a Canadian company, was later acquired by a U.S. company and production was moved south of the border around 2014, Oakland said.

However, the ties between the two countries have stayed strong.

"We continued to prioritize Canadian cucumbers for that product. [It's] why we went to a Canadian lid supplier… It's just been an intertwined business and now we've got a border dispute that just makes that transfer back and forth across the border expensive," he said.

While the pickles are assembled in Green Bay, Wis., Oakland said the company buys 11 million pounds of Ontario cucumbers every year and said all the lids on the jars come from an Ontario manufacturer.

Now, the company finds itself in an awkward situation or — some might even say — a pickle.

Sales are down about 25 per cent in the last three months, according to Oakland, who said, going forward, the company will buy fewer pickles and lids from its Canadian partners.

Buy Canadian sentiment​

With patriotism surging amid trade tensions, many shoppers are opting to buy Canadian, but there could also be unintended consequences for a company such as Bick's, according to experts.

"If buy Canadian means that people aren't buying Bick's, as an example, then Bick's is buying fewer cucumbers from Canadian producers. Then that buy Canadian is sort of coming back to bite, pardon the pun, the Canadian farmers," said food economist Mike von Massow from the University of Guelph.

Kwaku Afesorgbor, a professor in the department of food, agriculture and resource economics at the University of Guelph, suggests it is ultimately customers who pay the cost.

Afesorgbor said customers often end up absorbing the cost of tariffs or, if the product is no longer available, they face fewer options for what they can buy, which eventually affects their pocketbook.

'It's not great'​

Crystal Porcher wouldn't be offended if you called her a pickle enthusiast.

The Edmonton woman grew up eating pickles and admits to eating the crunchy snack at least twice a week.

She even has a pickle tattoo on her hands, one of 10 of her favourite food items.

"If you're out in a pub or having a beer or whatever, they're usually on the menu and I am guilty of just asking for a bowl of pickles, even if it's just a side with something else," Porcher said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/we-asked-canadians-us-boycott-1.7597475
With several brands in the fridge at any given time, Porcher is still processing that pickles have been caught up in the trade war.

"Personally, it's not great. Obviously I'm gonna be paying more for something that I love to eat. I'm not going to stop consuming an entire part of my diet because the prices increase a little bit. Obviously if I can't find them, I'll have to suss out some other options," she said.

Food products caught in trade war​

The issue with Bick's spotlights how food products have been tangled up in the tariff dispute.

"There are other products that have somewhat complicated supply chains, and I suppose pickled vegetables are an example of that," said John Cox, executive vice president of Pickle Packers International, a trade association of the pickled vegetable industry.

Cox said the organization is advocating for duty-free transportation north and south of food products under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

He argues that it is particularly important for the pickled vegetable industry, which he said is competitive with slim margins.

"When you have a 25 per cent import duty added to the cost of production, it makes it impossible to be profitable," he said. "I'm concerned for the long-term prospects for Bick's."

For Oakland and TreeHouse Foods Inc., the timing couldn't be worse.

"Having lived in Ontario myself for 11 years, I understand how important barbecue season is and I just hate that Bick's is embroiled in this right now," Oakland said.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Serves us right.

China to impose 75.8 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola, industry braces for impacts

The move comes nearly a year after Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free:

https://archive.is/jKcrt

Let’s open the market to Chinese cars. The Beez fleet currently has vehicles from Germany, Japan and India. Why not China?

 

[afransen]

No. Allan Gardens is a botanical conservatory placed in an otherwise nondescript park, beautiful in its own right, but that is not a public garden in the guise of Halifax's or those in London, UK such as, St James’s, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. A big difference is that these parks have gardeners to grow and maintain the plants (rather than just mow the grass) and close at dusk, plus the Halifax garden does not allow dogs. If you're unsure of how this differences, I can only recommend a trip to Halifax. I fell for the park when I was there last month, and could only wish we had the same in Toronto.

I've been to that park in Halifax. It is indeed lovely.

 

[picard102]

Serves us right.

China to impose 75.8 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola, industry braces for impacts

The move comes nearly a year after Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free:

https://archive.is/jKcrt

Let’s open the market to Chinese cars. The Beez fleet currently has vehicles from Germany, Japan and India. Why not China?

as long as they are entirely disconnected from Chinese servers I also do not see why not. Maybe they could negotiate utilizing the auto industry here for NA expansion now that the US is threatening those jobs.

 

[Jonny5]

So what do you all think is the end-game for the government if Air Canada staff do strike? Because the Feds will be immediately thrown into the mess.

• Immediately order binding arbitration to begin
• Wait ~48 hours, then order binding arbitration
• Wait ~48 hours, then order the strikers back to work
• Let it all play out on its own

Last one seems unlikely, though Carney has a bit of a spine so I can see him holding out over the weekend and seeing which way the winds of blame are blowing.

 

[picard102]

So tired of these companies making record annual revenues trying to pay the least to front line staff.

CUPE said the airline’s latest offer is “below inflation, below market value, below minimum wage — and still leaves flight attendants unpaid for all hours of work.”

 

[PL1]

So tired of these companies making record annual revenues trying to pay the least to front line staff.

The unpaid labour is shocking. No pay until doors are closed?!? FAs are doing lots of work during boarding or any delays while still at the gate

 

[Admiral Beez]

The unpaid labour is shocking. No pay until doors are closed?!? FAs are doing lots of work during boarding or any delays while still at the gate

Yeah, I don't think Canadians were aware of that. It's no wonder that after we land and shutdown the engines the FA wait for ages to open the doors, since once they do they're off the clock. IMO, as soon as they show up at the airport and clock in for work they should get paid. It's wage theft otherwise.

 

[lenaitch]

Yeah, I don't think Canadians were aware of that. It's no wonder that after we land and shutdown the engines the FA wait for ages to open the doors, since once they do they're off the clock. IMO, as soon as they show up at the airport and clock in for work they should get paid. It's wage theft otherwise.

I thought their pay didn't start until the aircraft was in motion ('pushback') by the difference is moot. We have a friend who is a retired FA ('air hag' as she called it) and their is a lot of misunderstanding of their role. Regardless, other than public sympathy, which is usually worth what you pay for it, the issue has been well known within the industry, the government and negotiators/arbitrators for years.