Feeling swarmed? Wasp experts explain what’s with all the buzz this year

Feeling swarmed? Wasp experts explain what’s with all the buzz this year

Pest control technician JS Ouellette says this hot, dry summer has been good for business, with 25 to 40 calls per day to remove wasp nests — roughly four times the typical call volume. “I am just parked and people will come up and be like, ‘Hey, do you deal with wasps? I have some,’” said … Read more

As temperatures rise, so will the cost of an AC unit

As temperatures rise, so will the cost of an AC unit

Cost of Living5:07The hot, sweaty irony of it all Star Vickery never used to need an air conditioning unit to stay cool in her home in Halifax. But summers are getting warmer, she says, and since she now works from home, it’s become a must.  But cooling your home can be costly. The unit cost … Read more

Sarah McLachlan thought Angel was ‘too slow and depressing’ to become a hit

Sarah McLachlan thought Angel was ‘too slow and depressing’ to become a hit

Sarah McLachlan can only think of one time in her career when she set out to write a single for pop radio — and it was only because she didn’t have a choice. When the Canadian superstar signed with her first American label, they didn’t think they could sell an album with just her signature … Read more

Montreal peregrine falcon chicks take first flights into a world full of danger

Montreal peregrine falcon chicks take first flights into a world full of danger

The world is full of dangers when you’re a falcon chick less than six weeks old and learning to fly — even if you’re a member of the fastest species on Earth. This week, three falcon chicks named Hugo, Polo and Estebane started to spread their wings around the nest site on the 23rd floor … Read more

From fast food to construction, employers turn more and more to temporary foreign workers

From fast food to construction, employers turn more and more to temporary foreign workers

Businesses’ demand for temporary foreign workers has surged across the country in recent years, with employers given the green light to hire more than double the people through the federal program last year as they did five years ago. The program is designed to provide short-term relief to employers as a last resort, but has … Read more

Why is everyone arguing about Drake and Kendrick Lamar?

Why is everyone arguing about Drake and Kendrick Lamar?

Hip-hop heavyweights Drake and Kendrick Lamar are sparring in an exchange of diss tracks that has sent music fans into furious debates on social media.  The feud has roped in a slew of hip-hop stars, almost all of whom seem to be coming for Toronto native Drake.  “Hip-hop hasn’t seen a beef like this since Nas … Read more

Loblaw ending 50% discount on some food items raises concerns about anti-competitive behaviour

Loblaw ending 50% discount on some food items raises concerns about anti-competitive behaviour

The revelation that Loblaw will end its 50 per cent discount on perishable foods like meat, fruit and vegetables as they near their best-before dates should attract the attention of Canada’s Competition Bureau, says one industry expert.  Prof. Sylvain Charlebois, the director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-food Analytics Lab, believes the action taken by the grocery chain to align its policy with other food retailers might be … Read more

Dennis Edney, lawyer for former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr, dead at 77

Dennis Edney, lawyer for former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr, dead at 77

Dennis Edney, a lawyer who played a critical role in the release of former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr, has died at 77. An obituary published in the Edmonton Journal said Edney had dementia and died Saturday. The soccer-player-turned-lawyer took on many high-profile cases throughout his career. But his Scottish accent became known across the … Read more

For 100 years, this Mickey Mouse operation has thrived. Is Disney now losing its magic?

For 100 years, this Mickey Mouse operation has thrived. Is Disney now losing its magic?

The Sunday Magazine22:54For 100 years, this Mickey Mouse operation has thrived. Is Disney now losing its magic? You might describe Marlene Morris as a Disney lifer. As a child, she grew up watching Disney movies on weekends and listening to her father read Disney’s Bedtime storybooks at night. She first visited Disney World in Orlando, Fla., … Read more