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Grocery’s power imbalance has politicians, shoppers questioning rising prices

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

Whether you’re catching a flight, opening a new bank account or picking up groceries, a small group of big names takes up most of the market share. Competition Ltd. is a Canadian Press series that explores what this means for products — and prices — in the country.———The flyer for the Victory Meat & Produce Market, a small grocer in New Brunswick, recently featured fresh local turkey for $3.99 a pound, two bags of carrots or onions for $4 and a bunch of celery for $2.29 — prices that rival its national competitors. For 81 years, the independent store has offered quality products at affordable prices, earning it a loyal customer base despite the increasing dominance of national grocery chains. “We have long-term relationships with suppliers and local growers, and staff that have been here for 20 years,” said Alex Scholten, co-owner of the Fredericton store. “Our customers are like family and I think those relationships are what has sustained us for so long...

Poll suggests Canadians feel less safe than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic hit

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

OTTAWA — A new poll suggests most Canadians feel they’re less safe now than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, and most think the provincial and federal governments are doing a poor job of addressing crime and public safety.In an online survey, Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies asked how the level of crime and violence in a respondent’s home community today compares to how it was before the pandemic began in early 2020.Nearly two-thirds of those who took the survey said they feel things are worse — with 32 per cent saying crime and violence has gotten “much worse” and 32 per cent saying it is “a little worse.”A quarter of respondents said the situation hasn’t changed, and eight per cent said they don’t know. Just two per cent of people said the situation is “a little better.” Women living in urban areas were more likely to report that things are worse today. Those in B.C. were most likely to say crime and ...

Bank of Canada expected to hold key interest rate steady at 4.5% today

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada is set to announce its interest rate decision this morning.Economists widely anticipate the central bank will continue to hold its key interest rate steady at 4.5 per cent, even as the economy is running hotter than expected.Despite elevated interest rates, the economy continued to grow at the start of the year, while unemployment hovers near record lows.The Bank of Canada has said it is hoping to see the economy slow further, while working to get the country’s annual inflation rate back to its two per cent target.In February, inflation fell to 5.2 per cent, marking the second month in a row inflation came in lower than forecast.The central bank will also release its updated economic projections for growth and inflation in its monetary policy report today.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2023.The Canadian Press

Daily horoscope for April 12, 2023

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Capricorn.Happy Birthday for Wednesday, April 12, 2023:You are witty, entertaining and confident. People want to hear what you have to say. You love to explore new adventures. Expect exciting changes and more personal freedom this year. Seek new opportunities to meet people, travel and expand your horizons. Be ready for change!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Tread carefully, because an interaction with a boss, parent, VIP or a member of the police might catch you off guard today. (“Busted!”) Do not be impulsive, especially with financial decisions or how you spend money. Give everything a sober second thought. Think twice about an important expenditure. Optics are everything. Tonight: You’re strong.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★Travel plans might be interrupted, delayed or canceled today. Likewise, schedules related to colleges and universities might change. Double-check your s...

Eight people feared to be under the rubble after two buildings collapse in Marseille

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

Eight people are not responding to calls and are thought to be under the rubble of two buildings that collapsed in an explosion early on Sunday (9 April) in the southern French city of Marseille, local officials said.The cause of the explosion was not yet known, Marseille prosecutor Dominique Laurens said on Sunday evening.The collapse caused a fire that complicated rescue efforts and investigations, and that had not yet been brought under control, she told a news conference.Five people were taken to hospital with serious but not life threatening injuries.A third building partially collapsed and some 30 buildings in the area were evacuated, said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who visited the site of the disaster.Some 180 people have been evacuated, Housing Minister Olivier Klein told Europe 1 radio.The buildings that collapsed on the Rue de Tivoli were not known to have any structural problems, the prosecutor said."Thoughts are with Marseille," President Emmanuel Macron said in ...

A woman caught on video allegedly punching and slapping a child faces abuse charges

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

A Hartford. Connecticut woman is facing felony charges in a New Britain child abuse case that was captured on video.Bridget Puntiel, 27, allegedly struck a child’s head several times using “hook punches” and “hammer strikes” during an assault that was captured on video on Aug. 6, 2022, according to the warrant for her arrest.The nine-page affidavit has been redacted in multiple places, including areas that appear to detail the 27-year-old’s relationship to the victim and the age of the child.Puntiel, who is free on a $50,000 bond, faces charges of risk of injury to a minor, intentional cruelty to persons and third-degree assault. She is expected to face a judge in New Britain Superior Court on May 19.New Britain police began investigating in September upon being contacted by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.The warrant alleges the assault took place in a living room in a New Britain residence that was equipped with surveillance cameras. Camera footage shows Puntie...

The most-wanted clothing brands at resale are probably hanging in your closet

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

More affordable brands, such as Madewell, Zara, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Anthropologie, Abercrombie & Fitch and Levi’s are now the most popular brands with the best resale value.(Adobe Stock via CNN) By Parija Kavilanz | CNNLouis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, step aside. Resale clothing shoppers are bypassing previously-owned luxury brands at discounted prices in favor of scoring secondhand mid-tier brands for less.More affordable brands, such as Madewell, Zara, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Anthropologie, Abercrombie & Fitch and Levi’s are now the most popular brands with the best resale value, according to a new joint annual industry report from ThredUp, the world’s largest online thrift and consignment platform, and research and analytics firm GlobalData.Re-worn clothing is a fast-growing market overall that’s expected to reach $70 billion in sales by 2027, from sales of $44 billion in 2023, the report said. As many as 75% of consumers have s...

Miss Manners: Everybody noticed when we walked out of this terrible concert

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I purchased tickets and went to a concert. When we arrived at the hall, there were only three others in attendance.The performance was awful (thus why nobody was there) and we debated what to do. I wanted to leave at intermission, whereas my husband thought that would be rude. He decided to get up and leave in the middle of a song in the second half of the concert, thinking it was more polite.What would you advise in this situation? We didn’t want to be rude to the performers, but also didn’t want to waste our precious time enduring an awful concert.GENTLE READER: Although people these days appear to think of themselves as the stars of their own shows — and therefore usually take the side of the artist over the audience — etiquette does not actually require a paying audience to be willingly bludgeoned until catatonic.Miss Manners fails, however, to see your husband’s alternative as more polite. A discreet dash for the d...

Dear Abby: It feels so right but the timing is wrong. Should I walk away?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

DEAR ABBY: After being divorced for 18 years, I have reconnected with my high school sweetheart. She got in touch with me, and we started talking and seeing each other. We are both in our early 60s.She says she loves me, and to be honest, I love her, too. The problem is, she’s married.She has grown kids and is raising her 8-year-old granddaughter. She says she’s sorry about what happened to us years ago and that she and her husband have had nothing in common for the past 16 years. They sleep in separate rooms and don’t do anything as a family.I know it was wrong to get involved with her, because she’s married. I asked her why now and why me. She said it’s because she never stopped loving me and had tried to find me in the past. (I work in construction and have been in different places over the years.)I told her I don’t want to break up her home, but she insisted that she’s not happy. She told me that a few years ago she moved out but returne...

Suspect in Palo Alto daytime sexual assault arrested by UC Berkeley police

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:05:13 GMT

PALO ALTO – Authorities on Tuesday arrested a 34-year-old Florida man in connection with a recent daytime sexual assault in Palo Alto.The suspect, identified as Palm Beach resident Daniel Widyanto Condronimpuno, was arrested at UC Berkeley, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a statement. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose on charges including attempted rape by force, sexual penetration by force, assault with intent to commit rape, forcible sexual battery, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon and robbery.The attack was reported around 2:50 p.m. Sunday in the California Avenue pedestrian underpass.The victim met with a sketch artist on Monday and a sketch of the suspect was released later that day. Police also shared information about the case with other Bay Area law enforcement agencies.On Tuesday morning, detectives spoke with investigators from the UC Berkeley Police Department, who believed they had a possible suspect under observation...