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Toy stores struggle as bargain-hunting is the name of the game this holiday season

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

TORONTO — There’s trouble in Toyland — andMastermind isn’t the only one feeling the pressure.Canada’s toy retailers say they’ve long been grappling with the same challenges that nearly killed the ailing company and some fear this holiday season will be difficult as shoppers adopt more budget-conscious behaviours.“People stand in your store and they scroll to see where they can get it cheaper,” said Erin Salisbury, shopkeeper at The Swag Sisters’ Toy Store in Toronto.“It can even be a matter of $3. That doesn’t make a difference.” Shoppers’ dedication to seeking the lowest price is not new, but it is being exacerbated by high interest rates and inflation, which have shoppers thinking twice about some purchases and only making others if the price is right.Though such patterns are being felt across most sectors, they’re an extra layer on top of the lengthily list of woes the toy industry faces: increasing competiti...

Preserving grasslands is good for the planet, ranchers say — and they want to be paid

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

CALGARY — Fed up with taking heat for their industry’s carbon footprint, Canadian ranchers say it’s time for government to step up and fund a solution that will reduce emissions while also preserving one of earth’s most threatened ecosystems.The beef industry is casting itself as one of the last lines ofdefence in protecting Canada’s native grasslands — the rippling expanse of natural prairie that once covered a significant swath of the western provinces but which has been largely lost over the past century to crop farming and urban development.Ecologists say only 18 to 25 per cent of Canada’s natural grasslands remain. Much of that land is owned or managed by livestock producers, who use it to graze cattle. Now, the Canadian Cattle Association industry group is calling on the federal government to fund a program that would pay ranchers for maintaining those grasslands rather than plowing them under or selling the land to a developer.“The whole id...

Climate change battering municipal finances across Canada

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

MONTREAL — The hamlet of Gore, Que., had the foresight to start preparing for more intense annual flooding due to climate change a decade ago.That’s when the rural township 60 kilometres northwest of Montreal began quadrupling the size of its culverts to accommodate greater water flow under its roads.But that still wasn’t enough to withstand the 2023 flood season. “We ended up losing three roads at a cost of close to $1 million,” Gore Mayor Scott Pearce said in a recent interview. The town’s annual budget is around $6 million.Gore is one of scores of Canadian municipalities whose budgets are being squeezed by climate change. As high inflation eats away government revenues, cities and towns are increasingly being battered by historic fires, flooding, heat and ice storms, and having to dispense additional sums to guard against severe weather and clean up in its aftermath. Municipal officials are warning that they’ll be unable to absorb growing weather-related c...

Cambodia’s leader holds talks in neighboring Vietnam on first visit since becoming prime minister

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with his Vietnamese counterpart on Monday on an official visit to boost relations between the neighboring Southeast Asian countries that are close but historically complicated.Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Hun Manet attended a welcome ceremony in the capital, Hanoi, where they reviewed an honor guard before holding talks that Cambodian officials had said would cover cooperation in the fields of education, trade, security, defense and border affairs, among others.The two leaders also witnessed the signing of several agreements on cooperation in trade and science.Two-way trade between Vietnam and Cambodia totaled $10.57 billion in 2022 and $7.1 billion in the first 10 months of 2023, with a projection to reach $9 billion by the end of the year, according to the state Vietnam News Agency. Vietnam is Cambodia’s third-largest trading partner.Hun Manet was also scheduled to meet with Nguyen Phu Trong, who as gene...

Daily horoscope for December 11, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. EST today (12:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. PST). After that, the Moon moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius.Happy Birthday for Monday, Dec. 11, 2023:You are serious about accomplishing something and are dedicated to your goals. You are committed, driven and hardworking. Fortunately, this is a fun-loving year for you! Relax as much as possible until the end of the year. In 2024, keep things simple and take charge of your health.ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★★Because you have an urge for a change of scenery, travel plans sound exciting. You also might make exciting plans about further education, schooling or something to do with medicine and the law. Meanwhile, this is an excellent day to settle matters about shared property and inheritances. Tonight: Explore!TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★★★You’ll find it easy to study today or tackle demanding information related to the law or medicine. It’s an excellent d...

Commission to announce winners of 2023 EU Product Safety Award

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

Today (11 December), the Commission will host the Award Ceremony of the 2023 EU Product Safety Award. The Award honours good practices in product safety that go above and beyond legal requirements and can serve as an inspiration to others. Companies and researchers will receive awards ranging from bronze to gold to recognise their outstanding contribution to consumers' safety.This third edition of the Award focuses on businesses that innovate and invest to improve the safety of young people. For the first time, researchers could also take part in the competition.The categories of the Product Safety Award include distinctions for both small and medium-sized enterprises and large companies, as well as for early-career and senior researchers. Participants will also get to vote on their favourite initiative to elect the public's award. The event will be livestreamed and can be followed here.A press release to announce the winners will also be published today.More information on the Prod...

Miss Manners: I’m taking the high road when it comes to my fruitcake

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am from a family of five children, all of us now in our 60s. Our parents are both deceased.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Is it vindictive to cross these people off my cookie list because of what they said? Advice | Miss Manners: I wish the cleaning lady wouldn’t openly covet my belongings Advice | Miss Manners: The bride told everybody she’d be selling their gifts Advice | Miss Manners: This is way too much money for a co-worker gift. How can I get out of it? Advice | Miss Manners: Am I wrong to insist my husband should take a bite of everything at a party? Seven years ago, one of our brothers became angry at the rest of the family and broke off contact with all of us.My mother had a fruitcake recipe that all of us like, and for years it has been my custom to make her fruitcake and send it to all my siblings at Christmas. I have continued to do this, including fo...

Dear Abby: I skipped the wedding because of what the bride’s mother demanded

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I was invited to my nephew’s wedding out of state and accepted the invitation. It’s a four-hour drive. My son wasn’t interested in attending, and my boyfriend wasn’t sure he could attend due to work.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My kids want the inheritance but I’m scared to give it to them Advice | Dear Abby: Do I need to be honest about what happened to their gift? Advice | Dear Abby: If my friend dies without revealing the truth, should I tell what I know? Advice | Dear Abby: The grandkids were upset by the fight, and now my husband is barred from their home Advice | Dear Abby: We learned the truth about our daughter when her fiance ditched her The mother of the bride informed me that she had decided to “put” an elderly relative in my hotel room with me, claiming they were out of rooms. (She’s known to be miserly and dishonest.) There wa...

San Jose Sharks nearly finish six-game road trip on winning note

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

The San Jose Sharks could have packed it in Sunday night after they fell behind by two goals to the Vegas Golden Knights midway through the third period.It had already been an exhausting and emotional trip, one in which they had guaranteed themselves a .500 record, and they were without two of their top wingers.But in another example of how much they have improved in recent weeks, and how much their confidence has grown, the Sharks came back to force overtime on late goals by Calen Addison and Mike Hoffman.But after a scoreless overtime, Kevin Labanc and Mikael Granlund could not capitalize on their shootout attempts, and Golden Knights forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Jack Eichel finished theirs to hand the Sharks a 5-4 loss at T-Mobile Arena.“It would have been easy to mail this game in,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “It’s been a long trip, you’re 3-2, you feel really good about your trip so far and you’re playing probably the best team in t...

Let it go? Never! Disney’s ‘Frozen’ hits Kennedy Center for wintry family fun around the holidays

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since Disney’s “Frozen” premiered, but families will never let it go.The Broadway musical version hits the Kennedy Center in D.C. from Dec. 20 to Jan. 21 with a snowy setting that’s perfect for this season, if you have family in town for the holidays.“I’m from the D.C. area and … I would get Christmas presents that would be tickets to go see shows at the Kennedy Center,” Caroline Bowman a.k.a. Elsa told WTOP. “This show is such a great time. I love doing it around the holidays, it’s going to warm your heart, it’s good to come as a family to experience together, it’s a good family show and there’s not a better time. The holidays are a magical time and this is a magical show.”Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen,” the story sees Princess Anna leave her palace in Arendelle on a journey with iceman Kristoff, ...