A party-free long weekend talking point pack
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The first major Canadian city without any downtown department stores will likely be Alberta’s capital, now that Hudson’s Bay announced it will permanently leave the Edmonton City Centre this fall. With the retail landscape set to be redrawn come plenty of questions about whether North America’s oldest company has a post-pandemic future.
The musical becomes political
Canadians are leaning on music to get them through the lockdown, according to an online poll commissioned by the industry. The more concerning takeaway is that nearly half of the respondents will take caution before attending another concert. The current crisis surrounding live music has led to Toronto venues hoping for unique property tax relief.
Quebec’s premier fights the anglo media over COVID-19. François Legault singled out a Montreal Gazette health reporter as an example of fear stoking, but the province also delayed reopening elementary schools in the city until September. Meanwhile in Ontario, friend to reporters Doug Ford finally released his cherry cheesecake recipe.
Your public broadcaster at work
CBC News took heat for a feature originally titled “8 things you can do if you’re witnessing a racist incident,” primarily because one of those things was to call the police. The criticism prompted a follow-up piece about why calling the police is a tough call, in conjunction with giving a rewrite to some of the original eight bits of advice:
NBC and CTV struck a deal in the opposite direction. The uncertain supply of new medical dramas has proven fortuitous for Transplant, which is filmed in Montreal yet set in Toronto. Its pickup is reminiscent of how the CTV series Flashpoint was available for importation by CBS when an American screenwriters’ strike stalled pilot season.
Finally, how to top the chart
Nav is the Toronto rapper who juiced the rankings of Billboard last year by bundling downloads of his Nasty Habits album with merchandise like his own Styrofoam cups. He’s on course to repeat the chart-topping feat via Nav-branded ashtrays, sweatpants and face masks, sales of which are expected to buoy Good Intentions to number one:
