Saputo Inc. is recalling Neilson brand Partly Skimmed Chocolate Milk from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. You should not consume the recalled product described below.

The Neilson brand Partly Skimmed Chocolate Milk affected products have been distributed in Ontario and Quebec.

What you should do
Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased. If you think you became sick from eating a recalled product, call your doctor.

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.

Click here to get more information about the recalled products.

CLIF Bar & Company is recalling its Sierra Trail Mix Energy CLIF Bar due to a possible contamination of Listeria monocytogenes. This recall was triggered by the company itself and there were no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these energy bars; however, if you do have them in your house, you’re advised to return them to where they were purchased.

As mentioned in the previous food recall warnings, even though your food might look and smell OK to eat, it could still be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.

Click here to read more about this Food Recall.

The Home Depot Canada has a new list of free workshops that will be happening next month in June! Learn everything from how to repair your deck to how to paint your home this summer. Keep in mind that you will have to contact your local Home Depot to register for classes.

• Build a World’s Best Dad Trophy Phone Holder: Saturday, June 11, 2016  10AM – 12PM
• Painting Your Home’s Exterior: Wednesday, June 15, 2016 7PM – 8PM
• Create or Maintain a Pavestone Walkway: Saturday, June 18, 2016 10am – 11am
• Learn How To Maintain Your Deck: Sunday, June 26, 2016 1PM – 2PM

Click here to view the The Home Depot Canada flyer.

Click here to get The Home Depot Canada online offers.

Loblaw Companies Limited Canada recalls Joe Fresh Pre-Walker Footlets as the fabric on the slipper may detach and pose a choking hazard to children.

Loblaw has received one report in Canada of material coming off the heel of a Footlet. No injuries were reported. Approximately 6800 pairs of the recalled Footlets were sold at Loblaw stores across Canada from February 2016 to May 2016.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Joe Fresh Pre-Walker Footlets and return the product to any Loblaw banner store where Joe Fresh apparel is sold for a full refund (a receipt is not required).

Click here to get more information about this recall.

June is Bike Month in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area! Toronto Bike to work day group commute & pancake breakfast at Nathan Phillips Square.

Event Type: Ride

Time: Monday, May 30 at 7:00 am – Monday, May 30 at 9:00 am

Click here to find out more about this great event.

Have fun this morning with Cineplex! Today, Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 11am the film The Neverending Story will be for only $2.99! This offer is valid at participating Cineplex theatres. A portion of the proceeds goes towards supporting Free The Children. It’s a fun and affordable way to enjoy the weekend with your family!

Click here to see a list of Cineplex participates in the Family Favourites event.

Mayborn USA Inc. is recalling its line of Tommee Tippee Sippee Spill-Proof Cups due to a potential mould exposure hazard. Tommee Tippee Sippee Spill-Proof Cups are small plastic drinking cups that have spill-proof tops with easy-grip sides. These cups come in a variety of colours and shapes and can include various short phrases on the front.

In Canada, Mayborn USA Inc. has received 484 reports of mould in the removable, one-piece, white valve of the sippee cups. This includes four reports of related illness from the use of these cups.

In the U.S. there were more than 3,000 separate cases of mould found in the removable, one-piece, white valve which has resulted in 68 reports of children experiencing symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting.

The recalled items include:

• First Sips Transition cup
• Trainer Sippee cup
• Sippee cup (including Cute Quips)
• Sportee bottle
• Insulated Swiggle/Sippee tumblers
• First Sips Transition cup (included in the Closer to Nature Starter Kit)

There were approximately 227,000 units sold in Canada between December 2014 and May 2016. If you have any of these items, you’re advised to immediately stop using the recalled Sippee cups and contact Mayborn to receive a free replacement cup.

Click here to read more about this Mayborn USA Inc recall.

Altra Foods Inc is recalling their Dr. Praeger’s brand of Black Bean Veggie Burgers due to their potential contamination with the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. This recall was initiated in the U.S. because of reported illnesses linked to consuming products manufactured by CRF Frozen Foods, one of the manufacturers for an ingredient in the Black Bean Veggie Burgers; so far there have been no associated illnesses in Canada but you’re still advised to get rid of this item as soon as possible.

Just because your food may look and smell OK to eat, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This bacteria can cause an infection with symptoms of vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.

Click here to read more about this Altra Foods Inc recall.

June is Bike Month in the GTA and Hamilton regions and it’s starting with a fun FREE event this Monday, May 30th in Toronto. On the 30th, commuters from around the City will meet to ride together from start points and converge at Yonge and Charles for 7:30a.m and ride to Nathan Phillips Square for a FREE breakfast. Recruit your family, friends, and colleagues, and celebrate cycling in the city. This free event is organized by Cycle Toronto in partnership with the City of Toronto and Smart Commute Toronto.

Click here to find out more about this great event.

Every Sunday, you can enjoy a free ride on the TTC Toronto when you travel on the Presidents Conference Committee 509 streetcar! This offer begins this Sunday, May 22, 2016 and runs until Labour Day weekend. This streetcar will travel from Union Station to the Fleet Street loop.

Click here to read about this historical TTC streetcar.

Sugarfina Canada is recalling its Sugarfina brand Milk Chocolate Malt Balls because they contain peanuts, which were undeclared on the label. The recall was triggered outside of Canada and there were no allergic reactions associated with the consumption of these Milk Chocolate Malt Balls. If, however, you have this product in your home, you’re advised to return it to where you purchased it. If you or a family member has a peanut allergy, do not consume these chocolates!

These Milk Chocolate Malt Balls were sold in various Sugarfina kiosks between February 17, 2016 and March 31, 2016 in Nordstrom stores in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.

Click here to read more about this recall.

An extremely popular No Frills location at Coxwell and Gerrard in Toronto’s East side has abruptly shut down leaving its loyal and frequent customers shocked and confused. When shoppers visited the store early on Wednesday morning, they were met with a sign posted on the front window stating, “We have served this community for decades. We hope to serve the community for decades more. To do that, we need to modernize the store. This will include improvements to the building and renovations that will make your shopping experience even better.”

Notoriously known as one of the most run down No Frills stores in the city, the letter continued to explain that it will “re-develop this store as quickly as possible.” Despite the environment of the store, it was still a popular go-to place and to help customers who rely on its groceries, the store management is providing a shuttle bus to Dave and Charlotte’s No Frills store located at Carlaw and Gerrard. The service is available starting today, May 13, 2016 and will run every 15 minutes between 8am-7:30pm with no service between 1pm-2pm.

It’s unknown why exactly Rocca’s No Frills suddenly shut down but in an emailed statement, the Vice President of Corporate Affairs stated that it was “not closed due to an infraction” and that the closure would not be permanent. A timeline for renovations hasn’t been confirmed but the store will open as soon as possible.

Click here to read more about this No Frills closure.

Several Loblaws locations across Canada were closed briefly this morning due to a glitch in the company’s cash registers. Costumers are also reporting that  Shopper’s Drug Mart, Real Canadian Superstore, and No Frills were also affected by the outage. Stores have now re-opened but the company has said customers may find checkout times are slower than normal.

There’s no word yet as to what caused the glitch.

Click here to find out more about the temporary closures of Loblaws stores

Costco Canada has issued a recall of the Ajinomoto brand Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-Style Fried Rice due to a possible contamination of Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is the species of pathogenic bacteria that causes the infection listeriosis, which can cause infections of the central nervous system.

Costco has confirmed that some Costco locations have given out free samples of the Yakitori Chicken with Japanese-Style Fried Rice, so if you have become sick from consuming the recalled item, call your doctor as soon as possible.

Keep in mind that food that is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes might look and smell perfectly fine but it can still make you sick. Symptoms vary based on the state of the infected person, they can include: fever and muscle aches, often preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. In extreme cases, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, stillbirth, or miscarriage.

There have been no reports of customers falling ill due to the consumption of the Yakitori Chicken in Canada; however, check to see if you have this product in your home. If you do, throw it out right away or return it to the store where you purchased it for a refund.

Click here to read more about this recall.

If you can’t wait at home all day for packages and your “local” post office is not convenient, you may want to sign up for Pudo.

They are partnering with grocery and convenience stores across the country to allow you to ship packages there, so your package will be available minutes after delivery and close to your home, office or any other location you choose.

There is a cost for this feature, and you will pay $3 for small packages (up to 10lbs) and $5 for large packages so you won’t want to use this feature just to get freebies as some did with Bufferbox.  But you get an email as soon as the retailer scans your package into the Pudo system and can pick up anytime. If you shop with their shopping partners (includes Amazon, Walmart, eBay and more), they will waive the fees too, so worth trying it out for those shipments.

No more waiting until after 1pm the next day for Canada Post to get it to your local post office, or even worse, those out of the way courier depots.  Simply signup at Pudo.ca to get a member number and choose your shipment locations (you can have multiple and they are signing new stores all the time).  Use the store address and enter your Pudo # as part of the address in that 2nd address line we never use or as part of your name.  Once you receive your email, pick up your package with no more waiting.

I checked several postal codes and while some areas have less than others, I found two within a 5 minute walk of my home and several more in areas where I shop.  If you have a local Hasty Market, they seem to be participating at all locations but some are still undergoing checks and training.