Cineplex Canada has released their new schedule. The Cineplex Canada Family Favourites Movies include:

• Today, Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 11am the film E.T Extra-Terrestrial. Science Fiction, Adventure, Family, is the Family Favourites for $2.99 (2h 01m).

Here’s the upcoming movie every Saturday morning at 11am for Cineplex Family Favourites at $2.99 each:

April 2017:

• Saturday, April 29, 2017: Sing

May 2017:

• Saturday, May 6, 2017: The Lego Movie
• Saturday, May 13, 2017: Heidi
• Saturday, May 20, 2017: Storks
• Saturday, May 27, 2017: Trolls

June 2017:

• Saturday, June 3, 2017: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children
• Saturday, June 10, 2017: A Dog’s Purpose
• Saturday, June 17, 2017: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
• Saturday, June 24, 2017: The Muppet Movie

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

Click here to get tickets from Cineplex online

The Home Depot Canada has a new list of workshops! The Home Depot Canada today FREE workshops includes: Repair a deck. Inspection and basic repairs.

The Home Depot Canada FREE workshops is valid today, Saturday, April 22, 2017 – 10:00 am to 11:00 am.

To book your slot at a workshop, contact your local Home Depot location.

Click here to get all Home Depot Canada online offers.

Click here to view The Home Depot flyers

Looking to refresh your makeup look for the warmer weather? The Shoppers Drug Mart Spring Beauty Gala will be held on Saturday 6th May across the country.

Tickets are just $10 to show yourself a little love with a makeover and skin consultation.  You will receive a $5 coupon to be used against any cosmetic purchase and the other $5 will be donated to to community-based women’s mental health programs supported by SHOPPERS LOVE. YOU. Run for Women and other prominent mental health charities.

In my experience, stores vary a lot when it comes to Galas.  In the past, they have had goodie bags if you purchased a ticket and I have received Smashbox samples at one store and what I am guessing were testers at another.  The consultations vary a lot too.  Some are done by the regular staff while others get reps from big cosmetic brands in.  So if you have multiple stores near you, ask them what they are planning.  The cosmetics manager is usually happy to get early interest.

The Galas are beauty themed and that means we have a very good chance of a beauty themed Optimum offer in the flyer for that weekend.  If beauty products are not your thing, you may want to pay extra attention to the upcoming flyers to shop ahead of the beauty-heavy flyer that usually accompanies the Galas.

What could be more Canadian than a cup of Tim Hortons coffee warming your hands while you sit on the bleachers of your kid’s minor league hockey game? I know I spent many a nights in high school using Tim Hortons hot chocolates to keep body from dropping to an unhealthy temperature, so seeing this Canada 150th anniversary cup on Tim Hortons’ Twitter, which will be released this week, really tugged at my heart strings.

The cup features a number of iconic Canadian animals and experiences, including, of course, an animation of a cup of Tim Hortons coffee. There’s also a beaver, a VIA rail train, a maple leaf, an inukshuk, as well as a box of Timbits!

This limited edition cup doesn’t have a firm deadline for when they’ll stop serving coffee in them, but I know I’m going to be saving at least one cup as a souvenir!

Click here to find the nearest Tim Hortons Canada.

The Home Depot Canada has a new list of workshops! The The Home Depot Canada today FREE workshops includes: Build a Planter Bench. Planning, cutting, assembling and finishing touches.

The Home Depot Canada FREE workshops is valid today, Wednesday, April 19, 2017 – 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

To book your slot at a workshop, contact your local Home Depot location.

Click here to get all Home Depot Canada online offers.

Click here to view The Home Depot flyers

This may be a publicity stunt to detract attention away from Subway Canada’s previous reputation with ‘transparency’, but it sure is a delicious sounding one if that be the case. Subway is introducing four new paninis to their menu, which are being described as gourmet sandwiches as they will feature the freshest vegetables, quality meats and melted cheese.

The sandwiches will include:

• Chipotle Steak & Cheese: 100 per cent Canadian steak, green peppers, red onions and cheddar cheese on the new ciabatta bread
• Triple Cheese: Cheddar, Swiss and Monterey cheeses, baby spinach, red tomatoes and crunchy red onions
• Chicken Cordon Bleu: Canadian ham, grilled white meat chicken strips, Swiss cheese, baby spinach and tomatoes drizzled with creamy honey mustard
• Italian B.M.T. Melt: Genoa salami, pepperoni, ham, cheddar cheese, spinach, tomato and red onion drizzled with house sandwich sauce

This is all part of a rebranding strategy that Subway Canada’s Senior Marketing Director described as “a declaration of our commitment to the sandwich.” She described how there are a number of “exciting” changes coming to Subway’s across Canada, including new packaging and uniforms in their sandwich shops.

The gourmet paninis will be touring across Canada in a truck called the Panini Express. Beginning in Toronto and making their way east to Charlottetown, and then back west to Vancouver, the paninis will be showcased in a one-of-its-kind transparent food truck so that customers can see how the sandwiches are prepared from start to finish.

You can follow the Panini Express tour on Subway Canada’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

Click here to learn more about the paninis from Subway Canada.

Catch it while you can! Starting today, and for five days only, Starbucks Canada will be offering UNICORN Frappuccinos! Capture the colour-changing, flavour-changing, limited-edition-totally not-made-up-Frappuccino before it disappears!

This sweet and pleasantly sour spectacle is in participating Starbucks Canada stores until April 23rd 2017 only.

Did you try it? We’d love it if you share your experience with us (in the comments) once you do! 🙂

Click here for more information on Starbucks Canada’s Unicorn Frappuccino!

The Home Depot Canada has a new workshop in May 2017! The Home Depot Canada FREE workshops of May 2017 includes: Learn how to Select & Care for Assorted Perennials!

The Home Depot Canada FREE workshops is valid on Saturday, May 6, 2017 – 10:00 am to 11:00 am.

To book your slot at a workshop, contact your local Home Depot location.

Click here to get all Home Depot Canada online offers.

Click here to view The Home Depot flyers.

Better late than never! McDonald’s McCafé Canada is introducing a new banana chocolate chunk muffin. Made with 8 grams of whole grains, real banana, dark chocolate and topped with granola – it sounds delicious!

Furthermore, you can buy any muffin and coffee for only $1.99. The other muffins available are: blueberry, carrot, cranberry orange, and fruit and fibre.

Click here for more information on this McDonald’s deal.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is moving to ban all trans fats in the United States, citing the fats as being “a public health concern”. While the U.S. is taking steps to formally remove the artificial fats from their market, Canada still stands steps behind their southern counterpart as they have yet to meet their own 2007 goal of eliminating trans fats from products.

Trans fats can be naturally found in some meats, but the kind we’re talking about is the artificial kind, which are made by making oil into a solid through the addition of hydrogen (hence why they are also known as partially hydrogenated oils). Trans fats are often used to create a softer texture in manufactured goods, like baked treats, breads, deep fried foods, and margarine. They also extend the shelf life of food.

The problem, among many, with trans fats is that they raise your bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) while lowering your good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein). These artery cloggers have been linked to a greater risk of stroke, coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death.

And so, with the U.S. finally making steps to curb the use of these proven heart stoppers, where is Canada’s plan?

To understand Canada’s history with trans fats, you have to go back to 2007, when Health Canada asked the food industry to eliminate or at least reduce the use of trans fats in their products. They were given two years to meet this deadline, and if they did not meet it voluntarily, then the government said they would step in to make regulations that would force them to alter their trans fats usage.

In 2009, even with the voluntary bans in place, trans fats were still found to be in 25 percent of the food consumed by Canadians. And since then very little has been done (officially) to stop trans fats from being put into our food. What’s more harmful is that under food labelling regulations in Canada, if the food product you are consuming has less than half a gram of trans fat per serving, then producers are allowed to list the amount of trans fats as being ‘0’.

This may not seem like a lot, but trans fats are one of those unsaturated fats that any amount is considered bad for you, and those hidden amounts can really add up.

That being said, Health Canada is attempting to follow the steps of our neighbours to the south. On Friday, Heath Canada presented a “Notice of Proposal” which would prohibit the use of industrially produced partially hydrogenated oils. If passed, this shift would be the first major step in completely eliminating trans fats from the Canadian diet.

*Note: In B.C., they decided to take matters into their own hands and removed all artificial trans fats in foods prepared and served in the province in 2009. This included restaurants, schools and health care services.

Until then though, here’s a helpful little list of some of the biggest offenders for containing trans fats that you should be on the look out for (though you should always be checking the nutrition label to be sure your specific brand does or doesn’t have trans fats in it):

• margarine (stick or tub)
• shortening
• microwave popcorn
• deep fried fast foods
• doughnuts
• cream filled candies
• frozen pizza
• pie crust
• pre-packaged frostings and baked goods
• pancake and waffle mixes
• non-dairy creamers
• frozen/pre-packaged biscuits
• frozen treats/creamy drinks (e.g. Dairy Queen blizzards)

This just a cautionary list of places where you could find trans fats. This is by no means an exhaustive list and it also doesn’t mean that because margarine is listed as one of the usual offenders for using trans fats that your specific brand of margarine also has trans fats in it (e.g. Smart Balance is a popular margarine that’s trans fat free).

Happy and healthy shopping!

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, High Liner Foods Inc. is recalling High Liner Captain’s Crew brand breaded fish strips and High Liner Captain’s Crew brand breaded fish nuggets from the marketplace because they may contain milk which is not declared on the label. People with an allergy to milk should not consume the recalled products described below.

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 have an allergy to milk, do not consume the recalled products as they may cause a serious or life-threatening reaction.

There has been one reported reaction associated with the consumption of these products.

Click here to get more information on this recall at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,

Loblaws Canada made a big announcement on Thursday afternoon that they would be adding 30 new stores and renovating 500* of their existing stores in 2017. The stores that will be renovated will include both grocery stores that fall under many of Loblaws banners, as well as Shoppers Drug Mart stores. The company is also excited to announce that this expansion will add 10,000 retail and construction jobs.

This announcement comes almost exactly a year after the company announced that they would be adding 50 stores and renovating 150 of their current stores.

They have yet to release where the new stores will be added or which stores are going to be renovated. The stores receiving renovations will be designed to accommodate for the inclusion of click and collect e-commerce (to keep up with e-commerce giants like Amazon), improved health and wellness services and the addition of fresh produce at select Shoppers Drug Marts.

The renovations and expansions are going to cost Loblaws $1.3 billion.

*A previous version to this story incorrectly listed the number of stores being added as 50 and the number of stores being renovated as 150. 

Click here to see this week’s flyer from Loblaws Canada.

The food recall warning posted before has been updated to include additional products. This additional information was identified during the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) food safety investigation.

Ardent Mills is recalling various brands of flour and flour products due to possible E. coli O121 contamination. The brand name include: Brodie, Creative Baker, Golden Temple & Robin Hood. Consumers should not consume the recalled products described here.

What you should do:

• If you think you became sick from consuming a recalled product, call your doctor.
• 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.

Food contaminated with E. coli O121 may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, mild to severe abdominal cramps and watery to bloody diarrhea. In severe cases of illness, some people may have seizures or strokes, need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis or live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

Click here for more information on this recall!

Here is some delicious news to brighten your Wednesday: The Cheesecake Factory will open its first location in Canada (first one in a long time to be exact)! The full-service restaurant, popular for its encyclopedic menu and over 50 signature cheesecakes and desserts, will open in the fall of 2017 in Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, ON.

Spanning over 10,400 square feet with two covered patios, The Cheesecake Factory location will feature imported limestone floors and custom wood columns, hand painted murals and modern lighting — décor that is as creative and imaginative as the menu itself. Food-wise, the restaurant will offer its famous menu that includes: “super foods, pizzas, glamburger® & sandwiches, pastas, steaks, chops, fish & seafood, skinnylicious®, Sunday brunch, all handmade, in-house with fresh ingredients.

Click here for more information on The Cheesecake Factory opening Canada.

National Canadian Film Day 150 (NCFD 150) is a massive, free, one-day celebration of Canadian cinema in honour of our nation’s sesquicentennial. On Wednesday April 19th 2017, join your fellow Canadians in theatres, libraries, schools, online, public squares and drive-ins across the country to celebrate our nation’s cinema on National Canadian Film Day 150!

With free events happening across every province and territory, many involving Canadian film talent, NCFD 150 — a Canada 150 Signature Project — promises to be the largest film festival in the world. Ever.

Click here for more information.