The controversial ‘weed legalization’ announcement that came out earlier this week from the Trudeau government is being swept off the table for consideration before it has even officially been put forward. The strong opposition that has been vocalized in the few days since the proposed bill was leaked has forced Liberal members to retreat with their proverbial tails – and legalized joints – between their legs.

On Monday, a senior official from the Liberal party confirmed to CBC that the government intended to introduce a piece of legislation on April 10^th – coincidentally, ten days before the national pot holiday (4/20) – that would see federal legalization of the green buds.

But shortly after this announcement was made, the Canadian public took to arming themselves against the government’s irrational proposal.

A Facebook group by the name of, “Gram of Green = A Pound of Flesh” was quickly formed. It was made up of a group of concerned parents and public health officials who all shared the same values that they believe most Canadians can identify with; that is, curbing the number of obese Canadians through the effects of munchies.

You may wonder how the two coincide, that is marijuana use and Canada’s obesity problem – we currently rank number 25 for the most obese countries in the world – but when you look at the facts, it’s actually painfully clear.

Marijuana, a drug most commonly consumed by young people between the ages of 18-24, is a well-known stimulant for appetite. And what parents and doctors, both rightfully so, fear is that by legalizing marijuana we will in effect encourage careless consumption; or what is better known as ‘the munchies’.

Just ask any corner store or 7-11 about the sheer number of hazy eyed college students that come wandering into their shops at all hours of the night, grabbing everything and anything they can reach off the fluorescent-lit shelves.

“I saw one kid come in grab a hot dog, ice cream, Cheetos, and a pineapple,” said one store clerk, who asked to remain anonymous for the security of his business. “I mean c’mon. That’s not a balanced meal.”

The ‘Pound of Flesh’ advocacy group raises the valid concern that young people are already at risk of becoming overweight with the far too easily available high-fat, high-sugar processed foodstuffs in the stores.

“By throwing weed into the mix, you might as well just hook these kids up to a sugar and salt valve,” posted one of the parents in the group.

“Weed and food. The only combination more lethal that I can think of is alcohol and pain killers,” said another concerned parent. In the past five days the group has collected more than 10,000 signatures asking that the bill not even be brought into parliament.

The Liberal party, obviously quite embarrassed about this obvious oversight, has since retracted their move to legalize the green plant.

The political party that has also been contending to be considered the ‘pro-pot’ party, the NDP, was also seen to quickly reverse their opinion as the onslaught of negative feedback was voiced across the country from public health officials to public educators.

“We understand the grave nature of the munchies, and in no way want to condone said lifestyle choices,” reported one senior official from the NDP party.

Dollarama Inc. Canada has announced that they will begin accepting major credit cards at its stores next quarter. A couple of years ago, Dollarama started taking the first steps towards accepting credit cards by testing it out in several locations across the country.

Furthermore, Dollarama Inc. is going to get even bigger, with a new plan to operate as many as 1,700 locations across the country, up from an earlier growth ceiling of 1,400. Dollarama, Canada’s biggest dollar store chain, will open the new stores over the next eight to 10 years.

Click here for more information on this Dollarama news.

It’s National Crayon Day! Crayola has announced that it is retiring their iconic crayon, Dandelion! The company announced that it would be removing the gold-tinged dandelion stick from its boxes to make way for a new one. It’s only the third time in Crayola’s history that it has retired one or more of its colours, and the first time it’s taking one out of its box of 24.

Fans of dandelion, which was introduced in 1990, have gone on to social media to express their unhappiness regarding the decision. Crayola aren’t saying exactly what is replacing the dandelion colour but they say it’ll be “in the blue family”. There’ll be more details released in May and fans will get to name it over the summer! Goodbye Dandelion!

Click here for more information.

Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore & Zehrs have No Tax on  Saturday, April 1, 2017 on Home, electronics, toys, baby, health & beauty department, Floral and Joe Fresh Apparel.

Click here to view their flyers.

Tax season is like going to the dentist; you can put it off as long as you like, but the longer you put it off, the worse your tooth ache (or tax induced headache) will become. That’s why little tools, like Sherpa.tax, are so wonderful, as it helps ease some of that irrational anxiety surrounding your taxes.

The tool was created by Canadian entrepreneur, Omeed Asadi, and it was designed to be completely anonymous (you don’t enter any form of personal information throughout the entire 10 minute questionnaire). The tool calculates a rough estimate of the kind of tax credits you could be eligible for, though the site recommends that you still double check with the CRA website.

What I liked about this tool is that it allows you to easily navigate the different tax credits, dodging all the unfriendly tax jargon terms, but you still get a glimpse of what kinds of credits you could be eligible for.

For Ontario residents, there is a similar tax navigating tool that the government has created for filing your provincial taxes, but the Sherpa.tax one would also be a nice complement to this tool since it includes federal claims you could make too.

Click here to check your tax credit for 2016 with Sherpa.tax.

Thieves in Berlin were reported to rise before the dawn on Monday morning and break into the Bode Museum to steal one of Canada’s most expensive coins; the ‘Big Maple Leaf’, as it is known colloquially, measures 3cm thick and weighs 100kg and though the face value of the coin is $1 million, by weight alone it could be worth up to $4.5 million US.

The coin was on lease to the Bode Museum in the German capital by an unknown owner, as the Royal Canadian Mint only commissioned the coin but they do not own it. After creating the original $1 million coin (which is in storage in Ottawa) the Mint was then commissioned by private individuals to make five more. This coin in the Bode Museum was one of those five.

As reported by the CBC, the thieves had apparently broken in through a window and retrieved the coin from the cabinet it was kept in, leaving the scene before the police had even arrived.

The coin holds a Guinness Book of Records for its purity, which is 99.999/1000 gold.

Smucker Foods of Canada Corp. is recalling Robin Hood brand All Purpose Flour, Original from the marketplace due to possible E. coli O121 contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product. This recall was triggered by findings by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) during its investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak.

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!

Health Canada is advising Canadians that the unauthorized health product “PureCare Herbal Cream” may pose serious health risks. The product is promoted as a natural treatment for eczema and psoriasis in children and babies. Health Canada testing confirmed the presence of a prescription steroid (clobetasol propionate) and another ingredient (phenoxylethanol) not declared on the product label. These ingredients may cause health effects ranging from skin irritation and dehydration to increased blood pressure.

What you should do:

• Stop using this product. Consult with your health care professional if you have used this product and have health concerns.
• Read product labels to verify that health products have been authorized for sale by Health Canada. Authorized health products have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM). You can also check whether products have been authorized for sale by searching Health Canada’s Drug Product Database and Licensed Natural Health Product Database.
• Report adverse events to health products to Health Canada by calling toll-free at 1 866 234 2345, or by reporting online, by mail or by fax.
• Report complaints about health products to Health Canada by calling toll-free at 1 800 267 9675, or complete an online complaint form.

Click here for more information on this recall.

The U.S. travel ban, which blocks immigration from six countries, has a new group of unintended people being affected by the order; this time, it’s Canadian students in Toronto.

The Toronto District School Board’s director John Molloy released a statement on March 23, 2017 that expressed concern about the risks of having Toronto students go across the border who could potentially be turned away. In the statement, Molloy said:

“We do not make this decision lightly, but given the uncertainty of these new travel restrictions and when they may come into effect, if at all, we strongly believe that our students should not be placed into these situations of potentially being turned away at the border. The TDSB remains committed to ensuring that fairness, equity, and inclusion are essential principles of our school system and are integrated into all our policies, programs, operations, and practices, including school trips.”

Though the travel ban is currently being blocked by two federal judges, Sean Spicer, the president’s press secretary, has made it clear that the administration plans on appealing the decision.

The board said that the already pre-approved trips would go ahead as normal, but they weren’t making any future plans to visit the country for the time being. In addition to that, they also made it clear that if any students “with the appropriate documentation be denied entry to the U.S. for no legitimate reason, the entire trip will return to Toronto and will not proceed.”

Toronto is only about a two hour drive to the U.S. border, making trips to the country a common experience for some of the 246,000 students that the TDSB serves.

This decision by the TDSB comes after Girl Guides Canada also made the decision to cancel all trips going to the U.S., including trips that had connecting flights into the country.

Click here to read the original statement by the Toronto District School Board.

The Home Depot Canada has a new list of workshops! The The Home Depot Canada today FREE workshops includes: 5 Simple projects to enhance your bathroom: plumbing, tiling, painting, lighting and accessories..

The Home Depot Canada FREE workshops is valid today, Sunday, March 26, 2017 – 1:00 pm to 2:00 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

Toys R Us Canada has a great FREE Family Events in March each Saturday including fun make and takes, product demos, giveaways and more.

Visit your local Toys“R”Us store to take part in the exciting promotions and activities your kids will love. All events are offered In-store only. While quantities last. Giveaways and make and takes are limit to one per child. Events recommended for children ages 5 years and up.

Today: Saturday, March 25, 2017 from 11am – 1pm

• Beauty and The Beast Event Make and Take
• Kids can Build and take home a LEGO Mini Cogsworth and create and take home a Play-Doh Rose.

Here’s the upcoming event every Saturday morning at 11am:

Sunday, April 2, 2017

• Autism Awareness Day Sensory Friendly Shopping Hour
• Celebrate World Autism Awareness Day this year at Toys “R” Us. On Sunday April 2nd, locations will open one hour early for families to enjoy our Sensory Friendly Shopping Hour

Click here to view the Toys R Us flyer.

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

• Today, Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 11am the film Space Jam. Comedy, Animation, Adventure, Family, Classic, is the Family Favourites for $2.99 (1h 28m).

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

April 2017:

• Saturday, April 1, 2017: Looney Tunes Shorts
• Saturday, April 8, 2017: The Land Before Time
• Saturday, April 15, 2017: Hop
• Saturday, April 22, 2017: E.T Extra-Terrestrial
• 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

Cineplex Canada has released their new schedule for May & June, 2017. Here’s a list of the upcoming weekly movies line-up at Cineplex Family Favourites for only $2.99:

April 2017:

• Saturday, April 1, 2017: Looney Tunes Shorts
• Saturday, April 8, 2017: The Land Before Time
• Saturday, April 15, 2017: Hop
• Saturday, April 22, 2017: E.T Extra-Terrestrial
• 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 view a list of participating Cineplex movie theatres locations

Industry is recalling Chef Destinations, Frankly Fresh Salads and Fresh St. brands Fresh Guacamole from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers 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 think you became sick from consuming 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. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.

Click here to read more information about this recall.

If you were thinking of taking advantage of the Rexall Air Miles redemption offer this weekend or simply redeeming for some groceries elsewhere, think again.  Air Miles quietly suspended all Air Miles Cash redemptions yesterday leaving stores confused to why the system was not working. It looks like we will not have those redemptions back in the short term either.

A message on their site explains that “through our regular fraud monitoring processes, we have identified irregular activity occurring within a small number of in-store AIR MILES Cash transactions, where Cash Miles have been stolen… In a desire to protect AIR MILES Cash Miles, we have temporarily removed the AIR MILES Cash option for in-store purchases”.

They do not seem to know how long that will take.  In the mean time, you can redeem your Air Miles for select gift cards and e-vouchers including Cineplex, GAP, Kernels Popcorn, PizzaPizza, Staples, Toys R Us and Ultimate Dining Cards.

A full list of Air Miles Cash online rewards can be found here.

This was probably a long time coming.  Unlike many reward cards, you can check an Air Miles balance online without even the simple PIN needed for login.  Once you know a card is active and has miles in it, the Air Miles App requires the PIN but many other mobile wallet systems do not.  Have you ever taken a screenshot of your e-cards for easier access when data is an issue in store?  They can use a similar method and photoshop the barcodes and numbers to make multiple cards and redeem.

You can protect your Air Miles Cash account from My Profile when logged in online or in the Air Miles App by hitting Lock My Cash Account at the bottom of the My Profile menu.  Once you are ready to redeem, you can hit unlock and lock it again after.  Since it does not appear that the thieves have actually accessed accounts, unlike the PC Plus thefts, that should keep your hard earned points safe.