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FedEx Canada Closing All Retail Office Stores


One of Canada’s staples for print and shipping needs will be closing up shop, the company announced earlier this week. FedEx Canada will no longer be operating their Office Print and Ship Centres and will be closing 24 shop across the country, including the head office in Toronto.

In total, there will be 214 employees laid off from this closure.

The company released a statement saying that:

“The decision to discontinue our operations in Canada was difficult as we’ve enjoyed a 32-year relationship with our team members and customers in Canada.”

There are 18 office centre locations in Ontario, five in B.C. and one in Halifax that will be closing their stores.

Click here to learn more about the closure of FedEx.


McDonald’s Canada Offers: Despicable Me 3 Minions Toys


The Minions are coming back! Timed with the opening of the new Despicable Me 3 movie, which opened in most theatres this past June 30th, 2017, McDonald’s Canada has decided to bring back a whole new set of Minions toys to their Happy Meals.

There are 12 new toys to collect in your Happy Meal, most of which feature a popular Minion character or someone like Gru or Lucy riding a motorcycle.

Despicable Me 3 follows Gru, a bad-guy gone good-guy, who is reunited with his long lost twin brother, Dru. Gru, being a recently reformed villain, no longer shares the interest in criminality with his brother, but Dru is determined to convince his twin that one last heist would be well worth their while.

If you and the family are at all Minions fans and would like to pair your Happy Meal with a screening of Despicable Me 3, you can check out times for the movie here on Cinema Clock.

These toys at McDonald’s Canada will only be around for the summertime, or while supplies is in-stock.

Click here to find the nearest McDonald’s Canada to you.


McDonald’s Canada Using UberEATS For Delivery in Select Locations Across Canada


We’ve all been patiently waiting for McDonald’s Canada to begin offering their delivery services in Canada, as it was announced earlier this year that they intended to begin experimenting with it in 2017. Well in select cities across the country, depending on your location in each city too, of course, you can now have a Big Mac delivered to the comfort of your home using UberEATS.

McDonald’s is partnering with UberEATS to secure home delivery to select cities across Canada, and the cost of said delivery will continue to be the UberEATS delivery fee of just $4.99. The food on the delivery menu will continue to be sold at the same price you would find in-store, and you will also have access to McDonald’s all-day breakfast menu (this will be key for the morning after a late night out where all you need is an egg McMuffin but don’t feel like changing out of your sweatpants!)

And to save yourself a little extra off your first UberEATS order you can use the promo code, MCDS005, to shave an extra $5 off – which will essentially wave the delivery fee from your order!

Click here to see if UberEATS will deliver McDonald’s in your city.


Giant Rubber Duck Unveiled in Toronto For Canada Day Weekend


Whether you like it, love it, or simply want to dump it overboard, the giant rubber duck – with the proportionately large price tag to accompany it – has washed up on the shores of Toronto waterfront for Canada Day weekend.

The six-storey, 13, 600 kg duck is one of the largest of the inflatable aquatic variety and was made for the purposes of the RedPath Waterfront Festival, though many are struggling to find a valid connection between a $200,000 oversized pool toy and Canada 150.

Previous installations similar to this plastic, yellow friend were created by a Dutch artist who has traveled the world showcasing his unorthodox and oversized creations.

The public outcry of the rubber duck, however, has not stopped the bird from stretching it’s proverbial wings across the southern part of Ontario, as after it’s brief visit in Toronto it will be making strides to Owen Sound for July 3.

Click here to learn more about the rubber duck in Toronto. 


McDonald’s Canada Launches NEW Egg BLT McMuffin and Mud Pie McFlurry


For the summer, McDonald’s Canada is bringing out two new items to their menu. One of them will be going onto their all day breakfast menu, while the other is a dessert specialty that would be best enjoyed in the afternoon on a hot summer day.

The first new menu addition is the Egg BLT McMuffin, which will be like the regular egg McMuffin, but this one will include bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese and a dollop of mayonnaise-like sauce. This will only be around for a limited time this summer.

The second new menu offering is the Mud Pie McFlurry. The McFlurry will mock the flavour profile of the iconic Mississippi dessert special by using a combination of chocolate cookie crumbles and chocolate chips with a swirl of hot chocolate fudge sauce.

Click here to find the nearest McDonald’s Canada location to you.


KFC Changes Name to K’EhFC For Canada’s 150th Anniversary


This is perhaps the most out there, if not ridiculous, marketing techniques that retailers have implemented in an attempt to capitalize on Canada’s 150th anniversary. KFC Canada announced that they would be temporarily changing the name of America’s favourite fried chicken supplier to a more Canuck friendly version – K’ehFC (eh, do you see what they did there?) – for the summertime to celebrate their neighbour to the north’s birthday.

“Canada Day is about togetherness — for the country, our communities, and for our friends and family, and bringing people together over a bucket of chicken is what K’ehFC stands for,” said Stephen Scarrow, senior marketing manager for K’ehFC, in a news release.

The new name will be appearing on buckets across the country and, on one lucky store in Saskatoon, they have actually fastened on a brand new sign to reflect the company’s rebranding.

This little gesture has well intentioned thought behind it, but perhaps the masterminds at KFC’s marketing department could’ve consulted some experts before sandwiching the two-letter interjection into their logo. The Toronto Star recently discussed some of the myths and misconceptions surround the use of this specifically Canadian speech pattern and that it’s use may not be as universally Canadian as the world outside Canada perceives.

Nonetheless, it’s a thoughtful gesture from our friends to the south and the buckets I’m sure will provide countless moments of humour and fun on social media (use #KehFC on Twitter and tag a friend for your chance to win a KFC bucket seat!)

Here’s a short explainer video to help you understand how to pronounce the new KehFC brand (*tip, it’s the same as before…)

Click here to find the nearest KFC to you.


Cineplex Canada Opens “The Rec Room” Entertainment Complex in Toronto


The day is finally here! Toronto’s first Cineplex Canada entertainment centre, The Rec Room, has opened at the old Roundhouse Park. The building that the entertainment centre is taking over, previously occupied by Leon’s, provides the centre with 40,000 sq ft of freedom to add games, bars, large plasma screens, patios and even a stage for live entertainment.

While The Rec Room is being advertised as an ‘Eats and Entertainment’ experience, the entertainment – in my opinion – seems to outweigh the eats, but only because there’s just so much to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a futuristic voyage into a VR world, like the Ghostbuster themed quest game called The Void, or are looking for something classic, but nonetheless entertaining, like shuffleboard or ping pong, there’s something for everyone at The Rec Room.

The games will work on a credit based system, where you’ll pay $10 for 40 credits (each game costs about four to six credits, so budget accordingly). Or, if you’d like a bit more freedom and fun for the night, you can purchase an unlimited bracelet (the credits will be loaded onto a wristband that you will then wave in front of the games to activate for play) for four hours, plus 1,500 redemption credits, for just $50.

After playing all those games for a night you’ll most likely have worked up quite an appetite, and the Rec Room does not disappoint in their selection of both big and small bites. There’s two restaurants, Three10 and The Shed, that will be serving up unique dishes as well as old arcade room classics like pretzels, popcorn and fried chicken.

Keep an eye on the entertainment schedule, as the Rec Room is sure to be churning out great live shows throughout the year, especially with The Hall, which is a space at the back of the venue where the stage is perfectly sized to accommodate for small, personal concerts.

Click here to learn more about Toronto’s Rec Room.


Free Canada Day Events To Celebrate 150th Anniversary


With this being Canada’s 150th anniversary, you can expect that Canada Day events are going to be stepping it up a level, no matter where you are living. There are usually a host of free activities and events going on in cities across the country on each July 1st, but this year the offerings are much better and are being offered in far more cities. Apart from fireworks, there are a number of free concerts, activity days, discounted tickets to local attractions and even free food in some cases. We’ve taken some of the hassle and work out of it on your end by rounding up some of the more popular free Canada Day events being offered in some of the bigger locations across the country.

PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Starting on the east coast, with PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, there is of course the Tall Ships, which will be making pit stops across Canadian waters this summer, but a lot of these ships will be stopping in Maritime ports over the Canada Day weekend. Check out your local city here to see when and where the ships will be stopping in.
  • PEI has an event offering in almost all of the major cities this weekend. Whether you’re heading to Cavendish Beach for some Canada Day yoga or Charlottetown, there’s something going on all over the island, better known as the birthplace of Confederation
  • In Nova Scotia, if you’re in the capital city of Halifax you’ll be able to catch free concerts, grab a bite to eat with the free pancake breakfast, plus catch the Nova Scotia Tattoo Canada Day Parade. In other parts of the province, there are fireworks, parades, folk festivals, bbq’s and much more going on
  • New Brunswick has a proud history as being one of the founding four provinces, and with that in mind they have put together a year-long list of activities and events to celebrate the 150 years of Canada. More specifically this weekend though, you can check out the Youth Orchestra, a 150 display in Fredericton and much more!
  • Newfoundland and Labrador has free events being offered province wide, but if you happen to find yourself in St. John’s over Canada Day weekend, be sure to check out the Wake Up Event at Signal Hill followed by a free breakfast and concert series, that will be headlining The Sheepdogs

Ontario and Quebec

  • Toronto and the GTA alone have enough free events and activities going on this weekend to fill up one entire post, but if there’s one thing you’ll want to check out this weekend if you’re within driving distance on the 401, it’s the free concerts by Canadian gems like the Barenaked Ladies, Ron Sexsmith, Shad and newcomer dvsn.
  • Of course the nation’s capital, Ottawa, will have a full weekend lineup of free fun for the entire family, particularly on the look out will be the notable Canadian Citizen Ceremony and the special presentation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Governor General of Canada and the Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who will be celebrating their first Canada Day in Ottawa as part of their Royal Tour of Canada this summer
  • Other events to be on the lookout throughout Ontario include Muskoka’s Canada Day boat cruise, Sesquifest in London and much, much more!
  • Quebec has great free events in both Montreal and Quebec City this weekend, but for those of you living in other parts of this historically rich province be sure to check out all the free events in your region here to help celebrate the country’s birthday

Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta

  • Manitoba is offering residents of Winnipeg the chance to recreate a human Canadian flag at Main and Portage (don’t forget to wear a red t-shirt!), or if you’re more of a history nerd, then you can spend Canada Day at the Royal Canadian Mint
  • If you find yourself in Regina over Canada Day weekend in Saskatchewan, then you could catch a free concert of Marianas Trench (plus fireworks, of course) Regina Beach, Denare Beach and Ituna will also be hosting free and fun beach activities all day long!
  • Olympic Plaza in Calgary is going to be celebrating Canada Day in style, while those of you looking for a less traditional and more musically inclined way to ring in 150 might want to head over to the free Tegan and Sara concert happening at Riverfront Avenue. Fort McMurray will of course be hosting a big party over two days, while other parts of the province may begin kicking off the party on Saturday!

British Columbia

  • Vancouver will be hosting a free concert by Sam Roberts, or, for those of you preferring to chill out than rock out, you can also partake in some free yoga at Mountaintop Plaza
  • Victoria will have the Arkells to rival Vancouver’s Sam Roberts show, and will also be offering free square dancing at Gorge Park
  • There are plenty more free events and concerts happening around B.C., including a headlining show by Tom Cochrane in Surrey, which you can learn more about here or here

Yukon, Nunavut and NWT

  • Iqaluit is hosting a landmark Canada Day celebration, beginning with a Fun Run and ending with a concert featuring the Trade-Offs, while the Yukon will be bringing in their Canadian pride with a concert from July Talk in Whitehorse
  • There’s going to be face painting, a bouncy castle and a water slide for the kids at this Canada Day party in Yellowknife, and for the adults there will be concerts and a CIBC Reaffirmation Ceremony

Happy Canada Day partying!


Nintendo Releasing Super Nintendo Classic Edition September 2017 With 21 Pre-Loaded Games


A miniature version of the 1990s Nintendo fan favourite – the Super NES Classic console – is going to be re-released this fall, said Nintendo, and will come with 21 pre-loaded retro games, including the never before released Star Fox 2.

The Super NES console is a follow-up to Nintendo’s relaunching of the NES classic last year, which became so popular that it caught the entertainment system retailer off guard and led to the revamped retro systems being resold on sites like eBay for nearly double the retail value.

This iteration of the Super NES Classic, which is more compact than the 1991 version, will cost customers $99 CAD and will come pre-loaded with 21 retro classics, such as Super Mario Cart, Star Fox, Super Mario World and much, much more.

Gamers young or old, casual or dedicated who have either grown up with this system or aren’t familiar with what continues to be ranked as one of the “greatest video game systems ever made” will be able to purchase the Super NES Classic starting on September 29 and can rest a little easier knowing that Nintendo has assured that they won’t make the same mistake as last year and will supply more units to be shipped out until the end of the 2017 calendar year.

Here is the full line-up of games that will come pre-loaded onto the Super NES Classic console:

  • Contra III: The Alien Wars
  • Donkey Kong Country
  • EarthBound
  • Final Fantasy III
  • F-Zero
  • Kirby Super Star
  • Kirby’s Dream Course
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • Mega Man X
  • Secret of Mana
  • Star Fox
  • Star Fox 2
  • Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
  • Super Castlevania IV
  • Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
  • Super Mario Kart
  • Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
  • Super Mario World
  • Super Metroid
  • Super Punch-Out!!
  • Yoshi’s Island

Click here to learn more about the Nintendo Super NES Classic console.


Ontarians Stocking Up With LCBO Strike Deadline Looming Ahead of Canada Day Weekend


If you were at an LCBO this weekend, you may’ve noticed that things were much busier and over picked for your regular weekend – especially since it wasn’t a long weekend. With lines stretching all the way to the back of the store and even circling back in some of the more crowded cases, patrons of Ontario’s liquor corporation are getting a taste of just how difficult life could become should their main supplier of wine, beer and spirits no longer be accessible, which may be the reality come Monday at 12:01am.

LCBO employees have threatened to begin their strike ahead of a weekend that a lot of Canadians would be sad to be enjoying without a cold beer in hand, which is probably why LCBO’s over this past weekend resembled what grocery store aisles look like ahead of a natural disaster.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the LCBO have said that they will be working around the clock to negotiate with LCBO employees, but details of the bargaining will not be released to the public until Monday as the OPSEU has declared a media blackout.

The 8,000 unionized LCBO employees are asking for job certainty, as 84 percent of the workforce remains employed on a part-time basis and is asking for more security when it comes to gaining full-time status and general scheduling. The union has been without a contract since March 31, 2017.

Some locations have extended their hours so customers can stock-up ahead of this weekend should the strike negotiations not work out in the employees – or Ontarians – favour.

Will you be stocking up for Canada Day weekend before the potential strike?


Netflix Canada: New Movies and TV Shows Released For July


Are you a diehard rom-com binger, and like to watch movies like the 2011 hit, Friends With Benefits, on a repeat loop? Or perhaps you’re more of a science fiction fan, who counts down the days (and even hours) to the release of each iteration of the Star Wars saga. No matter what your genre preference is, the new releases for July from Netflix Canada are going to satisfy almost everyone’s wants and needs for the summer.

*Note: All of the movies that have received an 80 percent or higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes (for the Tomatometer score) have been giving an asterisk!

July 1:

  • Albion: The Enchanted Stallion
  • Batman: Bad Blood
  • Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men – Season 1-2
  • Dark Matter – Season 2
  • Draft Day
  • Given
  • Hacksaw Ridge*
  • Keep Quiet*
  • Keeping Up with the Joneses
  • Last Vegas
  • Legends of the Fall
  • Let’s Be Cops
  • Oasis: Supersonic*
  • Offspring – Season 6
  • Out of Thin Air
  • Raising Arizona
  • Snatch
  • Snowden
  • Southside with You*
  • The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble*
  • The Riot Club
  • The Wedding Pact
  • Welcome to Me
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past*

July 2-6:

  • Miss Julie (July 2)
  • Mike Tyson Mysteries – Season 3 ” Ring of Fire”
  • Olympus – Season 1
  • Eloise
  • The Standups
  • American Pie
  • Ghost
  • It’s Complicated
  • Julieta*
  • Chelsea – Season 2 (weekly episodes)
  • Dawn of the Croods – Season 4
  • Luna Petunia – Season 2

July 7-13:

  • Castlevania – Season 1
  • Pixels
  • Shadowhunters: The Moral Instruments – Season 2 part b
  • Friends With Benefits
  • The Blues Brothers*

July 14-17:

  • Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile
  • Chasing Coral
  • Friends from College – Season 1
  • Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
  • To The Bone
  • West Coast Customs – Season 4
  • Cowgirl’s Story

July 18-20:

  • Aditi Mittal: Things They Would Let Me
  • Ari Shaffir: Double Negative: Collection
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story*
  • Killer Women with Piers Morgan – Series 1
  • Bruce Almighty
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley*

July 21-31:

  • Last Chance U – Season 2
  • Ozark – Season 1
  • The Worst Witch – Season 1
  • Detour
  • Vincent N Roxxy
  • Joe Mande’s Award Winning Comedy Special
  • The Social Network*
  • Toni Erdmann
  • Braveheart
  • Arrival*
  • Daughters of Destiny
  • The Adventures of Puss in Boots – Season 5
  • The Incredible Jessica James*
  • After the Reality

And here are the titles that will be leaving Netflix as of July 2017:

  • Marvel’s Iron Man July 1
  • Paper Towns July 1
  • She’s Funny That Way July 1
  • Step Up (1-3) July 1
  • Disney’s Tomorrowland July 6
  • Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded July 7
  • Focus July 10
  • Sleeping with Other People July 22
  • Inside Out July 26

Amazon Canada Hiring 200 New Employees For Toronto Office


Shortly after the announcement that Amazon would be buying Whole Foods, the company made another, not quite as ground shaking, announcement regarding their business operations in Canada. On Tuesday, Premier Kathleen Wynne made an announcement with Amazon that they would be expanding their corporate offices into Toronto. The office space will accommodate for the hiring of 200 new employees, 90 percent of which will be highly skilled technical positions.

The requirement for highly skilled technical positions makes sense, especially when you look at what the objectives of this new office space will be. The focus areas of the Toronto office will be on Amazon Fulfillment Technologies, the voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant Alexa and Amazon Web Services.

Click here to learn more about Amazon’s new Toronto corporate offices.


Coca-Cola Canada Unveils New Canada 150 Can & Commemorative Coca-Cola Book Release


Coca-Cola Canada is helping our great nation celebrate the 150th anniversary in style and starting this week you’ll be able to see just how much the soda retailer cares about its unique history in the Great White North. Coca-Cola Canada has created a new iconic can, which will be sold in 222mL 6-packs and will feature the 150th logo against the backdrop of an old fashioned Coca-Cola bottle. At the top of the bottle, a silhouetted maple leaf will be proudly displayed and of course the colour scheme will be red and white, which just so happens to be both Canada and Coca-Cola’s colours.

In addition to the new Canada 150 can, Coca-Cola will also be releasing a commemorative book (starting today) that celebrates the company’s history in Canada for the past 120 years. You will be able to find this piece of memorabilia wherever books are sold and the book is going to be, aptly called, Canada’s Coca-Cola: Refreshing the Nation for 120 Years.

Coca-Cola is also releasing a new commercial to help promote the new 150 222mL cans that will feature music from none other than the great Canadian musician Bryan Adams. The ad has two Canadians going from one side of the country to the other in search of a runaway Coca-Cola.

Click here to learn more about Coca-Cola Canada’s celebration of Canada 150.


IKEA Canada Pop-Up Queen Street Location Now Open


It’s back again for another year, except this year’s iteration of the IKEA Canada Play Cafe will be emphasizing the ‘play’ portion of their name as it features interactive games that will help in discounting your food purchases from the cafe. The pop up shop has opened in Toronto on Queen Street West, at 336 Queen St., and it will be open from June 16th to June 26th. The hours of availability will be:

  • Mon to Sat: 11-8pm
  • Sun: 10-6pm

The cafe is 8,000 square feet and takes up an entire two floors of interactive fun. The cafe is broken into three different themes: shopping, eating, and playing (of course). In the play room, you can enjoy a game that is similar to what most people would call DDR (Dance, Dance Revolution) and collect points to discount your purchases at the cafe. At the cafe, you can buy familiar IKEA staples, such as Swedish meatballs and waffles.

And if you head over to the shopping area, you won’t necessarily be able to make big purchases on things like bed and living room furniture, but you will be able to shop for over 50 different decor items and kitchen accessories.

Click here to learn more about the pop-up IKEA Play Cafe.


Cellphone Unlocking Fees Banned, CRTC Orders All New Devices Be Unlocked


The chains that previously kept you tethered to your cellphone company, that is the irritating and outrageous unlocking fee, usually costing at least $50, is no longer. The CRTC ruled on Thursday that both small and individual cellphone customers will have the right to request to have their cellphones unlocked for free, making unlocking fees a thing of the past.

As of December 1, 2017, customers will be able to request for their cellphone to be unlocked for free and all newly purchased cellphones will have to come unlocked for the customers automatically.

The unlocking fee is something that many Canadians have complained about in the past, as it essentially keeps you locked in to your providers services. This new decision is a step in the right direction to giving Canadians more freedom with their cellphone providers, though there is still a long way to go.

Last year, the CRTC reported that the big Canadian telecoms made $37.7 million for 2016 just through unlocking fees.

Another change announced by the CRTC was that customers trial period will be extended to 15 days after their purchase, in which they can return their phone in “near new” condition free of charge. They must have used less than half of their plan’s monthly usage limit, but so long as you meet these requirements it will come at no extra charge.

Click here to learn more about the CRTC banning of unlocking fees.


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