We’ve all heard the stories about where punk came from. Here’s the precis: The New York Dolls and a few other bands started playing gigs in a crappy area of New York City that attracted musicians, artists, and various degenerates looking for places with low rent. This leads to the opening of CBGB in 1973, which becomes the centre of a scene that gave home to bands like Television, Blondie, Talking Heads, and most importantly, The Ramones.
In July 1976, The Ramones fly to London to play a show at the Roundhouse attended by curious kids who then either continue with their nascent punk plans–that would include The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and a few others–and inspire others to form their own groups. And from there, punk spread across the world.
That’s the elevator pitch for punk’s origin story. What’s missing is Canada’s involvement. And believe me, The Great White North had a lot to say about punk in those either days. And I mean a lot.
Toronto was the third leg of a punk triangle that extend to New York and London. Ideas, trends, and music were constantly being exchanged. Meanwhile, out on the West Coast, there was a fierce Vancouver scene that worked largely along north-south routes into the US. And then across the country, there were pockets of punk that had their own spheres of influence.
This history needs to be told. And we’re going to do it by looking at the stories of 14 incredibly important Canadian punk bands from back in the day.
We’re still looking for more affiliates in Calgary, Kamloops, Kelowna, Regina, Saskatoon, Brandon, Windsor, Montreal, Charlottetown, Moncton, Fredericton, and St John’s, and anywhere else with a transmitter. If you’re in any of those markets and you want the show, lemme know and I’ll see what I can do
There have been no reported injuries linked to the products, and customers are being told to either throw them out, or return them to where they were purchased
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is recalling a number of different Enjoy Life brand bakery products because they may contain pieces of plastic.
The recall covers Enjoy Life Soft Baked Cookies in Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate Brownie flavours, Enjoy Life Chewy Bars – Chocolate Chip and Caramel and Enjoy Life Breakfast Ovals in Berry Medley and Chocolate Chip and Banana flavours.
The affected products were sold in 165g, 170g and 250g packages, with best before dates between Jan. 18 and Mar. 12, 2023.
The baked goods were sold nationally and online.
There have been no reported injuries linked to the products, and customers are being told to either throw them out, or return them to where they were purchased
The recall was triggered by a similar order in another country, and the CFIA says it is conducting a food safety investigation that could lead to the recall of other products.
Energy balls recalled
The agency also issued a recall for two flavours of RemarkaBall brand Crunchy Energy Balls because they may contain milk which is not declared on the label.
The Crunchy Almond Crunchy Energy Balls and Crunchy-Hazelnuts Crunchy Energy Balls were sold in 78 gram packages.
Square Enix Montreal offers employees a compressed work week.
Photo supplied
Instead of the “Monday Scaries,” employees of mobile game developer Square Enix Montreal have “Magic Mondays.”
The company instituted a four-day workweek out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic but now, the policy remains to help the growing company retain workers in a competitive labour market.
“It started a year and a half ago and it was meant to help employees cope with stress: working from home, homeschooling, having to cope with all that work-life balance in that new working from home situation,” Nathalie Gauthier, executive producer at Square Enix, tells Global News.
“Magic Mondays” give employees every other Monday off, with no reduction in compensation. On Mondays when they’re on the clock, the policy requires all meetings be kept to a minimum to encourage maximum productivity with limited distractions.
“People love it so much, so we decided to make it permanent,” Gauthier explains. “It’s definitely a bonus in terms of retention and acquisition of talent.”
Square Enix Montreal employees work alternate between four- and five-day workweeks
Photo supplied
Square Enix has grown from 50 to 150 employees in three years. Gauthier credits this specific perk.
“It’s also a way to put your money where your mouth is. We as a company always say we put employees first and it’s a very concrete measure to be able to do that,” she said.
Canada’s tight labour market has created a war for talent and proponents of the four-day workweek, from private firms to municipalities and politicians, say it’s an important tool to retain and attract workers. Companies from a broad array of industries are grappling to hire and keep employees amid record-low unemployment and an unprecedented number of job vacancies. High burnout rates spurred by the pandemic and the Great Rethink are also prompting many to leave their current role or the job market entirely.
This follows a global trend toward a shortened or compressed work week that picked up momentum this month as 3,300 workers at 70 companies across the U.K. embarked on a pilot to test four-day workweeks for half a year. Notably, this trial, thought to be the largest of its kind in the world, does not involve a reduction in pay and includes a variety of sectors, including retail, software and financial services.
The four-day work week was unanimously greenlighted by the council of the township of Zorra in southwestern Ontario in late 2021 on the heels of its successful eight-month pilot. Researchers from Western and York universities tracked the project and found that, similar to large-scale trials in Iceland between 2015 and 2019, productivity remained the same or higher and satisfaction rates among workers and the clients they served were high.
At the time, Joseph Lyons, a political science professor and director of Western University’s local government program, said “a potential lesson here is that organizations with good culture and strong leadership are more likely to be innovative.”
The study of the township East of London, Ont., was one of the biggest public sector four-day workweek trials in Canada. It involved 30 employees of Zorra municipality who worked 10 hours a day either Monday to Thursday or Tuesday to Friday.
Don MacLeod, Zorra’s chief administrative officer, said he continues to field calls “weekly” about the project from municipalities and private businesses spanning from B.C. to Ontario.
“That extra day just means a world of difference. We found a more relaxed atmosphere at work. People seem to be more engaged and it seems our workforce is happier,” he said.
MacLeod said the compressed work week has been key in attracting and retaining senior staff and junior employees alike.
“We hear now about how difficult it is to recruit senior employees. We felt that was one more tool in our toolbox to recruit but also to retain key staff members,” he said.
“We have some younger staff members now who have said they would not go anywhere else that did not have a four-day workweek.”
MacLeod said on his Mondays off he’s usually taking his elderly father to medical appointments, running errands, golfing in the Summer or enjoying an extra day of downtime.
During the run-up to this year’s Ontario election, two major parties, the NDP and the Liberals, put four-day workweeks on the table as part of their campaign promises. Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford was re-elected and his stance is that scheduling is best left to the private sector.
Macleod admits compressed workweeks are not for every sector, every type of employee. Zorra’s four-day workweek mode doesn’t apply to all departments year-round. Public Works staff are on a schedule of nine days on, every second Friday off from April through October to spring, summer and fall. But when there could be snow to be plowed, they go back to a regular schedule for five months.
“We found we were unable to make it one size fits all, but tailored per department,” he said.
Flexibility is key, and so is common sense.
According to a recent survey of Square Enix Montreal employees, most are using the extra day every two weeks to spread errands out over three days rather than just Saturday and Sunday. But others tell the company it has been invaluable from a mental health and wellness perspective, to unwind.
“Play video games, do DIY projects,” Gauthier said. “It’s very, very appreciated.”
Employees of mobile app developper Square Enix Montreal get every other Monday off.
Photo supplied
She said one important policy implemented to ensure the ongoing success of Magic Mondays is adjusting production calendars to reflect the compressed work week. This took the burden of a full-time production schedule off of employees.
“It would have been counterproductive to stress employees to compensate production-wise,” Gauthier said.
She knows firsthand what a game-changer a four-day workweek can be, especially for working parents who were disproportionately impacted during COVID-19 lockdowns.
“As a mother of three, it has definitely been helpful for me with work-life balance. It gives me an extra day to do things for my family and spend time with my girls,” she said.
Signs are pictured on Parliament Hill prior to Canada Day, in Ottawa on Monday, June 27, 2022. Many communities are reimagining Canada Day celebrations to recognize Indigenous people as the country continues to reckon with its legacy following the discovery of possible unmarked graves at former residential schools.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Communities across the country are bracing for the largest Canada Day celebrations since before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Public events marking the holiday were put on hold due to the pandemic, but eased health restrictions have once again made large gatherings and celebrations possible.
Not all cities will be returning to staging major events, however. Montreal, Vancouver and other jurisdictions have opted not to hold parades, for example, citing financial issues related to the pandemic as well as safety concerns.
Smaller street festivals and events focused on Indigenous reconciliation are being planned instead.
Cities are also bracing for protests — particularly Ottawa, where residents continue to grapple with what police have acknowledged is “lingering trauma” from the convoy blockade earlier this year.
Organizers have moved the festivities from the familiar backdrop of Parliament Hill to nearby LeBreton Flats, while police have battened down the parliamentary precinct to prevent another blockade.
Some of the organizers of the “Freedom Convoy” blockade and the following “Rolling Thunder” protests this spring have vowed to return to the capital on Friday, with police and the public bracing for the possibility of those protesters staying through the weekend.
Global News is following the events across the country and will bring you the latest here.
WATCH: Russian forces abandon Snake Island in strategic victory for Ukraine
Russian missile attacks on residential areas in a coastal town near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa early Friday killed at least 19 people, authorities reported, a day after Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island.
Video of the pre-dawn attack showed the charred remains of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Odesa. The Ukrainian president’s office said three X-22 missiles fired by Russian bombers struck an apartment building and two campsites.
“A terrorist country is killing our people. In response to defeats on the battlefield, they fight civilians,” Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s Security Service said 19 people died, including two children. It said another 38, including six children and a pregnant woman, were hospitalized with injuries. Most of the victims were in the apartment building, Ukrainian emergency officials said.
The airstrikes followed the pullout of Russian forces from Snake Island on Thursday, a move that was expected to potentially ease the threat to nearby Odesa, home to Ukraine’s biggest port. The island sits along a busy shipping lane.
Russia took control of it in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa. The Kremlin portrayed the departure of Russian troops from Snake Island as a “goodwill gesture” intended to facilitate shipments of grain and other agricultural products to Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world.
Ukraine’s military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee in two small speedboats. The exact number of withdrawing troops was not disclosed.
The island took on significance early in the war as a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion. Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back, “Go (expletive) yourself.”
Zelenskyy said that although the pullout did not guarantee the Black Sea region’s safety, it would “significantly limit” Russian activities there.
“Step by step, we will push (Russia) out of our sea, our land, our sky,” he said in his nightly address.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces kept up their push to encircle the last stronghold of resistance in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the country’s Donbas region. Moscow-backed separatists have controlled much of the region for eight years.
Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said the Russians were trying to encircle the city of Lysychansk and fighting for control over an oil refinery on the city’s edge.
“The shelling of the city is very intensive,” Haidai told The Associated Press. “The occupiers are destroying one house after another with heavy artillery and other weapons. Residents of Lysychansk are hiding in basements almost round the clock.”
The offensive has failed so far to cut Ukrainian supply lines, although the main highway leading west was not being used because of constant Russian shelling, the governor said. “The evacuation is impossible,” he added.
But Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Friday that Russian and Luhansk separatist forces had taken control of the refinery as well as a mine and a gelatin factory in Lysychansk “over the last three days.”
Ukraine’s presidential office said a series of Russian strikes in the past 24 hours also killed civilians in eastern Ukraine – four in the northeastern Kharkiv region and another four in Donetsk province.
Russian bombardments killed large numbers of civilians earlier in the war, including at a hospital and a theater in the port city of Mariupol. Mass casualties had appeared to become more infrequent as Moscow concentrated on capturing eastern Ukraine’s entire Donbas region.
However, a missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, a city in central Ukraine, killed at least 19 people and injured another 62, authorities said Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied that Russian forces targeted the shopping mall, saying that his country doesn’t hit civilian facilities. He claimed the target in Kremenchuk was a nearby weapons depot, echoing the remarks of his military officials.
Matthew McGill, a Calgary resident in Ukraine's international legion, near Kharkiv, June 30, 2022.
Stewart Bell/Global News
KHARKIV, Ukraine — Wearing a military uniform marked with with both the Ukrainian and Canadian flags, Matthew McGill pleaded for more support to fight Russia’s invasion.
“We need equipment,” the Canadian Armed Forces veteran and member of Ukraine’s international legion said on Thursday. “The legion needs money to buy equipment.”
“Any way you can help us continue our fight is appreciated.”
A 49-year-old Calgary resident, McGill serves in a signals platoon of the Ukrainian military on the Kharkiv front, where there have been heavy missile and artillery attacks.
“A lot of artillery,” McGill said. “Everybody reacts differently. For myself, I just kind of listen more closely to figure out if it’s incoming or outgoing and how close it is. And if it’s too close you get in a trench.”
Russian and Ukrainian forces have been clashing in a handful of villages outside Kharkiv city. Russia wants to push the Ukrainian army away from its border and protect supply lines supporting its attempt to seize the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Those battling the Russians in the region include members of the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, and at least one is Canadian.
Speaking to reporters at the edge of a farm field far from the closest Russian position, he said he was driving fuel trucks on ice roads in the Northwest Territories when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon invited foreign volunteers to join an international legion that would operate as part of Ukraine’s military.
Matthew McGill, near the Kharkiv front line, Ukraine, June 30, 2022.
Stewart Bell/Global News
A veteran of the Canadian Forces 735 Communication Regiment, McGill said he thought he had something to offer.
“I felt there was more I could do than just post on Facebook that I support Ukraine and maybe give some money,” he said. “I have skills that I thought would be useful here.”
His family didn’t want him to go. He is the father of two sons, and recently became a grandfather.
While his family understood why he wanted to help Ukraine, they were worried, but in the end they were supportive, he said.
He found the application form online and underwent screening. Almost two weeks later, he learned he was approved and flew to Poland.
“My employer was very supportive and I will have a job waiting for me when I get back,” he said.
Matthew McGill of Calgary near the Kharkiv front, Ukraine, June 30, 2022.
Stewart Bell/Global News
Volunteers met him at Warsaw airport and he crossed the border in March for a month of training. He said that while the international legion may have been disorganized in the early days, it has improved.
“I would say right now things are really good,” he said.
According to the international legion, “a lot” of Canadians have joined the fight against Russia, although it won’t provide numbers. Many but ot all are Ukrainian-Canadians.
“There’s quite a few Canadians here,” agreed McGill, who does not have any Ukrainian roots.
One is a drone operator who helps target Russian positions, he said. McGill said he has also come across equipment provided by Canadians, such as night-vision goggles and ready-to-eat meals.
Canada has provided M777 artillery guns, rifles, ammunition and other military support but Ukraine remains outgunned by Russia and has been asking for more weapons.
Following Russia’s missile attack on a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk on Monday, Zelensky asked a NATO summit in Madrid for “much more modern systems, modern artillery.”
McGill said he’d one close call with a Russian missile. He was in a building used as an observation point and was about to step outside when a missile hit and his glasses were blown off his face.
“Thankfully nobody was hurt, but just coming that close really opens your eyes,” he said. “Being hit by missiles and artillery close is something that will change everybody.”
Explosions aren’t the only risks. Two British members of the Ukrainian forces captured by Russia were sentenced to death earlier this month. Two Americans are also now in Russian custody.
The Russian government calls foreigners fighting for Ukraine mercenaries who are not entitled to the prisoner of war protections of the Geneva Conventions.
Investigators at scene of Russian missile attack on apartment building in Kharkiv, June 25, 2022.
Stewart Bell/Global News
McGill said he would stay in Ukraine for another two months and would return to Canada at the end of August.
“I think six months is enough for me to be away from my family,” he said.
He said his experiences had reinforced his views about the need to defend Ukraine from Russian territorial expansionism.
“Just seeing how horrible the Russians are in their treatment of the Ukrainian civilians has made me feel more strongly about the need for me to be here,” he said.
“Just be grateful that we don’t have war in Canada.”
WATCH: The nation's capital says it is bracing for possible protests for the Canada Day long weekend. Both the city's mayor and interim police chief say they are "ready to handle any situation that may arise."
Celebrations are getting underway for Canada Day in the nation’s capital after two years that saw Canadians marking the country’s birthday at home, or virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tensions remain high amid a significant police presence as thousands begin to gather in the streets of downtown Ottawa where residents continue to grapple with what police have acknowledged is “lingering trauma” from the convoy blockade earlier this year.
In normal years, Canada Day festivities draw thousands to the lawns and streets around Parliament Hill for concerts, fireworks and parties. COVID-19 forced celebrations to be held virtually in 2020 and 2021. This year, the party is back live and in person after two years of lockdowns, but it won’t be taking place against the familiar backdrop of the parliamentary precinct.
Instead, official celebrations will be based at LeBreton Flats, the festival grounds roughly a 20-minute walk west of Parliament Hill, as the parliamentary precinct battens down.
The daytime ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday and runs until 1 p.m., while the evening show starts at 8 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m., when the fireworks start.
Performers during the daytime show will include Chantal Kreviazuk, Gurdeep Pandher, Lisa LeBlanc, Tenille Townes, Sarahmee, DJ Shub, Kellie Loder, Sebastien Gaskin, Riit and Boogat.
The evening show will feature Charlotte Cardin, Walk Off The Earth, Salebarbes, Ariane Moffat, Sarahmee, Riit, Cindy Bedard, Sebastian Gaskin, Gurdeep Pandher, Johhny Reid, Tenille Arts, Neon Dreams, Samian and William Prince.
There’s also an official Canada Day playlist on Spotify and YouTube featuring music from the performers.
It isn’t yet clear whether the heavy police presence and shift in venue will impact the number of people heading downtown to join in the celebrations.
In some community forums such as the r/Ottawa sub-Reddit, some users have suggested they plan to get out of the city and worry about whether police will do enough to prevent another convoy blockade.
WATCH ABOVE: An Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News finds three-quarters of Canadians have returned to their pre-pandemic work setting. Among those who have gone back to the office, 58 per cent say it's because their job can't be done remotely.
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, most Canadians have returned to their pre-pandemic working conditions — but for one in ten employees, the work from home lifestyle is sticking.
That’s the latest from a new Ipsos poll, which found three quarters of Canadian workers have returned to their original workplace.
“Most of us have returned to what our pre-COVID routines have been,” said Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos, in an interview with Global News.
“So not quite entirely back to normal, but looking pretty close to what it was pre-pandemic.”
While Canadians have a number of reasons for returning to the office, for most it’s because they didn’t have a choice.
Over half of those polled — 58 per cent — told Ipsos they couldn’t do their work remotely. Another 23 per cent said they weren’t given the option to keep working from home.
However, some respondents wanted to get back into the office. According to the survey, 15 per cent of workers felt they were actually more productive in the workplace and said they preferred to work in person.
Just 12 per cent wanted to see their colleagues, while seven per cent wanted to separate work life and home life; another four per cent wanted to escape their families.
“There are other people that we interviewed that basically said, ‘look, I missed the office. I miss my colleagues. I don’t feel I’m as productive working at home. I feel like I’m missing that environment of the of the workplace as I understood it before. So I’m going back,'” Bricker said.
But 12 per cent of those polled continue to fully work from home — despite working in an office before the pandemic. Another eight per cent are spending some days in the office and others at home — going for a hybrid model — they told Ipsos. This wasn’t their norm before the pandemic, they said.
Time, money and work-life balance are some of the deciding factors for those who continue to work, at least partially, from home. More than 50 per cent cited those reasons as being integral to their ongoing work-from-home lifestyle.
Just shy of 50 per cent of Canadians working from home said commuting time is a major factor, too, while one third of respondents said working from home is happier, less stressful and more productive.
Other reasons Canadians elected to work from home included feeling unsafe returning to the office, finding it easier to take care of their pets or kids, or because their employer shut down the physical office.
While they’re in the minority, the fact that one in 10 Canadians continue to work from home could spell trouble for downtown infrastructure, Bricker said.
“That’s like one day removed from all of the economic activity that used to take place downtown as a result of this adjustment in the workplace,” he explained.
“And if that happens, it’s going to raise some serious questions … (for) those services that we’ve built up in our inner cities to be able to deal with the level of working population that that we used to have.”
However, only time will tell whether the dug-in work from home contingent will really leave its mark on downtown cores across the country, Bricker added.
“We’re just going to have to wait for a little bit of time to see where this goes.”
Exclusive Global News Ipsos polls are protected by copyright. The information and/or data may only be rebroadcast or republished with full and proper credit and attribution to “Global News Ipsos.” This poll was conducted between June 9 and 13, 2022, with a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18-plus interviewed online. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. This poll is accurate to within ± 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18-plus been polled.
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blue Jays -130, Rays +110; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays aim to break a three-game slide with a win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto has gone 24-15 in home games and 43-33 overall. The Blue Jays rank fifth in the majors with 101 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game.
Tampa Bay has a 40-35 record overall and a 15-18 record on the road. The Rays have a 23-5 record in games when they scored at least five runs.
The teams match up Friday for the fifth time this season. The season series is tied 2-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: George Springer has 11 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 36 RBI for the Blue Jays. Alejandro Kirk is 12-for-31 with a double and four home runs over the last 10 games.
Isaac Paredes leads Tampa Bay with 11 home runs while slugging .598. Harold Ramirez is 9-for-23 with a home run and three RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jays: 5-5, .271 batting average, 4.50 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs
Rays: 4-6, .233 batting average, 3.74 ERA, outscored by six runs
INJURIES: Blue Jays: Tayler Saucedo: 60-Day IL (hip), Hyun-Jin Ryu: 60-Day IL (forearm), Yimi Garcia: 15-Day IL (back), Trevor Richards: 15-Day IL (neck), Julian Merryweather: 15-Day IL (side), Andrew Vasquez: 15-Day IL (ankle), Danny Jansen: 10-Day IL (finger), Nate Pearson: 60-Day IL (mono)
Rays: Manuel Margot: 60-Day IL (knee), Kevin Kiermaier: 10-Day IL (hip), Drew Rasmussen: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Andrew Kittredge: 60-Day IL (elbow), Mike Zunino: 10-Day IL (shoulder), J.P. Feyereisen: 15-Day IL (shoulder), JT Chargois: 60-Day IL (oblique), Brandon Lowe: 10-Day IL (back), Luis Patino: 60-Day IL (oblique), Brendan McKay: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Pete Fairbanks: 60-Day IL (lat), Tyler Glasnow: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Anderson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Yonny Chirinos: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Strumbellas perform at the Juno awards show Sunday April 2, 2017 in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Canada’s Juno Award-winning Strumbellas are headlining a Canada Day concert being held northeast of Edmonton on Friday.
The Ontario-based band that fuses pop, rock and folk sensibilities will be performing a Canada Day concert at Legacy Park in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.
Other musicians scheduled to perform at Legacy Park on Friday night include the CCMA-nominated band Nice Horse and singer-songwriter Hailey Benedict, who was recognized as the 2021 Horizon Female Artist at the Country Music Alberta Awards.
Between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., the City of Fort Saskatchewan says local musicians and entertainers will perform on the Legacy Park Bandshell Stage.
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