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Winnipeg TV content delivery firm Taiv acquires potential Ontario rival Local Reach

Aaron Epp 5 minute read Preview

Winnipeg TV content delivery firm Taiv acquires potential Ontario rival Local Reach

Aaron Epp 5 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2025

A Winnipeg advertising technology company is one step closer to launching its product in Canada after acquiring a startup based in Kingston, Ont.

Taiv Inc. purchased Local Reach in a deal that closed last month. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Local Reach co-founders Evan Ferreira and Joseph Liao, who created the startup while studying at Queen’s University in Kingston, will move to Winnipeg and join Taiv’s staff. Taiv acquired some of the startup’s tech as part of the cash-and-stock transaction.

It’s Taiv’s first acquisition and a big milestone for the six-year-old company, according to co-founder and CEO Noah Palansky.

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Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2025

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS

Taiv co-founders Noah Palansky (right) and Jordan Davis in the company’s Winnipeg office. Taiv uses AI to customize in-house advertising on televisions in bars and restaurants.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Taiv co-founders Noah Palansky (right) and Jordan Davis in the company’s Winnipeg office. Taiv uses AI to customize in-house advertising on televisions in bars and restaurants.

Sweeping tariffs could be 3% hit to Canadian economy, even with carve-outs: report

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Sweeping tariffs could be 3% hit to Canadian economy, even with carve-outs: report

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025

TORONTO - A CIBC report says sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S. could cost the Canadian economy as much as 3.25 per cent, even factoring in possible exemptions for the oil and gas sector.

An analysis published Tuesday examined four potential scenarios in which U.S. President Donald Trump slaps new taxes on goods imported from Canada, ranging from 10 to 20 per cent and with possible carve-outs for key industries.

Speaking with reporters on Monday evening, Trump said he's thinking about hitting Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent tariffs on Feb. 1.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Canada would respond and that "everything is on the table."

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Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025

A CIBC report says sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S. could cost the Canadian economy as much as 3.25 per cent, even factoring in possible exemptions to the oil and gas sector. President Donald Trump attends the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Evan Vucci
A CIBC report says sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S. could cost the Canadian economy as much as 3.25 per cent, even factoring in possible exemptions to the oil and gas sector. President Donald Trump attends the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Evan Vucci

Forgotten Flavours Artisan Bakery fills Pennyloaf void on Corydon

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read Preview

Forgotten Flavours Artisan Bakery fills Pennyloaf void on Corydon

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

After nearly a year, the smell of fresh bread will once again fill a Corydon Avenue bakery.

The sign out front no longer reads “Pennyloaf Bakery,” and the staff inside are no longer employed by former clothing mogul and entrepreneur Pepper Foster.

Instead, an emblem for Forgotten Flavours Artisan Bakery faces passersby. Owners Chris and Maria Holbrow busy themselves inside 858 Corydon Ave., preparing for the Winnipeg shop’s first day open Tuesday.

“We’re trying to complement the space and ensure that we can fill a void that was very sad to see go,” Chris Holbrow said. “We have a great product to offer.”

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Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

The Niverville-based bakery, owned by Chris Holbrow (pictured) and his wife, Maria, is opening in Winnipeg, taking over the location where Pennyloaf Bakery used to operate out of. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Chris Holbrow at his new Forgotten Flavours location on Corydon on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. The Niverville-based bakery is opening in Winnipeg (where the Pennyloaf Bakery used to be) on Tuesday. For biz story. Winnipeg Free Press 2024

Manitoba auto repair shops in high gear amid lengthy MPI strike

Tyler Searle 4 minute read Preview

Manitoba auto repair shops in high gear amid lengthy MPI strike

Tyler Searle 4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023

Despite bumps in the road, Manitoba auto repair shops are chugging along as strike action at Manitoba Public Insurance drags into its seventh week.

“There are some delays, but we are hoping the (MPI) people can get back to work. We miss them. We miss the adjusters, but there is not much we can do about it,” said John Vernaus, owner of Vernaus Autobody in Winnipeg.

“Can you ask for more when (MPI is) operating with maybe one-10th of the staff?”

Around 1,700 walked off the job Aug. 28, after the Manitoba Government General Employees’ Union and the Crown auto insurer failed to reach a contract agreement. Many services have been halted, delayed or limited in the weeks since, as MPI works to maintain operations with reduced staff.

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Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

Johnny Vernaus, president of Vernaus Auto Body, with technician Roy Samlal, says minor claims are processing quickly, but vehicles with extensive damage are taking longer to be assessed.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Johnny Vernaus, president of Vernaus Auto Body, with technician Roy Samlal, says minor claims are processing quickly, but vehicles with extensive damage are taking longer to be assessed.

Flour & Flower plants roots with Waterloo Street location as demand for unique cakes, cookies decorated with edible flowers grows

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Preview

Flour & Flower plants roots with Waterloo Street location as demand for unique cakes, cookies decorated with edible flowers grows

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 30, 2023

Rachel Nedelec’s baking has reached the Grammys and Australia, an international fashion house and at least one yoga studio.

Next week, Flour & Flower will have a permanent home — its first brick-and-mortar bakery.

“I said, ‘I want it, I need it, this is my space,’” Nedelec recounted, laughing.

She and her real estate agent had heard the spot at 530 Waterloo St. was coming available. It was déjà vu: Nedelec first toured the site in early 2020, when her business was not yet half a year old.

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Saturday, Sep. 30, 2023

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Rachel Nedelec, owner of Flour & Flower bakery, is opening her first storefront location on Waterloo Street next week. The company’s creations were included in Grammy Awards gift bags this year.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Rachel Nedelec, owner of Flour & Flower bakery, is opening her first storefront location on Waterloo Street next week. The company’s creations were included in Grammy Awards gift bags this year.
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Crave introduces ad tiers, including $9.99 plan

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview
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Crave introduces ad tiers, including $9.99 plan

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

TORONTO - Crave is introducing two ad-supported tiers that each shave $5 or $10 off the monthly subscription fee.

Bell Media says its new Crave Basic with Ads costs $9.99/month, while Crave Standard with Ads costs $14.99/month. An unchanged ad-free option remains at $19.99/month, and is renamed Crave Premium Ad-Free.

Viewers can watch most shows and movies, including HBO and Max originals, on the ad-supported plans. About one per cent of titles won't be available due to licensing restrictions.

Ads will be 15 or 30 seconds long, totalling about five minutes per hour, and appear before and during some episodes and films.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

The Crave app is seen on a phone in Toronto on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019. Crave is introducing two ad-supported tiers that each shave $5 or $10 off the monthly subscription fee. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
The Crave app is seen on a phone in Toronto on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019. Crave is introducing two ad-supported tiers that each shave $5 or $10 off the monthly subscription fee. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Low-cost Temu goes head-to-head with Amazon

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Low-cost Temu goes head-to-head with Amazon

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

It started with a video of a postal worker sorting a mountain of orange packages from Temu.

Rachael D'Amore hadn't heard of the online shopping site, but after watching the video she found good reviews, affordable products and free shipping on most orders — what she called "a unicorn in Canada these days."

"I had to double check the URL to make sure that I wasn't on the U.S. site," she said.

Temu also offered a $5 credit if an order took longer than 12 days to arrive — a quasi-insurance policy that gave D'Amore the confidence to place a $30 order for seven items, including an 89-cent necklace, earrings for $1.78 and hair clips for $3.59.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A person navigates the Temu website on a smartphone in Toronto, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Temu launched in Canada in early February, the same month it aired a Super Bowl ad with the tagline "shop like a billionaire," and offers consumers an alternative to online juggernaut Amazon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini
A person navigates the Temu website on a smartphone in Toronto, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Temu launched in Canada in early February, the same month it aired a Super Bowl ad with the tagline

As elites arrive in Davos, conspiracy theories thrive online

Sophia Tulp, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

As elites arrive in Davos, conspiracy theories thrive online

Sophia Tulp, The Associated Press 6 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — When some of the world’s wealthiest and most influential figures gathered at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting last year, sessions on climate change drew high-level discussions on topics such as carbon financing and sustainable food systems.

But an entirely different narrative played out on the internet, where social media users claimed leaders wanted to force the population to eat insects instead of meat in the name of saving the environment.

The annual event in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos, which opens Monday, has increasingly become a target of bizarre claims from a growing chorus of commentators who believe the forum involves a group of elites manipulating global events for their own benefit. Experts say what was once a conspiracy theory found in the internet’s underbelly has now hit the mainstream.

“This isn’t a conspiracy that is playing out on the extreme fringes,” said Alex Friedfeld, a researcher with the Anti-Defamation League who studies anti-government extremism. “We’re seeing it on mainstream social media platforms being shared by regular Americans. We were seeing it being spread by mainstream media figures right on their prime time news, on their nightly networks.”

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A Swiss national flag waves on a building in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A Swiss national flag waves on a building in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Even if games go on, MLB lockout could alienate Gen Z

Jake Seiner, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Even if games go on, MLB lockout could alienate Gen Z

Jake Seiner, The Associated Press 7 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Max Scherzer stars in the last video posted to Major League Baseball’s TikTok account before the league locked out the players Thursday morning.

The clip, viewed over 400,000 times, shows the final out from Scherzer's first no-hitter in 2015 with Washington, followed by teammates dousing the three-time Cy Young Award winner with chocolate syrup. Hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd's “Swang” plays in the background.

“Max Scherzer is ... officially a New York Met!!!” the caption reads, celebrating Scherzer's $130 million deal to pitch in Queens.

It could be the last post featuring a big league player sent to the account’s 4.8 million followers for months, a curveball with real consequences for a sport already concerned about courting young fans.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Scherzer pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of Game 5 of a baseball National League Division Series Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in San Francisco. Eight-time All-Star Max Scherzer is nearing a $130 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday, Nov. 29, because the agreement was still being worked on and would be subject to a successful physical.(AP Photo/John Hefti, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Scherzer pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of Game 5 of a baseball National League Division Series Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in San Francisco. Eight-time All-Star Max Scherzer is nearing a $130 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday, Nov. 29, because the agreement was still being worked on and would be subject to a successful physical.(AP Photo/John Hefti, File)
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À la pêche aux entreprises

Valentin Cueff de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Preview
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À la pêche aux entreprises

Valentin Cueff de La Liberté pour le Winnipeg Free Press 5 minute read Saturday, May. 6, 2017

Alt Hotel, la boulangerie Le Croissant, l’Épi de blé, Thermëa Spa. Qu’ont ces lieux de Winnipeg en commun? Ce sont des compagnies nées dans d’autres contrées francophones, qui ont posé leur valise dans la capitale manitobaine. Entreprises familiales ou grosses sociétés, toutes ont été “séduites” par Mariette Mulaire et son équipe pour venir s’installer dans la province.

Pour Mulaire, le premier défi est souvent de faire connaître le Manitoba en dehors du Canada. “Vous venez d’où?””De Winnipeg.” “C’est où, ça?” “Au Canada.” “Ah, au Québec?” “Pas tout à fait…”

La présidente-directrice générale du WTC a l’habitude d’avoir ce type d’échanges, notamment quand elle se déplace en France pour des forums économiques. “Pour les entreprises, le Manitoba est une alternative qui est mal connue, ou méconnue. Il faut éduquer les gens.”

À l’origine, il y avait l’Agence nationale et internationale du Manitoba (ANIM). Née en 2007, cet organisme avait pour but “d’utiliser le bilinguisme au Manitoba pour aller chercher les marchés francophones.” Mulaire en était la PDG. Elle travaillait de paire avec Michel Simard et Annie Girard pour attirer des investisseurs dans la province, ainsi qu’avec Brigitte Léger dans le dossier de l’immigration économique francophone.

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Saturday, May. 6, 2017

Valentin Cueff photo
Mariette Mulaire, présidente du WTC Winnipeg, va à la pêche aux entreprises francophones pour amener de l’investissement dans la province.
Valentin Cueff photo Mariette Mulaire, présidente du WTC Winnipeg, va à la pêche aux entreprises francophones pour amener de l’investissement dans la province.