Business
Habs Better Off Without P.K.
MONTREAL — When I was growing up in New York, I rooted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. They played in the shadow of the mighty New York Yankees, but the fan base was steadfast and each fall they looked to the future with the mantra: “Wait ’til next year.”
That’s the advice I offer to Canadiens fans who continue to experience angst over the departure of P.K. Subban.
I feel your pain.
I’m going to miss Subban on the ice because he was exciting, even when he made a costly mistake.
I’m going to miss him in the dressing room where he could be loud, insightful and brash. I fell in love with his personality the day he was drafted when he proclaimed: “I’m going to make Mr. Gainey happy that he drafted me. I’m going to help this team win a Stanley Cup.”
And the community is going to miss a guy from Toronto who embraced Montreal and its charms, a man who left his mark on the city with his community involvement.
Subban won’t get a chance to deliver on his promise of a Stanley Cup in Montreal and there’s a possibility he may win the Cup in Nashville.
But it’s important to remember that it takes time to assess any trade and, while the deal might turn out to be beneficial for Subban and the Predators, it figures to make the Canadiens a better team in the coming season.
Some critics would have you believe that the current Canadiens management team is a continuation of nearly a quarter-century of mediocrity. But I wonder what these folks were thinking on Nov. 24, 2015. On that day, the Canadiens had the best record in the NHL. On that day, the boring defensive-minded team with a stifling one-dimensional coach was No. 2 in the NHL in goals scored.
Two days before, Brendan Gallagher sustained broken fingers blocking a shot. On Nov. 25, Carey Price went down for the season. And defenceman Jeff Petry was playing through a sports hernia that eventually required surgery.
And Subban became a problem.
It wasn’t his fault, but he’s the guy who paid the price. If Price hadn’t suffered an injury and the team continued to win, there wouldn’t have been a problem. But as the losses mounted, people started pointing fingers and, more often than not, they were pointed at the guy who was earning the most money, the guy who was a little different.
I think general manager Marc Bergevin was disingenuous when he said he wasn’t shopping Subban. He may not have initiated any of the talks, but he was certainly listening to offers. I also believe he looked on the deal for Shea Weber as a hockey deal that will help the Canadiens, at least in the short term.
The Canadiens need size and Weber and has five or six inches on Subban. He’ll offer more protection for Price and his wonky knee. He has been described as an intimidator, a term that has never been applied to Subban. He’s an upgrade on the power play. By all accounts, he’s boring on and off the ice and that’s fine with the Canadiens.
Frustrated fans have to separate the past from the present. Last season was a disaster, but there’s every reason to believe that the Canadiens are headed in the right direction.
Some Habs critics point to the Detroit Red Wings as a success story, but they’ve won only one playoff round in the past four seasons and they had the best coach in the world for three of those seasons. The Canadiens with their supposedly mediocre GM and coach have won three series in the same span.
There has been criticism that Canadiens ownership is invested in mediocrity because the value of the team has increased exponentially during the past 15 years and last year Forbes estimated the franchise is worth $1.18 billion.
One on the benefits of my Jesuit education was the study of logic and logic dictates that if the Canadiens are all about money, winning would be the goal, not mediocrity.
Each playoff game at the Bell Centre is worth an estimated $2 million.
When fans stay home, as they did at the end of last season, it’s true that the tickets are paid for but the team doesn’t sell as many of those overpriced hotdogs and it doesn’t sell as much overpriced beer. That’s a double whammy for owner Geoff Molson because beer is the original family business and Molson serves on the board of Molson Coors Brewing Company. Winning teams also sell more caps, T-shirts and overpriced NHL-licensed team jerseys.
Money is the incentive to win, but I know that Molson is aware of the family history and would like to leave his generation’s mark on the Canadiens. I can guarantee you that he’s not fretting over the cost of Stanley Cup rings.
Beauty enthusiasts rejoice! Beauty Week at Hudson’s Bay is back in Toronto for another year. It’s time to stock up on all of your fall essentials and, maybe discover some new ones.
From Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 27, you can expect a truly elevated beauty experience in-store with incredible special offers, limited-time gifts, and exciting activations.
If you’re a diehard beauty lover, you’ll already know that Hudson’s Bay is the place to shop thanks to its extensive range of over 195 skin and makeup brands from both luxury labels and masstige brands — including Tata Harper, Estée Lauder, YSL, Nars Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, and so much more.
Throughout The Bay’s Beauty Week, visitors can take in some at-counter activations and interactive expert-led tutorials, where there will be chances to get makeup touch-ups from top-tier brands, try a spritz of the most alluring fragrances, and sample tons of new products.
This year’s Beauty Week highlight is the ‘Best in Beauty’ tote, a meticulously-curated selection of 30 deluxe samples from an array of top-tier brands like Dr. Barbara Sturm and Shiseido spanning skincare, fragrance, and makeup — all in a super sleek bag.
The tote, which is valued at over $300, is retailing for just $39 and is a fantastic way to explore new products (without breaking the bank). However, there is a limited quantity, so if you want to get your hands on one, you’ll need to be fast.
Wondering exactly what Beauty Week’s free gifts with purchases entail? If you spend over $95 at Lancôme, you will receive a six-piece set valued at $130. Or, you can get an Estée Lauder gift valued at $170 with purchases over $80. (And that’s just to name a few.)
If you’re a Hudson’s Bay Rewards member, you’ll also get $20 in Hudson’s Bay rewards when you spend over $100 on beauty.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have several non-combat jobs, some of which do not require a college degree or past work experience.
Life in the forces has several benefits, such as paid education plans (college, university and graduate-level programs), 20 paid vacation days, health and dental coverage for you and your family, maternity and paternal leave, and pension plans. You can learn more about the benefits in detail here.
And to make it easier to gauge if you qualify, the listings also include related civilian jobs to see if it’s your ideal role.
Financial services administrator
Related civilian jobs: Financial records entry clerk, financial manager, accounting technician, bookkeeper, budget officer, cashier clerk, business planner technician, and verification manager.
Description: You’ll help budget resources for all military activities besides providing financial assistance.
Education: You need to have completed Grade 10.
Duties: As a financial services administrator, you’ll be responsible for bookkeeping and managing budgets. You’ll also provide support in accounts payable and accounts receivable.
Work environment: Those in this role work at CAF bases, on ships or overseas. You might also be expected to help special operation units, recruiting offices, schools, and medical organizations.
Postal clerk
Related civilian jobs: Mail clerk, mail sorter.
Description: You’ll provide postal services to members and their families at bases and establishments.
Education: Grade 10. No previous work experience or related career skills are required.
Duties: As the postal clerk, you’ll handle mail duties.
Work environment: Besides a postal office, you may work on a ship or a mobile postal van. You might be expected to serve with Royal Canadian Navy, the Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force in Canada and abroad.
Dental technician
Related civilian jobs: Dental assistant, dental hygienist.
Description: You’ll be helping dental officers provide dental services to CAF members, their families, and dependents.
Education: Level II dental assisting diploma from an accredited college or a National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) certificate.
Duties: Those in this role will be responsible for various responsibilities, including disinfection and sterilization of dental equipment, applying rubber dams, placing cavity liners, and controlling bleeding. In addition, you’ll assist in laboratory procedures like creating casts, custom trays, and mouthguards.
Work environment: This role will require you to work in a military dental clinic, a Mobile Dental Clinic, an Air Transportable Dental System, or onboard a ship. You might be expected to work on a base in Canada or other operations in other parts of the world.
Human resources administrator
Related civilian jobs: Records administrator, data entry supervisor, receptionist, office manager, executive assistant, payroll clerk, and information management technician.
Description: Provide administrative and general human resources support.
Education: Grade 10. No previous work experience or related career skills are required.
Duties: In addition to human resources administration and services, you’ll be handling pay and allowances, managing automated pay systems, and maintaining personnel records.
Work environment: HR administrators work at all CAF bases in Canada. They also work on ships and overseas to support the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, or Royal Canadian Air Force operations.
Medical assistant
Related civilian jobs: Emergency medical responder, ambulance and first aid attendant, registered nursing assistant, licensed practical nurse, and hospital orderly.
Description: Successful candidates will help treat the sick and injured in CAF units. You’ll be assisting and supporting nursing and medical officers.
Education: Minimum of Grade 11 biology, Grade 10 physics or chemistry, and Grade 10 math.
Duties: You’ll provide initial care and essential life support treatments in trauma cases. You’ll help with health assessments (hearing and vision tests, perform basic lab procedures, etc.) and initiate and manage medical records and reports. You’ll also be expected to provide support and first aid during training exercises.
Work environment: Medical assistants may serve with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force or the Canadian Army as part of the Canadian Forces Health Services Group. Those in this role are exposed to the same risks as the forces they support.
Porter Airlines is once again stirring the pot among Canadian airline rivals, now going after Air Canada’s Aeroplan members by offering to match their loyalty status to an equivalent of their own.
The beloved airline, which recently ranked as having the best cabin service in North America, challenged the competition for the second time this year, after previously deploying a similar tactic against WestJet in the spring.
Earlier in April, Porter presented customers with a limited-time offer to match the loyalty status of WestJet’s patrons with VIPorter levels.
Now, they’re offering Aeroplan members to seamlessly transition to an equivalent VIPorter Avid Traveller status based on their existing membership tier.
Members can then take advantage of an array of travel perks that come with flying Porter, including seat selection, baggage, and flight changes.
For those currently holding an Aeroplan membership, there are two ways to acquire the Avid Traveller status for the rest of 2023:
Status-Based Match:
- Aeroplan 25K members = VIPorter Venture
- Aeroplan 35K members = VIPorter Ascent
- Aeroplan 50K, 75K, and Super Elite = VIPorter First
Flight Segments-Based Match:
- 5 flight segments = VIPorter Passport
- 8 segments = VIPorter Venture
- 17 segments = VIPorter Ascent
- 28 or more segments = VIPorter First
Members will have to first submit their applications on Porter’s website. Registration will remain open until September 6, 2023.
In order to maintain their membership level through 2024, customers will have until the end of 2023 to reach the following reduced qualifying spend (QS) targets:
- Passport = $500 in QS
- Venture = $750 in QS
- Ascent = $1500 in QS
- First = $2500 in QS
Over the past year, Porter has launched an aggressive expansion strategy, including everything from introducing longer flights on newly-purchased jet planes flying out of Toronto Pearson, free WiFi, and a new all-inclusive economy experience.
With Canadians losing both Swoop and Sunwing as WestJet incorporates both into their mainline business, Porter’s direct competition is welcome to keep prices competitive.
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