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Three to Stream, Canada style: The Most Famous YouTubers in the Country

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The Internet changed everything, building a web of communication across the face of the world. It put everyone within reach of a Wi-Fi connection on a level playing field. If you had something to say, now there was a place to say it, together with a global audience willing to listen, watch, join in and leave comments, sometimes even positive ones.The rise of the YouTube celebrities is not a phenomenon exclusive to Canada, but for a nation that traditionally keeps itself to itself, Canada serves up more than its fair share of livestreaming stars, and they’re certainly not afraid of the limelight. So let’s have a look at what they’re up to.

Vanoss Gaming

Streaming video game content accounts for the bulk of live streamers on the net. It’s a curious trend on the face of it – who would want to watch somebody else playing a game? As it turns out, pretty much everyone.Twitch has become the go-to site for game streaming, and it’s astonishingly popular: 100 million unique users tune in each month to watch content provided by a community of some 2.2 million streamers. They’re streaming everything from massive multiplayer arena battles like Dota 2 and League of Legends, through to being able to play casino games with a live dealer and even poker events are now uplifted to the digital age.

One of the best and most likeable game-streamers is Evan Fong, better known to his fanbase as Vanoss Gaming. Based in Toronto, Evan has been streaming to YouTube since 2011, and as of July this year, has racked up over 7 billion video views and over 20 million subscribers. He is known for his collaborative projects with other game commentators, and regularly plays alongside such stalwarts as Tom “Syndicate” Cassell and H20 Delirious.

IISuperwomanII

Lilly Singh, aka IISuperwomanII is a lady of many talents. The Scarborough-born vlogger and YouTube personality is also a live comedian, actor, and bestselling writer. In 2016, she ranked third behind Roman Attwood and PewDiePie on the Forbes list of highest paid YouTube celebrities, banking around $7.5 million for her services to streaming culture.

This year Lilly heads the Forbes list of Top Influencers in Entertainment, and it’s not hard to see why. Her Instagram account has 6.6 million loyal followers, her YouTube channel has notched up 11 million subscribers in 7 years, and she features in every “best of” YouTube Rewind released since 2014. Her first book, “How to be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life” went to print in March this year and instantly shot to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list, and a frank 2016 documentary following her cabaret tour and YouTube fame entitled “A Trip to Unicorn Island” premiered at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles near where Lilly now lives, and was attended by a host of streaming personalities including Bethany Mota and Joey Graceffa.

Lilly’s most popular video is “How Girls Get Ready”, and her lively material is peppered with self-deprecation, lifestyle tips, and the occasional rant on the parlous state of the world in general and her slice of it in particular.

Linus Tech Tips

Linus Gabriel Sebastian is an exceptionally busy man. As producer, presenter and creative founder of Linus Media Group, he has his hands full steering and hosting three tech-focused YouTube channels: Channel Super Fun, Techquickie, and the site that started it all, Linus Tech Tips. Taken together, these three channels are watched by over 6 million subscribers, which is probably why Inc. magazine in 2015 ranked Sebastian fourth in a list of Top 30 Power Players in Tech. Just to make life more interesting, Sebastian also regularly hosts science and technology videos for Canadian PC giant NCIX.

Linus Tech Tips is the fifth most-watched technology channel on YouTube, and began life in 2013 as a project run out the back of a garage by Sebastian, and three friends, EdzelYargo, Brandon Lee, and Luke Lafreniere. It had a shoestring budget and no kickstarter funding to cushion the blow. So all in all, the group has come a long way, with a stream of well-produced video clips on everything from what makes for a good gaming laptop to the unboxing and teardown of the latest home console rigs.

And the Rest…

These three are all comprehensively winning the Internet, and they’re not alone. Every day a new star is in the ascendant, and strange though it might seem, a lot of them are shining from Canada. Perhaps it’s an unanticipated benefit of all those clear skies.

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Beauty Week is back at Hudson’s Bay in Toronto and it’s time to get glam

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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.

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The Canadian Armed Forces are hiring for several non-combat military jobs

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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.

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Porter’s new loyalty program promises to match Air Canada’s Aeroplan status

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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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