The Great Lakes are essential to the health and well-being of millions of Canadians for safe water supply and the sustainability of our ecosystems. Protecting one of the largest surface freshwater systems in the world is vital, which is why the Government of Canada is collaborating with local partners to find the best ways to keep water safe, clean, and well-managed.

Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, announced that the Government of Canada is investing more than $3.1 million over three years in thirty-two new projects funded under the Great Lakes Protection Initiative. The projects will address priorities to restore water quality and ecosystem health in Areas of Concern, prevent toxic and nuisance algae, and enhance engagement with Indigenous Peoples and the public.

Protecting freshwater demands a collaborative approach. Environment and Climate Change Canada has launched a new call for proposals for project funding under the Great Lakes Protection Initiative for 2022–2023. Applications will be accepted until January 31, 2022.

Newly funded projects include $240,000 over three years to support the Raisin Region Conservation Authority in its efforts to restore and protect the coastal wetland of the Bainsville Bay Marsh, which will sustain fish and wildlife habitat in the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern. The Royal Botanical Gardens’ Wetlands Rehabilitation Program will receive $425,000 over two years to restore wetlands in the Hamilton Harbour Area of Concern. Project funding to support the engagement of Indigenous Peoples in addressing Great Lakes issues includes $150,000 over two years for Wasauksing First Nation to work with local communities along the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior to create and promote community-specific fish consumption advisories. The funded projects build on previous and ongoing initiatives that support the government’s commitment to take active steps to protect and clean up the Great Lakes and other large lakes.

Quotes

“The Great Lakes are immensely important—they are ecologically rich, an economic driver, the source of water for forty million people, and an inspiration for song, storytelling, and exploration. We’re investing in local projects that advance collaborative efforts to restore and protect Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health. By working with regional partners and Indigenous Peoples, we are protecting this important resource for future generations to use and enjoy.”
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts

• The Great Lakes account for almost 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater.
• Project funding for 2021–2022 is supported by the Government of Canada’s investment of $44.84 million over five years in the Great Lakes Protection Initiative, part of the $70.6 million in funding allocated for freshwater protection in Budget 2017.
• Since 1989, Environment and Climate Change Canada has funded over 1,250 restoration projects to address Areas of Concern, completed in collaboration with community partners.

Associated links

• Projects funded by the Great Lakes Protection Initiative
• Funding for restoring Great Lakes areas of concern
• Great Lakes protection

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Twitter page

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Facebook page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

The functional movement franchise is seeking to fulfill increasing demand throughout one of its top 3 markets, with plans for new locations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Edmonton to name a few, aiming to exceed 50 locations in the country by 2026.

P.volve, the celebrity-loved functional movement franchise, has announced ambitious growth plans for Canada, targeting the markets of Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Edmonton — territories that already represent the brand’s top five markets in terms of digital members, and demand continues to increase.

In Toronto alone, P.volve has earned more than 1,500 users over the past year. RJ Krone, P.volve’s vice president of studio and franchise operations, says all signs point towards continued growth throughout the country.

“There are different pockets of the U.S., the U.K. and Canada where we’ve been established for years but we continue to see substantial room for growth,” he said. “Demand for our services is increasing sharply in Canada, and we are prepared to meet that demand.”

The fitness franchise’s hybrid model combines a global, on-demand platform and an in-person, high-end studio experience that gives members a full-service experience wherever they are. The brand leverages its patented equipment line for an expert-designed program of functional movements designed to strengthen the entire body, improve mobility and posture and reduce everyday pain. Bridging the fitness and healthcare space, P.volve has revolutionized the vanity-driven fitness industry with a holistic approach and a special focus on improving women’s health.

P.volve already has awarded its first new location in Canada, said Alex Puccillo, P.volve’s director of franchise development. “Our first franchise agreement was executed the first week of this year.”

As the brand seeks more qualified franchise owners throughout the country, P.volve will continue to host Discovery Days — including virtual Discovery Days, when necessary — allowing prospective franchise owners to meet the corporate team and experience a comprehensive introduction to the brand’s operational model.

“We’ve managed to create a virtual discovery day that is nearly as hands-on as the in-person event,” explained Krone. “It’s not just going through a PowerPoint presentation and telling them more about our company.”

P.volve kicks Discovery Day off with a virtual workout over Zoom that is led by one of their expert trainers and incorporates stretch and movement breaks throughout the day.

“We’re getting to know the candidates, answering all their questions, and showing them exactly what makes P.volve special. That experience builds a level of trust that is core to our model; our franchisees need to know we have their back,” said Krone

As P.volve embarks on its mission to establish new locations in all 10 Canadian provinces, the brand is leveraging its enviable social media following to attract new franchisee candidates.

“Our strong digital and social media presence paired with the research we’ve done on other boutiques, we feel that 100+ studios in all 10 Canadian provinces is well within our reach,” said Puccillo.

ABOUT P.VOLVE
P.volve is a functional training movement method that reduces pain, improves balance and builds total body strength. P.volve launched in November 2017 and was co-founded by Rachel Katzman and Stephen Pasterino, in partnership with Camelot Venture Group, whose portfolio companies include 1-800 CONTACTS, SmileDirectClub and Quicken Loans. Available worldwide, P.volve is headquartered in New York City. For more information, please visit www.pvolvefranchise.com and @pvolve on Instagram.

Antiviral Paxlovid reduces rate of hospitalization and death among high-risk COVID-19 patients

Health Canada has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 therapeutic for use in adults 18 and older, paving the way for the distribution of a potentially lifesaving drug at a time when the country’s hospitals are overwhelmed.

Pfizer’s Paxlovid, an oral antiviral prescribed by a doctor and administered in pill form, is designed to help the body fight off the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reduce symptoms from an infection and shorten the period of illness.

After months of clinical trials, Pfizer reported in November that Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by an impressive 89 per cent compared to a placebo in non-hospitalized high-risk adults with COVID-19.

• Have a coronavirus question or news tip for CBC News? Email: ask@cbc.ca or join us live in the comments now.

The drug company’s laboratory studies also indicate the drug is likely to work against the Omicron variant, now the dominant variant among new cases in Canada.

The product has been hailed as a pandemic “game changer” by some doctors because it could reduce hospitalizations and deaths among COVID-19 patients.

Experts say an effective pill that’s easy to self-administer at home could relieve some of the pressure on the health care system and change the trajectory of the pandemic. Existing therapeutics approved for use in Canada — products like monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir — must be administered intravenously in a hospital setting.

Speaking at a press conference with reporters Monday, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said the regulator’s approval is “great news” because Paxlovid could drive down severe outcomes in the current wave and beyond.

“The regulator as well as the experts helping us with the guidance and the supply are all coming together at once and I think Canadians should be very happy today to hear that oral antivirals are beginning to become available in Canada,” she said.

Canada has placed an order for an initial quantity of one million treatment courses, with an option to buy up to 500,000 more. With global interest in antivirals running high as the Omicron variant wreaks havoc, Pfizer is promising to churn out 120 million courses of the treatment by year’s end.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said 30,000 treatment courses have arrived in Canada already and will be distributed to the provinces and territories on a per-capita basis.

Duclos said another 120,000 Paxlovid treatments will arrive between now and the end of March. The federal government is working with Pfizer to bring “additional treatment courses to Canada as quickly as possible,” he said.

While championing Paxlovid as a treatment that will “save lives, reduce illness and lighten the load on our health care system,” Duclos said this antiviral is not a replacement for vaccines, which remain the best way to keep people out of hospital.

“This is welcome news — we have one more tool in our toolbox. But no drug, including Paxlovid, can replace vaccination and public health measures,” he said. “You don’t want to have to use that pill if you can instead be vaccinated. Vaccination will be a lot better in protecting you.”

Tam said the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working with its provincial and territorial counterparts to determine how best to distribute antivirals, which are expected to be in short supply for the foreseeable future.

“This treatment, the first treatment taken orally and at home, will be in high demand,” she said. “We anticipate supply at the beginning will not be great anywhere.”

The product, which doesn’t prevent infection, has been authorized by Health Canada for use in high-risk adults with mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

A spokesperson for Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliott said the country’s largest province will earmark its share — about 10,000 courses of treatment to start — for adults with “the highest risk of severe outcomes, including immunocompromised patients.”

A person should start taking Paxlovid no more than five days after symptoms start, which could be “one of the key challenges of these antivirals,” Tam said.

‘An important tool’

“They have to be given really early. Not easy, but everybody needs to give it a good try because it could be an important tool going forward,” she said. “It could potentially blunt the severity of the virus, which is a key goal.”

Health Canada said Pfizer’s pills should only be used by patients who have tested positive on a SARS-CoV-2 viral test. Such tests are currently in short supply in some provinces and territories. If a PCR test is not available, Tam said a positive result on a rapid antigen test would also suffice.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist and researcher based at Toronto General Hospital, said Health Canada’s approval is “a very positive first step.”

“Everything we’ve heard about this pill is very promising but there are clearly logistical challenges ahead,” he said, adding that careful planning is required to make sure the pills get to those who need them most.

This drug regimen could be useful for people who have underlying conditions that increase the risk of hospitalization and death related to the coronavirus, such as heart disease or diabetes.

It could also be given to the unvaccinated, who are much more likely to experience severe outcomes. Tam pointed to PHAC data that suggest unvaccinated people are 19 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people.

Health Canada has warned, however, that the product shouldn’t be used while a patient is on any of a long list of other drugs, including common medications used to treat erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol and seasonal allergies, among others.

“If you’re on certain medications, you have to be careful when using this drug,” Tam said, urging prescribers to review contraindications before writing a script for Paxlovid.

Pfizer’s treatment is meant to be taken as 30 pills over five days. Patients take three pills at a time: two of Pfizer’s pills and one of a low-dose HIV drug known as ritonavir, which helps Pfizer’s drug remain active in the body longer.

Sorce: www.cbc.ca

Freshlocal Solutions Inc. is pleased to announce that it has held a second and final closing of its previously-announced brokered private placement by issuing an aggregate of 1,500 convertible debenture units (the “Convertible Debenture Units”) at a price of $1,000 per Convertible Debenture Unit for aggregate gross proceeds to Freshlocal of $1,500,000. As a result of the second closing, Freshlocal raised total proceeds of $13,915,000 in the private placement (the “Private Placement”).

Desjardins Capital Markets acted as lead agent and Cormark Securities Inc. acted as co-agent in connection with the Private Placement.

Each Convertible Debenture Unit is comprised of (i) one 8% subordinated unsecured convertible debenture of the Company, in a principal amount of $1,000, which is convertible into common shares of the Company (each a “Common Share”) at a conversion price of $1.90 per Common Share, subject to adjustment in certain events and maturing on December 31, 2024 (the “Maturity Date”); and (ii) 263 common share purchase warrants of the Company (the “Warrants”). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $1.25 per share until the Maturity Date.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Private Placement for working capital, repayment of debt and/or general corporate purposes. The Convertible Debentures will be unsecured obligations of the Company and rank pari passu in right of payment of principal and interest with all other previously existing unsecured subordinated indebtedness of the Company.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell, any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the “United States” or to “U.S. persons” (as such terms are defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

By Dr. Fred Pescatore

As we age, our bodies and our mind change and evolve. Most people focus on outer appearance changes, such as skin elasticity, wrinkles, dark spots, and muscle loss.  They become more proactive in their skincare and fitness routines. Your brain deserves the same proactive approach.

Too many of us wait until we notice alterations in our memory and focus, then we take action. Proactive measures on your cognitive health earlier in life can make a significant difference later. A healthy lifestyle and simple actions can keep your mind sharp and boost brain health throughout life. Here are the top tips I share with my patients looking to boost brain health, focus, memory, and mood.