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Indigo founder acknowledges ‘tough four years’ for bookstore chain

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MONTREAL – The founder of Canada’s biggest bookstore chain says she wants to bring the company back to its core values following a “tough four years” for the bookseller.

Heather Reisman, chief executive of Indigo Books & Music Inc., says it was a mistake to temporarily step back from the company’s helm.

“For two years I gave the business over to someone else and … I made the wrong decision,” Reisman said Friday during a live taping of “Big Shot,” a podcast hosted by Shopify president Harley Finkelstein and DAVIDsTEA co-founder David Segal that celebrates Jewish entrepreneurs.

Reisman said the COVID pandemic cost the company $160 million in cash, and her “two-year misstep,” when she stepped down as chief executive a few years later, cost another $120 million. “That’s a lot of money for any retail company,” she said. “And it basically cleaned the cash off my balance sheet.”

The event took place as part of Startupfest, an annual gathering of entrepreneurs and investors in Montreal.

The conversation marked Reisman’s first public remarks since a pair of holding companies owned by her husband, Gerald Schwartz, completed a deal in May to acquire all of the bookseller’s outstanding shares and take it private.

The takeover by Trilogy Retail Holdings Inc. and Trilogy Investments LP came after a turbulent year for the bookstore chain, which has been working to turn around its business. The privatization allows Indigo to avoid scrutiny as it works to bring profitability and growth back to Canada’s biggest bookseller.

Indigo is still recovering from a cyberattack that downed its website for a lengthy period last year, a series of quarterly losses leading up to a January layoff, and a succession of changes that saw four of 10 board members depart last year with one claiming mistreatment and “a loss of confidence in board leadership.”

Reisman, who announced her full retirement from the company amid the turmoil in June, returned to the helm months later, in September.

The issues have played out as inflation and high interest rates make many Canadians think twice about opening their wallets, especially for the discretionary items Indigo is known for selling alongside its books.

Shortly after her return, Reisman launched a transformation plan meant to “return Indigo to both growth and profitability.” Asked about that plan on Friday, Reisman said she wants to focus on the company’s core values. “I have to bring the company back to who we were. We got a little bit lost for two years,” she said.

Though she offered few details, Reisman said she’s interested in the connection between reading and brain development “in a world where attention spans have declined.” She said she wants Canadian children to be the most literate in the world. She’s also interested in the application of artificial intelligence to book curation.

Reisman was briefly interrupted Friday by a pro-Palestinian protester who accused her of “funding genocide.” Indigo has been targeted in recent months by activists who take issue with the HESEG Foundation, created by Schwartz and Reisman in 2005, which offers scholarships to people from outside Israel who join the Israeli Defense Forces.

Reisman, who appeared unfazed by the disturbance, called the protester’s allegation a “lie,” and said the truth is the foundation “fund(s) education for people with no parents.” The man was quickly removed by security guards.

Since the conflict in Gaza began last fall, demonstrators have protested outside Indigo bookstores and called for boycotts of the company because of Reisman’s foundation. A Toronto store was vandalized last November.

More recently, a group of high-profile members of Canada’s literary community have called on the Scotiabank Giller Prize to cut ties with sponsors “directly invested in Israel’s occupation of Palestine,” including Indigo.

Earlier this week, the Giller Foundation announced it wouldn’t drop its lead sponsor, Scotiabank, over its investment in an Israeli arms manufacturer. A number of authors have pulled their names from consideration for this year’s prize due to the Scotiabank sponsorship.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2024.

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Climate protesters arrested outside Pierre Poilievre’s official residence in Ottawa

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OTTAWA – Ottawa police say two people were arrested this morning after an “unlawful” demonstration outside Stornoway, the official residence the Opposition leader.

Greenpeace Canada says its activists blocked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s house and two of them locked themselves to a replica oil pumpjack placed in the driveway.

The non-profit has been critical of Poilievre’s climate change voting record and his advocacy for the oil and gas sector.

Ottawa police say in a statement that about 12 people gathered outside Stornoway shortly after 7 a.m., blocking access to the residence with a “structure” and “not allowing the family to pass.”

Police say two of the demonstrators refused to comply with “repeated” orders to remove themselves from the structure and were arrested. 

They say charges are pending against the two men who were due to appear in court today. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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N.S. Liberals say if elected next week they would move fast to cut taxes, build homes

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HALIFAX – If Nova Scotia’s Liberal Party is elected to govern on Tuesday, leader Zach Churchill says that within the first 100 days he would call for a meeting of the Atlantic premiers to discuss replacing the federal carbon tax.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday at Liberal campaign headquarters in Halifax, Churchill said he would try to sell the other premiers on his plan to use a regional cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions. 

Churchill has said newly elected New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is interested in the idea, though she has yet to commit to such a plan. He said there’s an opportunity persuade Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Mark Furey.

“We know it isn’t the right policy for pollution pricing in Atlantic Canada,” said Churchill, who has distanced himself from Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government introduced the carbon price.

“We’ve got four governments that do not want the carbon tax, and we have an alternative that can lower prices at the pump while doing our part to reduce emissions.”

He acknowledged that if the federal Liberals lose the election slated for next year, the carbon tax will likely be eliminated, negating the need for a cap-and-trade system.

Churchill said that within 100 days of taking office, a provincial Liberal government would also alert Ottawa to its plan to reduce the harmonized sales tax to 13 per cent from 15 per cent; appoint a minister of women’s health; and recall the legislature to table a budget with income tax cuts and plans to build 80,000 new homes.

Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s three main political leaders were scheduled Thursday to take part in a “roundtable discussion” organized by CTV News in Halifax. Churchill was expected to be joined by Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston, who is seeking a second term in office, and NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

The 90-minute exchange, moderated by CTV News anchor Todd Battis, is to be televised at 6:30 p.m. local time. 

Last Thursday, the leaders appeared together on CBC TV, and they also sparred during an event hosted earlier this week by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats in the 55-seat legislature and the Liberals held 14 seats, while the NDP had six and there was one Independent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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What to know about Transgender Day of Remembrance and violence against trans people

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Wednesday is Transgender Day of Remembrance, which focuses on trans people who have lost their lives because of violence. Here is what to know.

What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?

Transgender Day of Remembrance is marked every Nov. 20 and began in 1999 to honor Rita Hester, a trans woman who was killed in Massachusetts.

The day marks the end of Transgender Awareness Week, which is used to raise public knowledge about transgender people and the issues they face.

The Williams Institute at UCLA Law estimates that 1.6 million people in the U.S. ages 13 and older identify as transgender. And it says transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violence, including rape and assault.

Candlelight vigils, memorials and other events are held to mark the day. The Human Rights Campaign also released its annual report on deaths of transgender people in conjunction with the day.

International Transgender Day of Visibility, which is designed to bring attention to transgender people, is commemorated in March.

How many transgender people have lost their lives to violence?

At least 36 transgender people have died from violence in the 12 months since the last Day of Remembrance, the Human Rights Campaign said in its annual report. Since 2013, the organization has recorded the deaths from violence of 372 victims who were transgender and gender-expansive — which refers to someone with a more flexible range of gender identity or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system.

The number of victims is likely higher because many deaths often aren’t reported or are misreported, or misgendering of the victims leads to delays in their identification.

The Human Rights Campaign said there was a slight increase from the previous year, when it identified at least 33 transgender victims of violence.

A large number of the victims tracked over the past year were young or people of color, with Black transgender women making up half of the 36 identified. The youngest victim identified was 14-year-old Pauly Likens of Pennsylvania.

Two-thirds of the fatalities involved a firearm, the organization said. Nearly a third of the victims with a known killer were killed by an intimate partner, a friend or a family member.

What is at stake politically?

This year’s remembrance follows an election where advocates say victories by President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates who focused on issues like transgender athletes dealt a setback to trans people’s rights.

It also follows a wave of measures enacted in Republican states this year restricting the rights of transgender people, especially youth.

Half the states have banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next month in a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s ban.

Advocates say the legislation and rhetoric is creating fewer safe spaces for transgender people, and they worry it could spur more violence against trans people.

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Associated Press writer Jeff McMillan in northeastern Pennsylvania contributed to this report.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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