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Hallmark Media executive vice president of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly instructed a former employee not to cast “old people” for Hallmark roles, saying that “our leading ladies are aging out,” according to a lawsuit filed against the network this month and obtained by The Associated Press.

Penny Perry, a 79-year-old casting director who filed the lawsuit Oct. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that she was wrongfully fired from the network known for its feel-good movies because of her age, and despite stellar performance reviews. “Hallmark’s happy endings are stories made for TV only,” the complaint says. “In Ms. Perry’s case, there was no happy ending, and no feel-good episode to wrap up her career with Hallmark. Instead, her finale episode was marred by ageist and ableist harassment, and a callous termination which robbed her of her illustrious career, her pride, and her well-being.”

In a statement, Hallmark denied the allegations, adding: “Hallmark continues to consistently cast and maintain positive, productive relationships with talented actors representing a broad spectrum of diversity, including actors who span many age groups and cross generations.”

According to the lawsuit, Hamilton Daly told Perry that they needed to “replace” the “old talent” including 42-year-old actress Lacey Chabert, who has starred in dozens of Hallmark movies, many of them Christmas-themed, and portrayed Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls (2004), saying Chabert is “getting older and we have to find someone like her to replace her as she gets older.”

The lawsuit adds that Hamilton Daly said of the 60-year-old actress and “Our Christmas Journey” star Holly Robinson Peete: “No one wants her because she’s too expensive and getting too old. She can’t play leading roles anymore.”

Hallmark countered: “Lacey and Holly have a home at Hallmark. We do not generally comment on pending litigation. And while we deny these outrageous allegations, we are not going to discuss an employment relationship in the media,” a company representative told AP in an emailed statement.

Chabert stars in a new Hallmark movie, The Christmas Quest, slated for release Dec. 1, and hosts the reality series “Celebrations with Lacey Chabert,” according to Hallmark’s website. Representatives for Chabert and Robinson Peete did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Perry herself endured ageist and ableist harassment at the company, and Hamilton Daly — who apparently repeatedly made reference to age as a negative attribute that did not fit the network’s image — “told Ms. Perry she was too ‘long in the tooth’ to keep her job at Hallmark,” the lawsuit says. It also alleges that senior vice president of programming and development Randy Pope ridiculed Perry for her relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis by mocking her when she mispronounced words or names — a symptom of the condition.

“Unfortunately, Hallmark treated a venerable Hollywood veteran this way and we hope this action will lead to change in Hollywood and all work environments,” said a statement from Perry’s attorneys, Lisa Sherman and Josh Schein.

The allegations arrive amid a period of turmoil for Hollywood, punctuated by historic labor strikes, the pandemic, and the streaming revolution.

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The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HALIFAX – Nova Scotians are set to go to the polls in a provincial election called for Nov. 26. Here are five key issues the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals and NDP are expected to highlight during the campaign:

Health care

The Progressive Conservatives were elected in 2021 on a pledge to “fix” the province’s ailing system. The Tories say they have made inroads in recruiting doctors and nurses and in providing more resources for emergency medical care, while the Liberals and NDP will highlight the 145,000 Nova Scotians who still don’t have access to a family doctor.

Affordable housing

Homelessness has become a growing problem in the province, with 1,287 people in the Halifax Regional Municipality alone reporting they were without housing as of early October. The Tories have extended a five per cent rent cap and plan to build 273 new public housing units, but the Liberals and NDP say the use of fixed-term leases undermines the rent cap and the government has only scratched the surface of what’s needed to create affordable homes.

Cost of living

The Tories are promising to lower the province’s harmonized sales tax by one percentage point to 14 per cent from 15 on April 1, while they have also brought in a province-wide school lunch program. The Liberals have advocated for a two percentage point cut in the HST and free public transit, while the NDP says it would establish rent control and provide a tax credit for renters from low- and middle-income households.

Climate change

The province has endured a number of severe weather events that damaged infrastructure and claimed lives over the last three years. The Tories have pledged to get the province off coal-fired electrical generation by 2030 and to kickstart an offshore wind industry. The Liberals and NDP will highlight the government’s controversial decision to scrap the Coastal Protection Act, which was passed in the legislature with all-party support in 2019, but was never proclaimed as law.

Ottawa

The Tories have made it clear that they plan to make Nova Scotia’s relationship with the federal government an issue. They are opposed to Ottawa’s carbon pricing scheme and want the federal government to pay the entire cost of work needed to protect the Chignecto Isthmus between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from flooding. However, the Liberals and NDP say the Tories are simply trying to divert the public’s attention away from their own lack of action in tackling climate-related issues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HALIFAX – Tim Houston, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, is seeking a second mandate as premier.

Born: April 10, 1970.

Early years: Born in Halifax and raised in a military family, he grew up on military bases in Prince Edward Island, Ontario and British Columbia before returning to live in Halifax.

Education: A chartered accountant, he graduated with a bachelor of commerce from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax in 1992.

Family: He and his wife Carol have two children, Paget and Zachary.

Before politics: Worked as an accountant for Deloitte and in the reinsurance industry in Bermuda before returning to Nova Scotia in 2007.

Politics: Successfully sought the PC nomination in 2012 for the provincial riding of Pictou East and was elected to the legislature in 2013. He was re-elected in 2017 and in 2018 won the party leadership. He was sworn in as premier after the August 2021 provincial election.

Quote: When asked this week whether an election was imminent. “It could be that we need to send a message to the federal government that Nova Scotians are united on what matters … and we need to take a strong position when we are negotiating with them on different issues.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2024.

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