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Do you know this missus? Newfoundland folklore archive hopes to give women their due

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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – For decades, folklorists at Memorial University have had a Mrs. W. R. King to thank for sharing the local superstition that a lid left off a kettle as tea was steeping was a sure sign a stranger would soon come knocking.

But it was not until a project dubbed Missus Monday took off that researchers at the Newfoundland and Labrador university were able to put a full name to their mysterious source. They now know Mrs. King’s first name was Myrtle, and she worked as a switchboard operator in St. John’s, N.L.

The project of the university’s Folklore and Language Archive aims to find the first names of women who contributed remedies, recipes and local beliefs, but were only credited as a “missus,” with their husband’s last name and often his first name or initials. Nicole Penney, an assistant archivist at the centre said men and unmarried women had their first and last names included, but the tradition was to identify married women with their husbands’ names.

“We wanted to put it out there that these women had lost their names, basically,” Penney said in a recent interview. “They’re all amazing pieces of folklore, and these women deserve the recognition.”

From fairies that lure berry pickers over cliffs to “charmers” that can heal toothaches, Newfoundland has a rich folklore tradition that began with the English and Irish fishermen who began settling on the island in the 17th century. Fascinated, an American anthropologist named Herbert Halpert established the folklore archive at Memorial in the 1960s.

Researchers and students began collecting tidbits from people across the province, writing them down on index cards along with the name of who supplied them and where they were from. Over the next three decades, more than 120,000 cards were filled out with wisdom and anecdotes from many of the far-flung fishing villages dotting Newfoundland and Labrador’s shores. The cards now sit in a towering filing cabinet at the archive office in St. John’s, organized chronologically in 25 drawers, Penney said.

The cards map out the beliefs, expressions and rituals that informed everyday life in these communities, helping scholars better understand the social history of the province.

Mrs. Lloyd Head of Carbonear said a spruce bow tied to a gatepost would ward off evil spirits and keep crops safe, according to a card from 1977. Mrs. L. Hynes of Bishop’s Falls would make cough drops she called “bull’s eyes” by boiling together molasses and Vicks VapoRub, according to another, from 1984.

Mrs. M. E. Breen in St. John’s heard it was good luck to blow a kiss to a crow, said a card from 1985.

In 2019, wanting to know who these women were, staff at the folklore archive began posting the cards to Facebook and Twitter (now known as X), asking if anyone might be able to identify the “missus” in question. They posted the cards on Monday, and called the effort Missus Monday.

So far, they’ve posted 165 cards, and identified 21 contributors, she said.

Last year, Marilyn Butt saw a Missus Monday post about a Mrs. Thornhill, who said people would describe dancing as “(putting) the leather to the lumber” in Pool’s Cove, N.L., a remote community of about 150 people along the southern shore of Newfoundland.

Butt is from Pool’s Cove, too, and she’s part of a Facebook group where residents past and present collect information about their roots in the community. With help from group members, she was able to confirm that the dancing missus in question was Rhoda Thornhill, who died in 2015, at the age of 92.

“Rhoda’s husband and my dad are first cousins,” Butt said in an interview, adding that Thornhill was “very musical.” She’s happy Rhoda Thornhill will get proper credit for her contribution to the province’s folklore history.

Penney said she plans to keep the Missus Monday project going for as long as she can.

“We know that we’re not going to identify all these women, but we want to just put it out there. It’s good to know who they are and give them their credit,” the archivist said.

“These women’s names might have been completely lost had it not been for this.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2024.

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‘It’s literally incredible’: Swifties line up for merch ahead of Toronto concerts

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TORONTO – Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans lined up outside the gates of Toronto’s Rogers Centre Wednesday, with hopes of snagging some of the pop star’s merchandise on the eve of the first of her six sold-out shows in the city.

Swift is slated to perform at the venue from Thursday to Saturday, and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, with concert merchandise available for sale on some non-show days.

Swifties were all smiles as they left the merch shop, their arms full of sweaters and posters bearing pictures of the star and her Eras Tour logo.

Among them was Zoe Haronitis, 22, who said she waited in line for about two hours to get $300 worth of merchandise, including some apparel for her friends.

Haronitis endured the autumn cold and the hefty price tag even though she hasn’t secured a concert ticket. She said she’s hunting down a resale ticket and plans to spend up to $600.

“I haven’t really budgeted anything,” Haronitis said. “I don’t care how much money I spent. That was kind of my mindset.”

The megastar’s merchandise costs up to $115 for a sweater, and $30 for tote bags and other accessories.

Rachel Renwick, 28, also waited a couple of hours in line for merchandise, but only spent about $70 after learning that a coveted blue sweater and a crewneck had been snatched up by other eager fans before she got to the shop. She had been prepared to spend much more, she said.

“The two prized items sold out. I think a lot more damage would have been done,” Renwick said, adding she’s still determined to buy a sweater at a later date.

Renwick estimated she’s spent about $500 in total on “all-things Eras Tour,” including her concert outfit and merchandise.

The long queue for Swift merch is just a snapshot of what the city will see in the coming days. It’s estimated that up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto will be in town during the concert period.

Tens of thousands more are also expected to attend Taylgate’24, an unofficial Swiftie fan event scheduled to be held at the nearby Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, Destination Toronto has said it anticipates the economic impact of the Eras Tour could grow to $282 million as the money continues to circulate.

But for fans like Haronitis, the experience in Toronto comes down to the Swiftie community. Knowing that Swift is going to be in the city for six shows and seeing hundreds gather just for merchandise is “awesome,” she said.

Even though Haronitis hasn’t officially bought her ticket yet, she said she’s excited to see the megastar.

“It’s literally incredible.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Via Rail seeks judicial review on CN’s speed restrictions

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OTTAWA – Via Rail is asking for a judicial review on the reasons why Canadian National Railway Co. has imposed speed restrictions on its new passenger trains.

The Crown corporation says it is seeking the review from the Federal Court after many attempts at dialogue with the company did not yield valid reasoning for the change.

It says the restrictions imposed last month are causing daily delays on Via Rail’s Québec City-Windsor corridor, affecting thousands of passengers and damaging Via Rail’s reputation with travellers.

CN says in a statement that it imposed the restrictions at rail crossings given the industry’s experience and known risks associated with similar trains.

The company says Via has asked the courts to weigh in even though Via has agreed to buy the equipment needed to permanently fix the issues.

Via said in October that no incidents at level crossings have been reported in the two years since it put 16 Siemens Venture trains into operation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CN)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Japanese owner of 7-Eleven receives another offer to rival Couche-Tard bid

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LAVAL, Que. – The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven says it has received a new management buyout proposal from a member of the family that helped found the company, offering an alternative to the takeover bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

The proposal for Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. is being made by Junro Ito, who is a vice-president and director of the company, and Ito-Kogyo Co. Ltd., a private company affiliated with him.

Terms of the non-binding offer by Ito were not disclosed.

In a statement Wednesday, Seven & i said its special committee has been reviewing the proposal with its financial advisers.

Stephen Hayes Dacus, chair of the special committee and board of directors of the company, said the company is committed to an objective review of all alternatives as it considers the proposals from Ito and Couche-Tard as well as the company’s stand-alone opportunities.

“The special committee and the company board will continue to engage with all parties in a manner designed to maximize value and will continue to act in the best interests of the company’s shareholders and other stakeholders,” he said in a statement.

The company noted that Ito has been excluded from all discussions within the company related to the offer and the bid by Couche-Tard.

Quebec-based Couche-Tard made a revised offer for Seven & i last month after an earlier proposal was rebuffed by the Japanese firm because it was too low and did not fully address U.S. regulatory concerns.

It did not respond to a request for comment about Ito’s offer.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Irene Nattel said the latest development underscored her belief that a Couche-Tard deal with Seven & i is a “low probability event.”

“Assuming attractive pricing and a fully-funded transaction, the potential privatization from a friendly Japanese group would seemingly provide investors with the value creation event they seek,” said Nattel, adding that it would skirt potential competition issues in the U.S. and concerns around the foreign takeover of a core local entity for Japanese regulators.

Couche-Tard has argued its proposal offers clear strategic and financial benefits and has said it believes the two companies can reach a mutually agreeable transaction.

However, the Japanese company has said there are multiple and significant challenges such a transaction would face from U.S. competition regulators.

Couche-Tard operates across 31 countries, with more than 16,800 stores. A successful deal with Seven & i could add 85,800 stores to its network.

Seven & i owns not only the 7-Eleven chain, but also supermarkets, food producers, household goods retailers and financial services companies.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ATD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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