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Pornhub owner MindGeek purchased by private equity firm

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Pornhub

A new private equity firm based in Ottawa says it has acquired the company behind one of the world’s largest pornography sites, Pornhub.

Ethical Capital Partners on Thursday announced its purchase of MindGeek, which owns a large portfolio of adult entertainment properties, for an undisclosed amount.

MindGeek found itself embroiled in controversy after a New York Times opinion piece detailed allegations of sexual exploitation on platforms including Pornhub. The Montreal-based company is frequently ranked in the dozen-most visited websites in the world, ahead of Amazon, Netflix and TikTok.

The scrutiny sparked deletion of millions of explicit videos by Pornhub and prompted Visa and MasterCard to sever ties and Parliament to launch an inquiry.

In 2021, the federal government laid out a blueprint for cracking down on harmful materials posted to online platforms. Consultations and roundtables have been carried out since, though no legislation has been tabled.

Launched last year, Ethical Capital Partners is led by cannabis entrepreneur Rocco Meliambro and criminal lawyer Fady Mansour, who are listed as chair and managing partner, respectively.

Derek Ogden, a retired chief superintendent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is another a founding partner.

The company site has only one news post — the MindGeek purchase.

“At ECP, we seek out innovative and ethically-driven companies that operate at the frontier of new, evolving industries,” Mansour said in a release.

“In MindGeek, we have identified a dynamic tech brand that is built upon a foundation of trust, safety and compliance, and with ECP’s resources and broad expertise spanning regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement and finance, we have a unique opportunity to strengthen what already exists.”

MindGeek said the private equity firm’s backing will allow it to “continue to revolutionize safe, legal, sex-positive tech, and connect adult users around the globe with creators, content, advertising partners and technology they can trust.”

MindGeek — legally headquartered in Luxembourg, but with its main office in a nondescript glass building in Montreal — settled a class-action lawsuit in California in 2021 alleging it profited off material showing child sexual abuse and non-consensual activity. Several Canadians were among the plaintiffs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2023.

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CP Railway adjusts safety measures following B.C. train crash: safety board

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RICHMOND, B.C. – The Transportation Safety Board says a mistake by a Canadian Pacific Railway supervisor set off a crash between a freight train and a railway work vehicle in Cache Creek, B.C.

The board’s report says the supervisor was inspecting the main tracks on Dec. 29, 2022, in a vehicle that can operate on both roads and rail when he noticed a defect that needed repair.

It says that while the man was repairing the track, an eastbound freight train crashed into the unoccupied vehicle, but no one was hurt.

The board says that its investigation found when the supervisor noticed the problem, he requested a second permit allowing him to be on the tracks, but he cancelled the wrong permission, leaving the track he was working on unprotected.

The board says it issued a safety advisory to CP Rail, saying its verification procedures for cancelling electronic track occupancy permits were “less rigorous” than using their radio to cancel a permit.

The board says the railway has confirmed it had implemented safety changes, including enhancing its electronic application for such permits.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Saskatchewan Party would introduce change room policy if re-elected: Scott Moe

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REGINA – Scott Moe says his Saskatchewan Party would issue a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if it forms government again on Oct. 28.

Moe says the move is in response to a recent complaint that some biological males changed for gym class with girls at a school in southeast Saskatchewan.

He says school divisions should already have change room policies, but a provincial policy would ensure all have the rule in place.

The Saskatchewan Party government passed legislation last year that requires parents consent to children under 16 using different names or pronouns at school.

The law has faced backlash from some LGBTQ+ advocates who argue it violates Charter rights and could cause teachers to out or misgender children.

NDP Leader Carla Beck has said if elected her party would repeal the legislation, and she says Moe’s proposed locker room policy would make already vulnerable kids more vulnerable.

Moe said a directive would come from his education minister.

“If we are re-elected, I’ll be very clear, there will be a directive that would come from the Minister of Education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls,” Moe said Thursday at an election campaign news conference in Regina.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Passenger trips to take longer in Ontario and Quebec after CN rule change: Via

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MONTREAL – Passengers riding on Via Rail’s most heavily travelled corridor may endure a slower trip after Canadian National Railway Co. imposed restrictions on Via’s new trains.

CN last Friday said that Via’s recently arrived Siemens trainsets running between Montreal and Windsor, Ont., must lower their speed at public crossings.

Via says the rule — previously in effect only between Montreal and Quebec City — is causing delays of about 30 minutes per train on average.

It says no incidents at level crossings have been reported since the 16 Venture trains now operating first hit the rails two years ago.

CN, which owns most of the tracks used by Via in Central Canada, says it made the decision when it learned the new trains were traversing routes they had previously steered clear of.

The company says that in order to maintain higher speeds through crossings, Via would need to add cars to the new trainsets in order to raise their axle count for reasons tied to signalling and speed detection.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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